Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are designed to pass income on to shareholders and, thus, compete with other income options. Rising interest rates have made things like CDs more attractive, which makes REITs less desirable to some investors.

There has been a broad drawdown in the REIT sector, but that's really opening up an opportunity for long-term dividend investors to buy some of the biggest and the best REITs at increasingly attractive yields. Here are three you might want to consider today: Realty Income (NYSE: O), Prologis (NYSE: PLD), and AvalonBay Communities (NYSE: AVB).

Realty Income has trademarked the nickname "The Monthly Dividend Company." That speaks to the REIT's monthly pay Dividend, but also to its commitment to paying a reliable and slowly growing Dividend. To put some numbers on that, the Dividend has been increased annually for 29 consecutive years, with a roughly 4.4% Dividend growth rate over that span. The stock is down 16% over the past year, and that has pushed the yield up to roughly 5.5%.

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Source Fool.com