NexPoint Real Estate Finance Inc

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This annual report ("Annual Report") contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties. In particular, statements relating to our liquidity and capital resources, our performance and results of operations contain forward-looking statements. Furthermore, all of the statements regarding future financial performance (including market conditions and demographics) are forward-looking statements. We caution investors that any forward-looking statements presented in this Annual Report are based on management’s then-current beliefs and assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When used, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” "could," “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “result,” the negative version of these words and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and may be affected by known and unknown risks, trends, uncertainties and factors that are beyond our control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated or projected. We caution you therefore against relying on any of these forward-looking statements.

Some of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance, liquidity or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

•Our loans and investments expose us to risks similar to and associated with debt-oriented real estate investments generally;

•Commercial real estate-related investments that are secured, directly or indirectly, by real property are subject to delinquency, foreclosure and loss, which could result in losses to us;

•Fluctuations in interest rate and credit spreads could reduce our ability to generate income on our loans and other investments, which could lead to a significant decrease in our results of operations, cash flows and the market value of our investments;

•Risks associated with the ownership of real estate;

•Our loans and investments are concentrated in terms of type of interest, geography, asset types and sponsors and may continue to be so in the future;

•We have a substantial amount of indebtedness which may limit our financial and operating activities and may adversely affect our ability to incur additional debt to fund future needs;

•We have limited operating history as a standalone company and may not be able to operate our business successfully, find suitable investments, or generate sufficient revenue to make or sustain distributions to our stockholders;

•We may not replicate the historical results achieved by other entities managed or sponsored by affiliates of NexPoint Advisors, L.P. (our “Sponsor”), members of the management team of NexPoint Real Estate Advisors VII, L.P. (our “Manager”) or their affiliates;

•We are dependent upon our Manager and its affiliates to conduct our day-to-day operations; thus, adverse changes in their financial health or our relationship with them could cause our operations to suffer;

•Our Manager and its affiliates face conflicts of interest, including significant conflicts created by our Manager’s compensation arrangements with us, including compensation which may be required to be paid to our Manager if our management agreement is terminated, which could result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders;

•We pay substantial fees and expenses to our Manager and its affiliates, which payments increase the risk that you will not earn a profit on your investment;

•If we fail to qualify as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, cash available for distributions (“CAD”) to be paid to our stockholders could decrease materially, which would limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders;

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•Risks associated with pandemics, including unpredictable variants and the future outbreak of other highly infectious or contagious diseases;

•Risks associated with the Highland Bankruptcy (as defined below), including related litigation and potential conflicts of interest; and

•Any other risks included under the heading "Risk Factors," in this Annual Report

While forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. They are based on estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this Annual Report. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, new information, data or methods, future events or other changes, except as required by law.

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