The provision allows investors to buy shares in commercial real estate portfolios, previously available only to wealthy individuals and through large financial intermediaries.

Properties may include apartment complexes, data centers, healthcare facilities, hotels, infrastructure—in the form of fiber cables, cell towers, and energy pipelines—office buildings, retail centers, self-storage, timberland, and warehouses. REITs specialize in a specific real estate sector. However, diversified and specialty REITs may hold different types of properties in their portfolios.

Many REITs are publicly traded on major securities exchanges, and investors can buy and sell them like stocks throughout the trading session.