Exploring the spatialisation of the performance of residential REITs investment and direct investment in the housing market

Despite numerous studies about the housing sector, the connection between the performance of residential real estate investment trusts (REITs) investment and direct investment in the housing market is still under-researched. To help fill this gap, we used quarterly data of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) residential REITs index and direct housing returns of Australia and its major cities, spanning March 1983 to June 2021, and adopted a suite of econometric methods to document the following findings. First, publicly listed housing (residential REITs) and private housing markets are not separated, but both are closely related in terms of their investment performance. Second, the performance of direct investment in the housing market of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney could lead to positive investment performances for residential REITs over time, while no comparable evidence is found for Canberra, Darwin, Hobart and Perth. Third, further analyses revealed a one-way direction of performance, flowing from the housing market of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to residential REITs, while no similar evidence of performance flow was found for Adelaide. Our study has provided new evidence that could contribute to the discussion on the expansion of residential properties in the portfolio of institutional investors.