Can Someone Explain REITs to me like in the most simple way?

[Aaron Heers]

Please Explain REITs to me in the most simple way. How much capital do you typically have to have? How successful have your investments been with them? I feel like I need someone to sit me down and go over the process, but I do not know anyone that invests in REITs.

Thanks in advanced!

[Taylor L.]

Quote from @Greg Scott:

It is basically like buying a stock or mutual fund that invests in real estate.  They lack many of the tax benefits of investing directly into real estate which is why most people on this forum have little interest in them.

 To add to this, publicly traded REITs can be fairly volatile, and there's nothing that investors can do to add value to their investment. Real estate investors generally consider REITs to be stocks, not real estate.