A method for creating and marketing a commercial or residential real estate derivative instrument in the form of a structured note, future contract, or call or put option that provides a cash-settled payout to the buyer at a predetermined expiration date defined by the derivative instrument based upon the occurrence of a required change in value of a benchmark real estate index between a first, e.g., purchase date and the expiration date. The real estate derivatives instruments of the present invention may be used by property owners, developers, and financial institutions to hedge against a possible devaluation of their real estate assets. Institutional investors may use the derivative instruments to speculate in the value of commercial or residential real estate in order to broaden their investment portfolios.