I had avoided REITs largely because so much of our net worth is represented by the equity in our house. I figured a 'bet' on REITs was a bet on the 'bubble' in the housing market.

Looking a little deeper, I found that the REIT most often touted ( RWR) is in fact based on revenues from commercial real estate. This seemed like a more reasonable investment, particularly since commercial real estate is doing very well here in Seattle.