Assessing the Potential of Real Estate Investment Trust in Financing Real Estate Development Projects

One of the crucial challenges facing real estate development in Nigeria is finance. The informal sources of finance are grossly inadequate, and access to formal finance instruments is difficult. This study aimed at investigating the potential of REIT structure as an option for financing real estate development in Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to; evaluate the external factors influencing the performance, future growth and development of N-REITs as it affects funding of real estate development projects; and appraise the future prospects of N-REITs as a viable option in financing real estate development projects. A survey research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 275 stakeholders comprising 221 real estate developers, and 54 senior staff members of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), all in Abuja, were conveniently selected for the study. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used to analyse the data. Findings show that equity capital (47.8%), commercial banks (26.2%), and mortgage banks (16.5%) are the major sources of real estate development finance in Nigeria. The key external factors influencing N-REITs performance were strategic property locations (4.43 ± 0.82), tax treatment (4.34 ± 0.78), and political risks (4.10 ± 1.12); while the most important prospects of N-REITs in financing real estate development projects include; increase in supply of real properties (4.1 ± 1.02), portfolio diversification (3.88 ± 1.10), and liquidity in real estate sector (3.69 ± 1.22). The study concludes that, in implementing high level sensitisation, transparency, infrastructure provision and review of regulations guiding REIT’s operation, N-REIT most probably becomes a viable option for financing real estate development.