Global Real Estate – Hot Spots & Tips to Buy in them
Global & International Real Estate is GROWING
Did you know 1 in 10 US residents are considering owning international real estate? But how can you protect yourself from making a lemon investment? Thanks to OCR’s Global committee, we have some pointers for you! Michael Cobb CEO of ECI development started off our International Real Estate Forum today reminding Realtors that we bring value to international transactions by helping our clients know to ask the right questions. In foreign countries, hot water, running water, and other conveniences (like plumbing) we take for granted in America are not alway included in the price tag. It’s critical to be careful and make sure you align with multiple professionals to ask ALL the right questions when you buy internationally. One way to do this is to work with a CIPS Realtor to help you find the most reliable real estate contacts in your preferred country. CIPS agents are Certified International Property Specialists, and have special training to help you avoid international buying nightmares.
Nicaragua – an International investment gem
Nicaragua has been a growing spot to get deep discounts in real estate, and Michael personally lived there for 14 years, while raising 2 young daughters. It usually takes about 6-9 months after you visit Nicaragua and sign documents to receive your title, and buying is friendly to foreigners. The country has beautiful scenery, and also offers the following benefits:
- Safe
- Inexpensive real estate
- Low cost of living
- Low cost medical care
- Fishing, diving, snorkeling, surfing
- Social projects & involvement
- You CAN own the land and get freehold title
- Property tax is only 1%
- Easy residency programs
Foreign Property Investments in Belize
Belize is a tiny country that wasn’t on the radar at all until recently, and now it’s exploding. The title process is 3-6 months, but you can complete a property transaction in just an hour if you’re there in person. English is the official language, so it’s easy to read contracts. Prices are reasonable right now, and the hotspot to check out is Ambergris Caye. Belize was also voted the “most wished for place to visit” on AirBnB, so an excellent consideration for your vacation rental. If you’re thinking of AirBnB, you will have to pay hotel tax, so be sure to factor that in. Speaking of air…air travel has doubled over the last 3 years to Belize, and there is still plenty of room for growth. Baymen Gardens by Best Western currently offer options under 100K for a residence if you’re looking for an affordable vacation rental. Some benefits of owning property in Belize include:
- Political stability
- Short easy flights
- 17% tourism growth the last 3 years
- Property is still affordable
US Citizens are now buying property in Costa Rica easily
Beautiful Ocho Bungalows in Costa Rica – Sean the owner used to live in US, and now calls Tamarindo his home. He built these gorgeous bungalows there.
Costa Rica is an absolutely stunning country, with 27% park-protected land. Costa Rica has a “Pura Vida” (Pure life) mindset, so this is the place to go if you like a healthy lifestyle. Hunting is banned, no zoos, and animals cannot be pets. No tornados or hurricanes there, however, they do have earthquakes. Ocean temp is about 80 degrees all year long, so it’s perfect for a vacation home or rental. Weather is typically nice, but they do have rainy season. You can stay for 90 days with a US passport, so plenty of time to research areas, builders, and pick your perfect property! Costa Rica is also a solid consideration for a second home because:
- Democracy for 196 years, stable society, tradition of peace
- Mostly Bilingual
- Foreign property rights
- Blue zone for longevity, excellent health care
- Quality national public health system, as well as private healthcare
- Wildlife tours, river rafting, hikes to waterfalls, hot springs, zip lines
- US Babies born there get dual citizenship
- Property tax only .25%-.40% (niiiice)
- Food has no hormones or weed killers
An update to our previous video about buying real estate in Costa Rica —> there’s now NEW foreign mortgage opportunities for US citizens in Costa Rica!! Previously you had to buy with all cash, so this is really cool! It’s for residential only, no business or land. Interest rates in Costa Rica for locals run high, around 12%. This program comes from a lender in TX, and currently has a 7.5% rate for loans over 100K. No coastline foreign investments closer than 200 meters, though. 720 credit is required, and 30% down is required. If you’d like more info just contact us at 949-338-7408 and we’ll help you on your way to a Pura Vida lifestyle 🙂
Mexico beaches drive global condo buyers
Real Estate expert Alvaro Quirante presented about Riviera Maya and the consistent growth of traffic into the Cancun airport, which creates opportunity. Travel is consistent all year long, so there is no on or off season. Currently they are creating a huge marina, and a theme park, which will create 5000 new jobs in the area. Tulum has been one of the cities that gets the best capital gains each year. A few reasons:
- Eco-friendly
- Mayan ruins, top TripAdvisor destination
- Tulum famous beaches
- Stable economy with multiple sources of income
- Properties start around 75K
- Availability to have major companies back your investment guaranteeing 8-13% yearly ROI, with Lux properties for example.
- You can buy property with a self-directed IRA
What does the buying process in Mexico look like? We tried to explain it in this video about buying real estate in Cabo…but here’s an easy slide from today’s presentation that guides you through the process:
As you can see, each country is really different when it comes to process, ability to get a mortgage / title, and the various property options you have. We LOVE international real estate and would love to help you explore your next global property investment. Simply fill out the form below or text 949-338-7408 and we’ll send you some international property buying tips!
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How To Buy Property In Iceland
Vacation Homes in Iceland
As more and more Americans become internationally savvy investors, we love bringing you experts and tips on how to safely buy abroad. Iceland is a gorgeous country and it’s growing quite fast – which means opportunity knocks!
Iceland’s capital is Reykjavík, so we scoped out a quality agent who has been selling there for more than 5 years – Pall Palsson. When you are considering a purchase as a newbie to a country, you do not want to work with a newbie agent! It’s a really good idea to ask your main Realtor if they are an International Specialist (CIPS) and if so, they can help pair you with a good fit in the country you plan to purchase.
RESEARCH is key, and that’s best done with a team. Iceland currently has a stable government, currency, and job market. Iceland is one of the fastest growing real estate markets in the world. Iceland has an even market right now which makes it easier for both buyers and sellers to obtain their goals. It also means their are enough houses on the market if you’re looking for your next big move!
Here’s an interview with Pall that goes more in depth about the current real estate market in Iceland:
Other factors to consider are education, cost of living, and climate.
As far as climate, Iceland tends to have very short summers that are still chilly and usually pretty cloudy. If you’re from California, it would be quite the opposite of the sunny beautiful weather we are used too! Their winters are very long and wet, but if the snow is something you love – it’d be perfect for you! The temperature in Iceland hardly ever drops below 17 degrees which if you’ve ever been to the Midwest where it drops down to a brutal -20 with wind chill often during the winter months then that might not seem so bad. You won’t usually see the temperature rise much higher than 62 degrees in Iceland. The absolute beautiful of this country may sway you to deal with the cold anyways – we’ve truly never seen such beauty.
The cost of living in Iceland is close to comparable to Southern California right now – expensive. You can get a 2 bedroom 1 bath town home around $350,000 – $400,000. If you’re able to afford that and even spend half of your time in a place with such outstanding sights to see you’d be living your best life.
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Orange County Real Estate Success 