R
eal estate investment trusts, or REITs, offer investors a way to profit from real estate without the hands-on responsibilities of property ownership. They're popular for their high dividends and ability to diversify a portfolio, as they tend to perform differently than stocks and bonds. When choosing a REIT, investors should consider dividend yields, but also look beyond this key factor.

    For those who don't want to spend time researching individual REITs, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) can provide a solution. A REIT ETF offers exposure to the sector while spreading out risk across multiple holdings. Before investing in a REIT ETF, review its prospectus to understand its strategy and holdings.

    Some of the most popular REIT ETFs include:

    The Vanguard Real Estate ETF is one of the largest and oldest REIT ETFs. It tracks an index of US real estate companies, offering a 4.1% dividend yield and a low expense ratio of 0.13%.

    Schwab U.S. REIT ETF also tracks a broad index of US real estate companies, but with a slightly lower dividend yield of 2.6%. Its expense ratio is higher at 0.39%, however.

    The SPDR S&P 500 Real Estate ETF represents the real estate sector within the S&P 500 index, investing in large-cap US real-estate companies. It offers a 3.3% dividend yield and a low expense ratio of 0.08%.

    The iShares Global REIT ETF tracks a global index of real-estate companies across emerging and developed markets, including the US. Its 5-year return is 6.6%, with a dividend yield of 3.5% and an expense ratio of 0.14%.

    The Invesco KBW Premium Yield REIT ETF focuses on small-, mid- and large-cap US real estate companies, mainly in commercial and specialized sectors.