New buildings are a big plus for investors

Article Excerpt

Today’s low interest rates continue to help Canadian REITs reduce interest expenses. That, in turn, steadies their cash flow and sustains their distributions for investors. In fact, most REITs have already moved to refinance much of their debt at today’s low fixed rates. This helps to shield them from future rate increases. Still, any rise in interest rates suggests the economic outlook is improving; that kind of stronger growth tends to boost occupancy levels and leasing rates. In short. when they do come, higher rates should also spur your REIT distributions. In the case of the two top REITs below, their investors already benefit from solid yields. ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, $52.65, is a buy. The REIT (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Units o/s: 116.3 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Divd. yield: 3.0%; www.alliedreit.com) creates value for investors through its 191 office buildings, mainly in major Canadian cities. Most of those properties are classified as Class I buildings, and together they…