Online investor discussion boards are a hotbed for advice, gossip, strategy, criticism and praise. Seasoned investment professionals and novice investors alike participate on boards like The Motley Fool's Real Estate and REITs discussion board to get tips, ask questions and banter about industry related concerns. This peer-to-peer service, detailed in our feature "Nobody's Fool," has become a well-respected forum for educated dialogue for industry veterans as well as REIT novices.

Don't get me wrong, every discussion board has its share of unwanted posts, misleading information and blatant self promotion. But taken as yet another outlet for spreading knowledge about the budding publicly traded real estate industry, online discussion boards can be a valuable and efficient tool for investors as well as industry professionals.

Among the topics frequently brought up on the discussion boards is investing in small-cap and micro-cap REITs. Because information on these smaller companies is often harder to come by, savvy investors have to be prepared to do their own research. But as our feature "Small Wonders" details, there are plenty of investment opportunities worth exploring.

Other Features

In "Screening Process," we look at how real estate companies are using the latest tenant-screening software to improve the speed and accuracy of lease approvals. In addition to cutting costs, lowering lease defaults and freeing up employee time, the ability to process an application while the tenant is still on the property improves closing ratios.

Proving you can generate strong results without gambling on major risks, "Staying the Course" profiles the focused business strategy Essex Property Trust has used to become a leader in the multifamily housing industry.

Matthew Bechard
Editor-in-Chief