Real estate is one of the most respected investment markets among investors, especially for those looking to protect capital with real, tangible assets. The main advantage of these assets is that their value usually appreciates over time and they can generate steady (fixed) income.
However, entering this market in the traditional way requires a relatively high amount of capital from the investor. That’s why investing “en pozo” —off-plan or pre-construction—became popular. All these expressions mean the same thing: investing in real estate developments before construction begins.
This reduces the capital required and can yield a good profit, provided the developer meets deadlines, the country’s economic conditions are favorable, and the unit(s) can be sold immediately once the project is completed.
The advantages of this method are clear, but so are its disadvantages, and they often go unnoticed. Locking up all our capital in a single investment can be risky—not only because of the large sum required, but because you can’t access that capital or exit the investment without suffering significant losses.
Today, investors are choosing more flexible ways to access real estate. Thanks to technology, small investors can operate with more liquid and diversified instruments.
Moreover, through these instruments it’s possible to participate in markets with greater stability and legal certainty. With Wallbit, for example, you can open a U.S. investment account using only your ID and invest directly in U.S. real estate.
How? Through exchange-traded funds that are based on portfolios of real estate assets: REIT-based ETF. Sounds complicated? Don’t worry, in this article we explain how they work and why they’ve become so popular with investors.
ETF-REIT: what is it?
REIT-ETF combine two types of investment instruments: ETF (exchange-traded funds) are investment funds traded on the stock exchange that behave like stocks and can be bought and sold immediately.
On the other hand, REIT (real estate investment trusts) are trusts that operate and manage real estate assets, including office buildings, shopping centers, hotels, resorts, warehouses, data centers and other property projects.
Together, ETF composed of REIT allow you to invest in real estate without the need for large capital. Also, because they are made up of diversified portfolios, they can also offer dividend yields that outperform the average stock market return.
REIT-ETF to invest in U.S. real estate
As we said, unlike traditional real estate developments—where the investor depends on construction timelines and must freeze capital for two, three or more years—REIT-ETF offers immediate access to diversified, income-generating and liquid real estate assets.
Beyond these benefits, these instruments have wider reach: thanks to current tech solutions, you can use them to access U.S. real estate. Can you imagine investing in a Hilton in Las Vegas, a new Google campus in Palo Alto, or a data center in South Dakota? With REIT-ETF it’s possible.
You only need a U.S. investment account. With Wallbit, for example, you can open one with just your ID, with no account opening or maintenance fees, and begin investing in these and many other assets starting at $1 USD.
Add to that the convenience of trading from an app with instant buy/sell operations, low commissions, and access to over 12,000 assets—many of which are REIT-ETF.
Security is another factor to consider: Wallbit accounts are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (created by the U.S. Congress) for up to $500,000.
What are the benefits of investing in REIT-ETF?
In summary, let’s look more closely at the advantages of these instruments. As mentioned, they are formed from diversified portfolios of U.S. real estate companies—that is, companies that manage income-producing properties.
This enables small savers to build a portfolio gradually without needing thousands of dollars.
That’s a fundamental difference from investing in a traditional real estate development, where the investor depends on a builder’s timeline and lacks immediate liquidity, versus the instant diversification and liquidity that grant access to hundreds of U.S. properties.
Here are the main advantages of investing in REIT-ETF.
Accessibility
You can start investing at the price of a single share, from $1 USD. This significantly reduces the need to take on loans, mortgages, or large amounts of capital.
Diversification
Instead of betting on a single company or development, investing in an ETF-REIT gives you access to a range of companies across logistics, data centers (very popular due to the AI boom), healthcare, residential, and many other sectors.
Immediate liquidity
Unlike buying a physical property or investing in a future development (which can take years to build and months to sell), a REIT-ETF can be liquidated with a single click on the stock market. That guarantees flexibility and the ability to respond to changing market trends.
Dividends
One important point we haven’t mentioned yet is perhaps one of the most distinctive strengths of REIT investing. In the United States, under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), to qualify as a REIT and avoid corporate tax treatment, these trusts are required to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income as dividends.
As a result, these funds often offer dividend yields above the average in the stock market.
How much can REIT-ETF return?
So far we’ve discussed the advantages of these instruments and how they provide access to the U.S. market. We can also look at concrete examples of returns. Among the best-rated REIT-ETF of 2025, we can mention the following examples:
- Vanguard Global ex-U.S. Real Estate ETF (VNQI) returned around 18.5%;
- Schwab U.S. REIT-ETF (SCHH) returned +4.5%;
- Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ) returned +3.9%;
- iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (IYR) returned a moderate +3.2%;
- Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) returned +3.1%.
However, the Global X Data Center & Digital Infrastructure ETF (DTCR) had the best year, returning +26.72%.
Note: Wallbit does not recommend or suggest investing in any of these assets — they are illustrative examples.
Investing in real estate is one of the most attractive options for investors seeking stability, shelter and security. However, there are never guarantees, and entering the market in the traditional way can be difficult.
By contrast, REIT ETFs lower barriers to entry, increase diversification and operational flexibility, and provide access to U.S. real estate — one of the real estate markets with the greatest legal certainty and potential for attractive returns.
