Are REITs better positioned financially today than they were during and after the Great Recession? It’s clear that the REIT landscape is still in a period of instability. The coronavirus pandemic and its effects continue, but it appears the sector may avoid the long-term damage suffered in the 2008 financial crisis. In fact, REITs raised more capital in the first half of 2020 than they ever have during a first-half period. And publicly-traded REITs have leveraged lower interest rates to extend debt maturities and lower their average long-term interest rates. 

Will we see a rebound in REIT IPOs in 2021? Is the publicly-traded REIT sector still liquid? Did a decade of conservative management pay off as stability during a time of unprecedented volatility? And do REITs still offer a real advantage over their private counterparts for access to capital markets?