The investment objective of the Account is to seek favorable total returns primarily through the rental income and appreciation of a diversified portfolio of directly held, private real estate investments and real estate-related investments while offering investors guaranteed, daily liquidity. The Account holds real estate properties directly and through subsidiaries wholly-owned by TIAA for the sole benefit of the Account. The Account also holds limited interests in real estate joint ventures and limited partnerships,funds, as well as investments in loans receivable with real estate properties as underlying collateral. Additionally, the Account invests in real estate-related and non-real estate-related publicly traded securities, cash and other instruments to maintain adequate liquidity levels for operating expenses, capital expenditures and to fund benefit payments (withdrawals, transfers and related transactions).

The Consolidated Financial Statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"), which requires the use of estimates made by management. Actual results may vary from those estimates and such differences may be material.

The Consolidated Financial Statements of the Account as of SeptemberJune 30, 20192020 and for the three and ninesix months ended SeptemberJune 30, 20192020 and 20182019 are unaudited and include all adjustments necessary to present a fair statement of results for the interim periods presented. Results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. These Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, certain footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted from this report pursuant to the rules of the SEC. As a result, these Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Account’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.2019.

The following is a summary of the significant accounting policies of the Account.

The Accumulation Unit Value (“AUV”) used for financial reporting purposes may differ from the AUV used for processing transactions. The AUV used for financial reporting purposes includes security and participant transactions effective through the period end date to which this report relates. Total return is computed based on the AUV used for processing transactions.

The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used to determine the fair value of the Account’s investments and investment related loans payable.

The Account’s primary objective when valuing its real estate investments is to produce a valuation that represents a reasonable estimate of the fair value of its investments. Implicit in the Account’s definition of fair value are the consummation of a sale as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions whereby:

Property and investment values are affected by, among other things, the availability of capital, occupancy rates, rental rates, and interest and inflation rates. As a result, determining real estate and investment values involves many assumptions. Key inputs and assumptions include rental income and expense amounts, related rental income and expense growth rates, capital expenditures, discount rates and capitalization rates. Valuation techniques include discounted cash flow analysis, prevailing market capitalization rates or multiples applied to earnings from the property, analysis of recent comparable sales transactions, actual sale negotiations and bona fide purchase offers received from third parties. Amounts ultimately realized from each investment may vary significantly from the fair value presented.

Real estate properties owned by the Account are initially valued based on an independent third party appraisal, as reviewed by TIAA’s internal appraisal staff and as applicable by the Account’s independent fiduciaryIndependent Fiduciary, RERC, LLC (the "Independent Fiduciary"), at the time of the closing of the purchase. Such initial valuation may result in a potential unrealized gain or loss reflecting the difference between an investment’s fair value (i.e., exit price) and its cost basis (which is inclusive of transaction costs).

Subsequently, each property is appraised each quarter by an independent third party appraiser, reviewed by TIAA’s internal appraisal staff and as applicable the Account’s independent fiduciary.Independent Fiduciary. In general, the Account obtains appraisals of its real estate properties spread out throughout the quarter, which is intended to result in appraisal adjustments, and thus, adjustments to the valuations of its holdings (to the extent such adjustments are made) that happen regularly throughout each quarter and not on one specific day or month in each period.

Further, management reserves the right to order an appraisal and/or conduct another valuation outside of the normal quarterly process when facts or circumstances at a specific property change. For example, under certain circumstances a valuation adjustment could be made when the account receives a bona fide bid for the sale of a property held within the Account or one of the Account’s joint ventures. Adjustments may be made for events or circumstances indicating an impairment of a tenant’s ability to pay amounts due to the Account under a lease (including due to a bankruptcy filing of that tenant). Alternatively, adjustments may be made to reflect the execution or renewal of a significant lease. Also, adjustments may be made to reflect factors (such as sales values for comparable properties or local employment rate) bearing uniquely on a particular region in which the Account holds properties. TIAA’s internal appraisal staff oversees the entire appraisal process, in conjunction with the Account’s independent fiduciaryIndependent Fiduciary (the independent fiduciaryIndependent Fiduciary is more fully described in the following paragraph). Any differences in the conclusions of TIAA’s internal appraisal staff and the independent appraiser will be reviewed by the independent fiduciary,Independent Fiduciary, which will make a final determination on the matter (which may include ordering a subsequent independent appraisal).

The Account's independent fiduciary, RERC, LLC,Independent Fiduciary was initially appointed in March 2006 by a special subcommittee of the Investment Committee of the Board to, among other things, oversee the entire appraisal process. In March 2018, RERC, LLC, was re-appointed as the Account's independent fiduciaryIndependent Fiduciary for a term expiring in February 2021. The

Appraisal Foundation. Real estate appraisals are estimates of property values based on a professional’s opinion. Appraisals of properties held outside of the U.S. are performed in accordance with industry standards commonly applied in the applicable jurisdiction. These independent appraisers are always expected to be MAI-designated members of the Appraisal Institute (or its European equivalent, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and state certified appraisers from national or regional firms with relevant property type experience and market knowledge. Under the Account’s current procedures, each independent appraisal firm will be rotated off of a particular property at least every three years, although such appraisal firm may perform appraisals of other Account properties subsequent to such rotation.

Short-term investments are valued in the same manner as debt securities, as described above.

