In 2022, the dominant DST due-diligence question was "what's the yield?" In 2026, it's "show me the sponsor." From inside the only publicly-traded U.S. DST sponsor: the four themes broker-dealers are asking about now, and why the shift is good news for the DST industry.

The advisors whose clients later have problems usually didn't ask these three questions. A sponsor-side perspective on the due diligence that matters before any client writes a 1031 check into a DST.

In most of the private alternatives world, transparency is a marketing posture. In the public company world, it's a disclosure regime, quarterly filings, PCAOB-audited statements, independent boards, and executive certifications signed under penalty of law. For advisors placing client capital into DSTs, that difference is structural, not rhetorical.

For advisors working with real estate investors, the 1031 exchange window is one of the most time-pressured moments in a client relationship. Delaware Statutory Trusts belong in that conversation, but timing and framing matter more than most advisors realize. Here's a practical guide to positioning DSTs with confidence, from the first conversation through closing.

Most DST sponsors are private companies, meaning compliance teams have to take their word for everything. Publicly traded sponsors operate under SEC reporting requirements that make corporate governance, financials, and executive compensation independently verifiable before the first phone call. Here's what that difference means for your due diligence process.

Getting a DST sponsor onto a Broker-Dealer's alternative investment shelf is one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the securities industry. Here are the 8 criteria due diligence teams use to evaluate sponsors — and why publicly traded sponsors have a built-in advantage at every stage of the review.