Where to find the one bright spot in the property market

Healthcare real estate investments trusts (Reits) have proved the one bright spot in the property sector in the past year, as the population ages and demand for healthcare increases.

With the credit crunch hitting banking balance sheets across the world, most firms have been finding loans hard to come by. But US banks have been happy to open their doors to medical groups. With ageing baby boomers seeking cheap outpatient care, and nursing homes reaching full capacity, firms building or investing in medical facilities have been able to secure large revolving credit lines, says Sui-Lee Wee in The Wall Street Journal.

It's not too surprising that banks see them as a sound bet, even in the downturn. Around 35 million people aged 65 and over were living in the US at the turn of the century. That number will more than double by 2030. That means the queue of greying baby boomers demanding treatments will only get longer for the foreseeable future.

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Eoin came to MoneyWeek in 2006 having graduated with a MLitt in economics from Trinity College, Dublin. He taught economic history for two years at Trinity, while researching a thesis on how herd behaviour destroys financial markets.