Money market instruments are valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value.

and losses are recorded based upon the changes in the net asset values of the limited partnershipsreal estate funds as determined from the financial statements of the limited partnershipsreal estate funds when received by the Account. Prior to the receipt of the financial statements from the limited partnerships,real estate funds, the Account estimates the value of its interest using information provided by the limited partners. Changes in value based on such estimates are recorded by the Account as unrealized

After the end of every quarter, the Account reconciles the amount of expenses deducted from the Account (which is established in order to approximate the costs that the Account will incur) with the expenses the Account actually incurred. If there is a difference, the Account adds it to or deducts it from the Account in equal daily installments over the remaining days of the following quarter. Material differences may be repaid in the current calendar quarter. The Account’s at cost deductions are based on projections of Account assets and overall expenses, and the size of any adjusting payments will be directly affected by the difference between management’s projections and the Account’s actual assets or expenses.

Investment management, administrative and distribution services are provided to the Account at cost by TIAA. Services provided at cost are paid by the Account on a daily basis based upon projected expenses to be provided to the Account. Payments are adjusted periodically to ensure daily payments are as close as possible to the Account’s actual expenses incurred. Differences between actual expenses and the amounts paid by the Account are reconciled and adjusted quarterly.

The Account is a party to the Distribution Agreement for the Contracts Funded by the TIAA Real Estate Account (the “Distribution Agreement”), dated January 1, 2008, by and among TIAA, for itself and on behalf of the Account, and TIAA-CREF Individual and Institutional Services, LLC (“Services”),. Services is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of TIAA, and is registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer and a registered broker-dealerinvestment adviser and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, Services performs distribution services for the Account which include, among other things, (i) distributingdistribution of annuity contracts issued by TIAA and funded by the Account, (ii) advising existing annuity contract owners in connection with their accumulations and (iii) helping employers implement and manage retirement plans. In addition, TIAA performs administrative functions for the Account, which include, among other things, (i) maintaining accounting records and performing accounting services, (ii) receiving and allocating premiums, (iii) calculating and making annuity payments, (iv) processing withdrawal requests, (v) providing regulatory compliance and reporting services, (vi) maintaining the Account’s records of contract ownership and (vii) otherwise assisting generally in all aspects of the Account’s operations. Both distribution services (pursuant to the Distribution Agreement) and administrative services are provided to the Account by Services and TIAA, as applicable, on an at cost basis. The Distribution Agreement is terminable by either party upon 60 days written notice and terminates automatically upon any assignment thereof.

In addition to providing the services described above, TIAA charges the Account fees to bear certain mortality and expense risks, and risks with providing the liquidity guarantee.guarantee (described below). These fees are charged as a percentage of the net assets of the Account. Rates for these fees are established annually.

Once an Account participant begins receiving lifetime annuity income benefits, payment levels cannot be reduced as a result of the Account’s actual mortality experience. As such, mortality and expense risk expenses are contractual charges for TIAA’s assumption of this risk.

TheTIAA provides the Account with a liquidity guarantee ensures that sufficientenabling the Account to have funds are available to meet participant redemption, transfer or cash withdrawal requests. The liquidity guarantee is required by the New York State Department of Financial Services and is subject to a prohibited transaction exemption that the Account received in 1996 (96-76) from the U.S. Department of Labor (the “PTE 96-76”). The Account pays TIAA for the risk associated with providing the liquidity guarantee through a daily deduction from the Account’s net assets. Whether the liquidity guarantee is exercised is based on the cash level of the Account from time to time, as well as recent participant withdrawal activity and the Account’s expected working capital, debt service and cash needs, and subject to the oversight of the Independent Fiduciary. If the Account cannot fund participant withdrawal or redemption requests in the event thatfrom the Account’s own cash flowsflow and liquid investments, TIAA will fund them by purchasing accumulation units issued by the Account (accumulation units that are insufficientpurchased by TIAA are generally referred to fund such requests.as “liquidity units”). TIAA guarantees that participants can redeem their accumulation units at the accumulation unit value next determined after their transfer or cash withdrawal request is received in good order. Liquidity units owned by TIAA are valued in the same manner as accumulation units owned by the Account’s participants.

Concentrations of risk may arise when a number of properties are located in a similar geographic region such that the economic conditions of that region could impact tenants’ obligations to meet their contractual obligations or cause the values of individual properties to decline. Additionally, concentrations of risk may arise if any one tenant comprises a significant amount of the Account's rent, or if tenants are concentrated in a particular industry.

As of SeptemberJune 30, 2019,2020, the Account had no significant concentrations of tenants as no single tenant had annual contract rent that made up more than 3%4% of the rental income of the Account. Moreover, the Account's tenants have

The Account’s wholly-owned real estate investments and investments in joint ventures are located in the United States. The following table represents the diversification of the Account’s portfolio by region and property type as of SeptemberJune 30, 20192020 (unaudited):

The Account’s determination of fair value is based upon quoted market prices, where available. If listed prices or quotes are not available, fair value is based upon vendor-provided, evaluated prices or internally developed models that primarily use market-based or independently sourced market data, including interest rate yield curves, market

The following tables show the major categories of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of SeptemberJune 30, 20192020 (unaudited) and December 31, 2018,2019, using unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1); significant other observable inputs (Level 2); and significant unobservable inputs (Level 3); and fair value using the practical expedient (millions):