The U.S. real estate market is more unaffordable than ever before, pushing more people to rent rather than buy and making residential real estate investment trusts (REITs) very attractive for long-term investors and those seeking dividend income.

Residential REITs offer investors the benefits of owning rental properties without the hassles of being a landlord or the large up-front expense of acquiring a property. They also carry the benefit of being liquid, since you can sell a stock any time the market is open, compared with a property that could take months or years to sell.

That said, let's take a look at two residential REITs you could buy today.

Camden Property Trust

Camden currently pays a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, equating to an annualized dividend of $4.12 per share, which gives its stock a yield of about 3.9% at the time of this writing.

Camden has also raised its annual dividend each of the last two years, and its 3% hike in February has it on track for 2024 to mark the third consecutive year with an increase.

Don't Miss:

AvalonBay Communities

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB) owns or has ownership interests in 299 apartment communities consisting of 90,669 apartment homes across leading metropolitan markets, including Boston, New York City, Charlotte, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, and Washington, D.C.

AvalonBay currently pays a quarterly dividend of $1.70 per share, equating to an annualized dividend of $6.80 per share, which gives its stock a yield of about 3.5% at the time of this writing.

AvalonBay is also a dividend-growth star. It has raised its annual dividend payment 11 times in the last 13 years, including a 3% hike in January.

An Alternative Option: Arrived Homes

Read Next:

Image Credit: Shutterstock