During the past few years of the "boom" cycle in real estate, many investors looked around and thought, "Boy, I wish I had the money to invest in some property." But most folks just don't have a few extra hundred thousand dollars lying around. And now that the market has slowed, the risks of investing in individual real estate properties have increased, making it somewhat treacherous for the average investor to jump in. However, both of those reasons - high investment dollars required, as well as the associated risks - have played an important part in the rapid expansion of the real estate investment trust (REIT) industry.