PAGE 1
000 B000000 12/31/2003
000 C000000 0001158289
000 D000000 Y
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 6.1
000 J000000 A
001 A000000 NUVEEN REAL ESTATE INCOME FUND
001 B000000 811-10491
001 C000000 3129178200
002 A000000 333 WEST WACKER DRIVE
002 B000000 CHICAGO
002 C000000 IL
002 D010000 60606
002 D020000 1286
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
007 C010100 1
007 C010200 2
007 C010300 3
007 C010400 4
007 C010500 5
007 C010600 6
007 C010700 7
007 C010800 8
007 C010900 9
007 C011000 10
008 A000001 NUVEEN INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORY CORP.
008 B000001 A
008 C000001 801-36793
008 D010001 CHICAGO
008 D020001 IL
008 D030001 60606
008 D040001 1286
008 A000002 SECURITY CAPITAL RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT INC.
008 B000002 S
008 C000002 801-53815
008 D010002 CHICAGO
008 D020002 IL
008 D030002 60603
011 A000001 DELETE
011 A000002 DELETE
011 A000003 DELETE
011 A000004 DELETE
011 A000005 DELETE
PAGE 2
011 A000006 DELETE
011 A000007 DELETE
011 A000008 DELETE
011 A000009 DELETE
012 A000001 EQUISERVE INC.
012 B000001 84-05925
012 C010001 BOSTON
012 C020001 MA
012 C030001 02940
013 A000001 ERNST & YOUNG
013 B010001 CHICAGO
013 B020001 IL
013 B030001 60611
014 A000001 NUVEEN INVESTMENTS, LLC
014 B000001 8-13464
015 A000001 STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST CO
015 B000001 C
015 C010001 BOSTON
015 C020001 MA
015 C030001 02206
015 E010001 X
015 A000002 DELETE
015 A000003 DELETE
015 A000004 DELETE
015 A000005 DELETE
015 A000006 DELETE
015 A000007 DELETE
018 000000 Y
019 A000000 Y
019 B000000 142
019 C000000 NUVEENFUND
020 A000001 LEGG MASON WOOD WALKER
020 B000001 73-1102349
020 C000001 31
020 A000002 WACHOVIA BANK & TRUST CO.
020 B000002 56-0927594
020 C000002 11
020 A000003 LEHMAN BROTHERS
020 B000003 13-2518466
020 C000003 10
020 A000004 BEAR STEARNS & CO., INC.
020 B000004 13-3604093
020 C000004 8
020 A000005 JEFFRIES & CO., INC.
020 B000005 95-2622900
020 C000005 5
020 C000006 0
020 C000007 0
020 C000008 0
020 C000009 0
020 C000010 0
PAGE 3
021 000000 64
022 A000001 LEGG MASON WOOD WALKER
022 B000001 73-1102349
022 C000001 15851
022 D000001 0
022 A000002 PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES
022 B000002 22-2347336
022 C000002 0
022 D000002 7123
022 A000003 BEAR STEARNS
022 B000003 13-3604093
022 C000003 0
022 D000003 5503
022 A000004 LEHMAN BROTHERS
022 B000004 13-2518466
022 C000004 5327
022 D000004 0
022 A000005 A.G. EDWARDS
022 B000005 43-0895447
022 C000005 0
022 D000005 2146
022 A000006 JEFFERIES & CO.
022 B000006 95-2622900
022 C000006 841
022 D000006 0
022 C000007 0
022 D000007 0
022 C000008 0
022 D000008 0
022 C000009 0
022 D000009 0
022 C000010 0
022 D000010 0
023 C000000 22019
023 D000000 14772
024 000000 N
025 D000001 0
025 D000002 0
025 D000003 0
025 D000004 0
025 D000005 0
025 D000006 0
025 D000007 0
025 D000008 0
026 A000000 N
026 B000000 N
026 C000000 N
026 D000000 Y
026 E000000 N
026 F000000 N
026 G010000 N
PAGE 4
026 G020000 N
026 H000000 N
027 000000 N
028 A010000 0
028 A020000 0
028 A030000 0
028 A040000 0
028 B010000 0
028 B020000 0
028 B030000 0
028 B040000 0
028 C010000 0
028 C020000 0
028 C030000 0
028 C040000 0
028 D010000 0
028 D020000 0
028 D030000 0
028 D040000 0
028 E010000 0
028 E020000 0
028 E030000 0
028 E040000 0
028 F010000 0
028 F020000 0
028 F030000 0
028 F040000 0
028 G010000 0
028 G020000 0
028 G030000 0
028 G040000 0
028 H000000 0
030 A000000 0
030 B000000 0.00
030 C000000 0.00
031 A000000 0
031 B000000 0
032 000000 0
033 000000 0
035 000000 0
036 B000000 0
038 000000 0
042 A000000 0
042 B000000 0
042 C000000 0
042 D000000 0
042 E000000 0
042 F000000 0
042 G000000 0
042 H000000 0
043 000000 0
PAGE 5
044 000000 0
045 000000 Y
046 000000 N
047 000000 Y
048 000000 0.000
048 A010000 500000
048 A020000 0.900
048 B010000 500000
