Investing in offshore real estate investment properties is a complex process. Obviously, there are the general issues related to buying a real estates property such as the best size, the best real estate property type, the best location, and the price range. With offshore real estate properties, however, real estate investors must also factor in all of the issues related to making an international purchase, such as travel and legal issues.
Needless to say, offshore real estate investors need to seek out tips and guidelines to consider and remember before investing in offshore real estate investment properties. This guide provides some basic tips for real estate investors to consider before making the decision of investing in an offshore real estate property.
Offshore Real Estate Investment Properties Tip #1: Research, Research, Research
This step is so crucial that it can’t be stressed enough in real estate investing. It is important to do your homework before investing in any real estate property. Real estate investors who do not conduct thorough research before investing in offshore real estate investment properties will get their fingers burnt in the process.
Offshore real estate investors must gather facts on how, where, and whether they can invest, understand the purchase process and the costs associated with it, think carefully about how to manage tenanting, management, maintenance, and, eventually, who will buy the offshore investment property when they’re ready to sell.
Offshore Real Estate Investment Properties Tip #2: Seek Advice
Even after conducting thorough research, many people have tried and failed to navigate offshore real estate investments solo. Real estate investors must speak to their financial planners to confirm that they have a well diversified portfolio with both domestic and offshore real estate investments. In addition, before investing in offshore real estate investment properties, an excellent source for advice would be other foreigners who live or own real estate properties in that country. It is not enough to simply choose a city – real estate investors must know the ins and outs of the city itself.
Moreover, real estate investors need to consult with two local real estate professionals to help in offshore investment of real estate properties: a local attorney to provide guidance through all legal matters when buying foreign real estate investments and a local international buyer’s agent to explain the market, to help in staying organized, and to get the best deal.
Related: Real Estate Investing: Expert Advice for Beginner Investors
Offshore Real Estate Investment Properties Tip #3: Choose Properties Appropriate for Your Profile
One of the most important pieces of advice for an offshore real estate investor is to be realistic about his/her current financial position, risks, and investment objectives, then compare the offshore real estate investment properties that are available and find the best one that matches his/her investment requirements. This eventually leads to having more thorough research and staying fully invested in that real estate property in the long term. Consulting with a financial adviser can be very helpful in this process.
We are aware that finding the best real estate investment property requires time and effort that not every real estate investor has. However, put your worries to rest because Mashvisor provides you with the perfect tools that allow you find the best investments in the US real estate investing market wherever you are online – these tools are the Mashvisor’s Investment Property Finder and Mashvisor’s Investment Property Calculator.
Related: Mashvisor: A Real Estate Investing Tool for All Your Investment Needs
Offshore Real Estate Investment Properties Tip #4: Avoid Making Emotional Decisions
In the real estate investing market, it is impossible to be able to forecast what the future holds in terms of the return on investment of real estate properties. Therefore, another tip for the offshore real estate investor is to take a measured approach to investing and avoid over-reacting and allowing emotions to drive his/her investment decisions. A real estate investor in offshore real estate investment properties must spend sufficient time doing thorough research and planning and then stick to his/her decisions in the long term.
Offshore Real Estate Investment Properties Tip #5: Work With a Property Management Company
When investing in offshore real estate properties, you are investing in a market that is most likely unfamiliar to you. Therefore, it’s crucial to make sure that your investment will be managed by an investment property management company that has a credible and proven track record of managing offshore real estate investment properties.
In the real estate investing market, a successful real estate property management company is the one that has a strong investment process, is repeatable and consistent over time, and emphasizes on protecting the investment. Other indicators that a real estate investor must look at when choosing an investment management company to work with are the management company’s access to industry expertise, its principles, and whether it puts clients first in terms of decision making, commitment to individual funds’ mandates, and, most importantly, transparency of communication.
Related: What Are the Tasks and Responsibilities Covered by Professional Property Management?
Offshore Real Estate Investment Properties Tip #6: Understand Tax Implications and Laws
Before investing in offshore real estate properties, understanding all the implications of investing in foreign markets is vital. A big part of succeeding in the real estate investing market relates to understanding what’s going on in the real estate investing market and the economy as a whole.
Therefore, before searching for an offshore investment property, real estate investors are advised to consult with a tax professional to fully understand the legal structures of the country or market they’re investing in and the real estate investments tax implications, as well as the requirements to get a mortgage in offshore markets.
Furthermore, the real estate investor must know the difference between common law and civil law. These laws affect the buying, selling, and ownership of an offshore investment in real estate. Know the difference and which one the country in which you’re investing follows.
Offshore Real Estate Investment Properties Tip #7: Be Aware of Hidden Costs
Not fully understanding the costs associated with offshore real estate investment properties – both transactional and operational – is a huge mistake in real estate investing as there are many “hidden” associated costs.
It’s not just the purchase price of an offshore investment property that offshore real estate investors must pay, but also operational costs and taxes – legal costs, mortgage fees, transfer taxes, council tax and rates, service charges, and ground rents.
In addition, most countries have a fee or require a visa for entering. The fee can be paid either before leaving your home country or upon entering your destination country. An offshore real estate investor must be aware of this and conduct thorough research before traveling in order to be prepared.
The Bottom Line
Yes, owning offshore real estate investments properties can be very rewarding for real estate investors looking to grow their real estate investment portfolio. Nonetheless, this real estate investment decision should not be taken without doing thorough research, seeking advice from professionals, being realistic and rational, working with property management, understanding the law, and being aware of the associated costs.
These tips, put together, are guides that real investors who are looking to invest in offshore real estate investment properties should follow in order to succeed in the real estate investing market. If you believe you are ready for an offshore investment and are looking for the best offshore real estate investment property, check out Mashvisor’s Investment Property Finder: a tool developed to help real estate investors search for and find the best investment properties – traditional and Airbnb – in the US real estate investing market with a click of a button. Mashvisor also provides actual and future real estate investors with another important tool to analyze each real estate property potential financial returns – Mashvisor’s Investment Property Calculator. These are two important real estate investments tools that real estate investors use to guarantee a successful real estate investing career.
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