Real Estate Articles
Find your own slice of heaven in the international real estate market...
Get Your Piece of Undervalued Caribbean…Before Prices Rise
Date: 01/16/2008
Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008
Samana Peninsula, Dominican Republic
Read more about beachfront property in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
The Dominican Republic is one of the most undervalued Caribbean destinations. And although the Samana Peninsula isn’t the cheapest area in the Dominican Republic, recent economic progress suggests this hidden gem may be one of the best locations for investors looking for real estate.
Read OnHow to Finance an International Property Investment
Date: 01/12/2008Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
Read more about international real estate in International Living Postcards--Saturday Edition
You can make (or lose) a fortune in real estate thanks to the power of leverage. No money down means you can pocket big returns from just a little market appreciation.
But with leverage comes risk…both for you (the buyer) and for the bank.
Read On
Wiping Your Face
Date: 12/29/2007In this Saturday Edition from the vaults, originally published June 10, 2006, