Business and Organization	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Business and Organization	Business and Organization NorthStar Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (the “Company”) was formed primarily to originate, acquire and asset manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate (“CRE”) debt, select equity and securities investments. CRE debt investments may include first mortgage loans, subordinate mortgage and mezzanine loans and participations in such loans and preferred equity interests. Real estate equity investments include the Company’s indirect interests in real estate through real estate private equity funds (“PE Investments”) and direct ownership in properties, which may be owned through joint ventures, that may or may not be structurally senior to a third-party partner’s equity. CRE securities primarily consist of commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) and may include unsecured real estate investment trust (“REIT”) debt, collateralized debt obligation (“CDO”) notes and other securities. The Company was formed in January 2009 as a Maryland corporation. The Company conducts its operations so as to continue to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Company is externally managed and has no employees. Prior to June 30, 2014, the Company was managed by an affiliate of NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE: NRF) (“NorthStar Realty”). Effective June 30, 2014, NorthStar Realty spun-off its asset management business into a separate publicly traded company, NorthStar Asset Management Group Inc. (the “Sponsor”), with its common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “NSAM.” The Sponsor and its affiliates were organized to provide asset management and other services to the Company, NorthStar Realty, other sponsored public non-traded companies and any other companies the Sponsor may manage in the future (collectively, the “NSAM Managed Companies”), both in the United States and internationally. Concurrent with the spin-off, affiliates of the Sponsor entered into a new advisory agreement with the Company and each of the other NSAM Managed Companies. Pursuant to the Company’s advisory agreement, NSAM J-NSI, Ltd, an affiliate of the Sponsor (the “Advisor”), agreed to manage the day-to-day operations of the Company on terms substantially similar to those set forth in the Company’s prior advisory agreement with NS Real Estate Income Trust Advisor, LLC (the “Prior Advisor”). References to the “Prior Advisor” herein refer to the services performed by and fees paid and accrued to the Prior Advisor during the period prior to June 30, 2014. The spin-off of NorthStar Realty’s asset management business had no impact on the Company’s operations. Substantially all business is conducted through NorthStar Real Estate Income Trust Operating Partnership, LP (the “Operating Partnership”). The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. The limited partners of the Operating Partnership are NS Real Estate Income Trust Advisor, LLC and NorthStar OP Holdings, LLC (the “Special Unit Holder”), each an affiliate of the Sponsor. An affiliate of the Sponsor invested $1,000 in the Operating Partnership in exchange for common units and the Special Unit Holder invested $1,000 in the Operating Partnership and has been issued a separate class of limited partnership units (the “Special Units”), which are collectively recorded as non-controlling interests on the consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013. As the Company accepted subscriptions for shares in its continuous, public offering which closed in July 2013, it contributed substantially all of the net proceeds to the Operating Partnership as a capital contribution. As of June 30, 2014, the Company’s limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership was 99.98%. The Company’s charter authorizes the issuance of up to 400,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.01 per share and up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.01 per share. The board of directors of the Company is authorized to amend its charter, without the approval of the stockholders, to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares of capital stock or the number of shares of any class or series that the Company has authority to issue. The Company initially registered to offer up to 100,000,000 shares pursuant to the primary offering (the “Primary Offering”) and up to 10,526,315 shares pursuant to the distribution reinvestment plan (the “DRP”), which are herein collectively referred to as the Offering. In April 2013, the board of directors of the Company authorized the reallocation of shares available under the DRP to the Primary Offering. The Primary Offering (including 7.6 million shares reallocated from the DRP, the “Total Primary Offering”) was completed on July 1, 2013 and all of the shares initially registered for the Offering were issued. As a result of a registration statement to offer up to an additional 15.0 million shares pursuant to the DRP, the Company continues to offer shares beyond the Total Primary Offering. From inception through August 12, 2014, the Company raised total gross proceeds of $1,173.6 million.

Business and Organization

NorthStar Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (the “Company”) was formed primarily to originate, acquire and asset manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate (“CRE”) debt, select equity and securities investments. CRE debt investments may include first mortgage loans, subordinate mortgage and mezzanine loans and participations in such loans and preferred equity interests. Real estate equity investments include the Company’s indirect interests in real estate through real estate private equity funds (“PE Investments”) and direct ownership in properties, which may be owned through joint ventures, that may or may not be structurally senior to a third-party partner’s equity. CRE securities primarily consist of commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) and may include unsecured real estate investment trust (“REIT”) debt, collateralized debt obligation (“CDO”) notes and other securities. The Company was formed in January 2009 as a Maryland corporation. The Company conducts its operations so as to continue to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The Company is externally managed and has no employees. Prior to June 30, 2014, the Company was managed by an affiliate of NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE: NRF) (“NorthStar Realty”). Effective June 30, 2014, NorthStar Realty spun-off its asset management business into a separate publicly traded company, NorthStar Asset Management Group Inc. (the “Sponsor”), with its common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “NSAM.” The Sponsor and its affiliates were organized to provide asset management and other services to the Company, NorthStar Realty, other sponsored public non-traded companies and any other companies the Sponsor may manage in the future (collectively, the “NSAM Managed Companies”), both in the United States and internationally. Concurrent with the spin-off, affiliates of the Sponsor entered into a new advisory agreement with the Company and each of the other NSAM Managed Companies. Pursuant to the Company’s advisory agreement, NSAM J-NSI, Ltd, an affiliate of the Sponsor (the “Advisor”), agreed to manage the day-to-day operations of the Company on terms substantially similar to those set forth in the Company’s prior advisory agreement with NS Real Estate Income Trust Advisor, LLC (the “Prior Advisor”). References to the “Prior Advisor” herein refer to the services performed by and fees paid and accrued to the Prior Advisor during the period prior to June 30, 2014. The spin-off of NorthStar Realty’s asset management business had no impact on the Company’s operations.

Substantially all business is conducted through NorthStar Real Estate Income Trust Operating Partnership, LP (the “Operating Partnership”). The Company is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. The limited partners of the Operating Partnership are NS Real Estate Income Trust Advisor, LLC and NorthStar OP Holdings, LLC (the “Special Unit Holder”), each an affiliate of the Sponsor. An affiliate of the Sponsor invested $1,000 in the Operating Partnership in exchange for common units and the Special Unit Holder invested $1,000 in the Operating Partnership and has been issued a separate class of limited partnership units (the “Special Units”), which are collectively recorded as non-controlling interests on the consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013. As the Company accepted subscriptions for shares in its continuous, public offering which closed in July 2013, it contributed substantially all of the net proceeds to the Operating Partnership as a capital contribution. As of June 30, 2014, the Company’s limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership was 99.98%.

The Company’s charter authorizes the issuance of up to 400,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.01 per share and up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.01 per share. The board of directors of the Company is authorized to amend its charter, without the approval of the stockholders, to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares of capital stock or the number of shares of any class or series that the Company has authority to issue.

The Company initially registered to offer up to 100,000,000 shares pursuant to the primary offering (the “Primary Offering”) and up to 10,526,315 shares pursuant to the distribution reinvestment plan (the “DRP”), which are herein collectively referred to as the Offering. In April 2013, the board of directors of the Company authorized the reallocation of shares available under the DRP to the Primary Offering. The Primary Offering (including 7.6 million shares reallocated from the DRP, the “Total Primary Offering”) was completed on July 1, 2013 and all of the shares initially registered for the Offering were issued. As a result of a registration statement to offer up to an additional 15.0 million shares pursuant to the DRP, the Company continues to offer shares beyond the Total Primary Offering.

From inception through August 12, 2014, the Company raised total gross proceeds of $1,173.6 million.