Virginia-based AvalonBay has outpaced the residentialREIT sector by a wide margin in 2010, surging 23 percent year-to-date, compared with a 13 percent advance for the iShares FTSE NAREIT Residential Plus Capped Index Fund ETF.
All pay quarterly dividends in the 14-18% range, and a new entrant, Armour ResidentialREIT ( ARR), is even paying a 19% annualized dividend on a monthly basis.