048 B020000 0.875
048 C010000 500000
048 C020000 0.850
048 D010000 500000
048 D020000 0.825
048 E010000 0
048 E020000 0.000
048 F010000 0
048 F020000 0.000
048 G010000 0
048 G020000 0.000
048 H010000 0
048 H020000 0.000
048 I010000 0
048 I020000 0.000
048 J010000 0
048 J020000 0.000
048 K010000 2000000
048 K020000 0.800
049 000000 N
050 000000 N
051 000000 N
052 000000 N
053 A000000 Y
053 B000000 Y
053 C000000 N
054 A000000 Y
054 B000000 N
054 C000000 N
054 D000000 N
054 E000000 N
054 F000000 N
054 G000000 N
054 H000000 Y
054 I000000 N
054 J000000 Y
054 K000000 N
054 L000000 N
054 M000000 Y
054 N000000 N
054 O000000 Y
055 A000000 N
055 B000000 N
PAGE 6
056 000000 Y
057 000000 N
058 A000000 N
059 000000 Y
060 A000000 N
060 B000000 N
061 000000 0
062 A000000 N
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.0
062 D000000 0.0
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 0.0
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 0.0
062 M000000 0.0
062 N000000 0.0
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 0.0
062 Q000000 0.0
062 R000000 0.0
063 A000000 0
063 B000000 0.0
066 A000000 Y
066 B000000 N
066 C000000 N
066 D000000 N
066 E000000 N
066 F000000 Y
066 G000000 N
067 000000 N
068 A000000 N
068 B000000 N
069 000000 N
070 A010000 Y
070 A020000 Y
070 B010000 N
070 B020000 N
070 C010000 Y
070 C020000 N
070 D010000 N
070 D020000 N
070 E010000 Y
070 E020000 N
070 F010000 N
070 F020000 N
070 G010000 Y
PAGE 7
070 G020000 N
070 H010000 N
070 H020000 N
070 I010000 N
070 I020000 N
070 J010000 Y
070 J020000 N
070 K010000 N
070 K020000 N
070 L010000 N
070 L020000 N
070 M010000 N
070 M020000 N
070 N010000 N
070 N020000 N
070 O010000 Y
070 O020000 N
070 P010000 N
070 P020000 N
070 Q010000 N
070 Q020000 N
070 R010000 N
070 R020000 N
071 A000000 22019
071 B000000 14772
071 C000000 663295
071 D000000 2
072 A000000 2
072 B000000 20
072 C000000 5013
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 0
072 F000000 1010
072 G000000 0
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 5
072 J000000 23
072 K000000 10
072 L000000 19
072 M000000 8
072 N000000 0
072 O000000 0
072 P000000 772
072 Q000000 0
072 R000000 7
072 S000000 8
072 T000000 0
072 U000000 0
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 90
072 X000000 1952
PAGE 8
072 Y000000 340
072 Z000000 3421
072AA000000 2731
072BB000000 0
072CC010000 36378
072CC020000 0
072DD010000 400
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 2554
073 A010000 0.0142
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.0837
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 1
074 B000000 0
074 C000000 5952
074 D000000 0
074 E000000 236695
074 F000000 455353
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 0
074 J000000 0
074 K000000 0
074 L000000 4613
074 M000000 15
074 N000000 702629
074 O000000 0
074 P000000 346
074 Q000000 0
074 R010000 0
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 0
074 R040000 7707
074 S000000 172000
074 T000000 522576
074 U010000 28136
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 18.57
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 206
074 Y000000 138
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 505694
076 000000 18.73
077 A000000 Y
077 B000000 Y
077 Q010000 Y
078 000000 N
080 A000000 CHUBB GROUP OF INSURANCE COMPANIES
PAGE 9
080 B000000 GULF, AIG, GREAT AMERICAN, CNA
080 C000000 90000
081 A000000 Y
081 B000000 141
082 A000000 N
082 B000000 0
083 A000000 N
083 B000000 0
084 A000000 N
084 B000000 0
085 A000000 Y
085 B000000 N
086 A010000 3
086 A020000 46
086 B010000 0
086 B020000 0
086 C010000 0
086 C020000 0
086 D010000 0
086 D020000 0
086 E010000 0
086 E020000 0
086 F010000 0
086 F020000 0
087 A010000 COMMON STOCK
087 A020000 67071B108
087 A030000 JRS
088 A000000 N
088 B000000 N
088 C000000 N
088 D000000 Y
SIGNATURE STEPHEN D. FOY
TITLE V.P. & CONTROLLER