Public or private? A crucial distinction in property investing

Two investments can hold similar properties and still offer very different access to information and to an exit. The Ontario Securities Commission’s investor education site distinguishes publicly traded REITs from private real estate investments sold in the exempt market.

Public securities trade on an exchange. Private securities can be harder to value and resell, with different disclosure obligations and eligibility requirements. The legal structure and offering documents therefore belong near the beginning of an explanation, not in the footnotes.

For property coverage, the question is broader than whether an asset is residential or commercial. Reporting should also identify what an investor actually owns, how it can be sold and what information is available. This article explains those distinctions; it does not recommend a security.

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