International Properties...

The idea of purchasing a international property just popped in my head tonight. Anyone here ever invest in one or family have one? I am going to speak with my principle broker tomorrow about this more but also wanted to hear from you guys on this.

depending on the country where the property will be held the laws of ownership may differ, be very weary of that fact since in Mexico for example you can own only if you are a citizen, and lease only if you are a non-citizen.

invest in what you know...if you don't know about the international market, don't bother...too many things can go wrong...

My family has a few.  We have a "house" in Matina (Davao City, and I say "house" since it has 4 floors), 1.5 in St. Maarten (main house plus guest house), and some in Cancun (which mostly get rented out).  So some are for making money, and some are purely for family enjoyment.  I personally only have stake in the Matina house.

Interesting fact for foreigner who wanna buy a property in Bali:
1. Get some local to buy the property. Ask him to sign a debt declaration for the amount of the property value. The property agent or investment company can arrange this for you.
2. Easiest way, get married to a local girl =).

Read this on a local newspaper about a month ago.

what country were you looking into buying land in?

^siknlow
I was looking in Brazil, Chile, Mexcio, or even maybe Thailand or the Philippines. I want to be able to also rent it out when I am unable to use it. 

^elpresidente

Do you know if your family owns it or if they can just "lease" it like siknlow was saying?

me and my family have thought about this many years ago.  The hottest country, as of now, is Vietnam.  The economy is booming over there right now.  Other asian countries are rushing in to do business in Vietnam.  My idea?  Buy land and build a resort or hotel in Vietnam.  Mainly along beaches or anywhere near office buildings where people stay to be on contract where they're there for a certain amt of time.  I have other ideas but that will cost you. =o)

The only experience I can offer is some property I just bought in Beijing in 06 and I gotta tell you that it was a bitch! 

Really do alot of research before you do anything, but i gotta say that the China properties are paying off really well.  But remember that you gotta do maintenance and the unforeseen things that can come up with these type of investments. So make sure that you are able to deal with that or have someone that you trust there to take care of these things for you. 
You don't want to be wasting your profits on plane tickets and other costs.

[quote=Skaper;139398]^siknlow
I was looking in Brazil, Chile, Mexcio, or even maybe Thailand or the Philippines. I want to be able to also rent it out when I am unable to use it. 
 
^elpresidente
 
Do you know if your family owns it or if they can just "lease" it like siknlow was saying?[/quote]
 
 
here's a good website to get you started, mind you it is very important to make sure you know who you are dealing with and that any laws and regulations are adhered to and that the site where you go isn't a biased "SALES" driven site that will paint a pretty picture for the sake of a quick sale. 
 
[URL]http://www.peoplesguide.com/1pages/retire/house/buy/buy-coastal.html[/URL]
 
the information is updated to 2002 and the laws have changed for the better since then but please remember that a Mexican Attorney (Notario Publico) is your best source of help for all legalities.