The housing market is complex, impacted by supply and demand, interest rates, and new home construction, among many other things. If you aren't actually trying to buy or sell a home, it can be an easy sector to ignore. But with expectations that the current housing shortage is going to persist for some time, it might be worthwhile to consider some investment options in the sector.

Here are a few that will let you ignore the complexities by "hiring" a company's management team to deal with them.

The most direct way that people can get exposure to the housing market (besides buying property themselves) is to invest in a real estate investment trust (REIT) like American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH). This REIT owns and leases out single-family homes. It was created in the aftermath of the Great Recession, which was triggered by a steep downturn in home prices. Essentially, the REIT was able to take advantage of that environment to snap up a lot of properties at good prices that were clustered in close proximity to each other. 

Continue reading

Source Fool.com