Real Estate Articles

What Can You Get For $50,000?

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007
Paris, France

I can find properties in the U.S. that cost less than a condo in Panama City or a beach house in Honduras. So, why do I bother traversing the globe in search of those international property deals I tell you about each week? Here's why: I'm not in the cheap property business; I'm in the good value property business. If the point is simply to buy something cheap, you've no reason to look outside the U.S. You can find inexpensive housing in Florida…but the price you'll pay for something five miles from the beach in the Sunshine State will get you something in Central America with an ocean view (and probably better quality). Comparing apples to apples, Latin America almost always wins on pricing.

However, you can find inexpensive properties overseas. "Inexpensive" is a relative term, but we'll start at the lowest reasonable price range this week: around the $50,000 mark.

The Best Piece of Real Estate to Buy Today

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007
Paris, France

Where is the best place for you to buy (or invest) in real estate today?

Unfortunately, there is no one answer to that question. Much depends on two things: the type of "investment" that you're looking for; and how that investment fits into your overall plan.

Start by deciding why you're buying the real estate. Think of all real estate falling into a continuum with one end being your personal residence and the other end being pure investment. For your personal residence, many factors influence what you buy, but the most important one is whether you enjoy spending time in the property. On the pure investment end, again there are many factors, including the projected return, your overall diversification strategy, and how the investment fits into your portfolio.

What's Wrong With REITs?

International Living Postcards--Saturday Edition

Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007
Paris, France

I'm often asked about the real estate portfolio I manage, spread, as it is, around the world. Isn't it difficult to keep on top of everything, readers wonder. Believe it or not, as long as you are diversified in the types of property you invest in, and arrange for good local managers, you can keep the administration to a manageable minimum.

The only way to virtually eliminate the need to pay attention to your real estate investments is to make them indirect. The trade-off is that you lose control over the productive asset…you can't make the decision to improve a property for better returns or raise the rent, for example.

Saddle Up, Caballeros!

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006

An empty stucco building in a small Bolivian village, circa 1909. Bleeding, cornered, and low on ammo, Paul Newman and Robert Redford desperately come up with what needs to be their greatest plan ever, as hundreds of soldiers close in. As plans go, it's a stinker. It involves a boat, Australia, and a doomed belief that as long as Lefors isn't outside, they have a chance.

They don't, of course, and Butch and Sundance go out in a blaze of glory in my all-time favorite Western.

What, you may ask, has prompted this real estate editor to recall a 40-year-old movie? It was the e-mail below, from my roving Latin America real estate scout Dan Prescher, detailing opportunities in Central America where you could enjoy an equestrian lifestyle…no matter your budget. Increasingly in this part of the world, developers are beginning to include stables and horse riding facilities as part of their master plans. The result can be a lot more fun for a whole less dinero.

Thanksgiving Holiday Specials: Save Up to $195,345

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006
Paris, France

No matter where you're spending your Thanksgiving weekend, I promise: It's about to get a whole lot better.

I've negotiated on your behalf savings of up to $195,345 (and more) on real estate in Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, and Belize. In addition to cash discounts, you can also get free pools, complimentary VIP trips, free flights, and percentage discounts on your total purchases.

We've told you about the developments offering these discounts, savings, and perks before, so my notes below only briefly review each one. The point here is the discounts on offer, worth as much as $60,000 on a single deal.

Fore! The Americas Strike Back

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006

The Ryder Cup is two weeks over, Team USA has returned home in defeat. But while Europe may have better golfers, the Americas may have better golf resorts. Certainly, better for your wallet. At one resort I know in Nicaragua--Iguana Beach--a condo and club membership will cost you the same as the membership alone at the K Club, where the Ryder Cup was staged.

I won't pretend to know anything about bogies, sand traps, or the 19th hole. I'm not in the golf business. But I am in the real estate opportunity business, and I know eight golf developments in Latin America right now that are worthy of your attention:

A Profitable New World

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Sept. 23, 2006

Here at International Living, our radar screen is continually refreshing itself. Where best to put your international real estate investment dollars if capital appreciation is your agenda? Today's answer can be very different from yesterday's…and nothing like tomorrow's.

If you're shopping right now with capital profits in mind, here's where to consider looking:

Run For the Hills

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006

If you're actively in the market to buy a piece of real estate in another country…you're making inquiries…your e-mail address is finding its way onto developer, agent, and promoter lists…and you're seeing the offers, typically attached to pre-construction buys: "Three-year rental guarantee of 12% net," for example. Can this be for real, should be your first reaction. And the short answer is, no, probably not.