If you have millions of dollars to invest, amassing multiple real estate properties is not a problem. If you aren't named Buffett or Gates, however, it's not usually an option.

Fortunately, the average investor has another option. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are companies that own income-generating properties in a pool, allowing interested investors to add real estate to their portfolio without breaking the bank.

Housing officials say foreign investment shift too early to tell; still unwavering on city's potential

Calgary could be the new Vancouver. At least that's what has some real estate observers maintaining more than two months after the B.C. government imposed a 15 per cent land transfer tax on real estate purchases by foreign buyers in the province's most populated city.

Aimed at dampening foreign investment—mostly from mainland China, which has been suspected of pushing up demand and prices in markets such as Vancouver where the benchmark price for a home is close to $1 million – the tax appears to be working.