Depending on the terms of the REIT, getting out of a non-traded REIT can be very difficult, and expensive. Most non-traded REITs give investors the opportunity to redeem their shares while the REIT is still open to the public (i.e., it is still in the offering stage).
If investors elect to redeem their shares while the REIT is still open, many REITs would buy back the shares at a discounted price (ranging from 70 percent to 95 percent of the original investment price). Once the REIT closes to new investors, the REIT’s board of directors decides whether to continue having a redemption policy for investors who wish to redeem their shares, or to suspend the redemption policy (usually indefinitely).
If the board of directors for a particular REIT decides to suspend the redemption policy, the investor’s only opportunities to redeem their shares may be 1) death or qualified disability; or 2) to sell their shares in the secondary market at a deep discount.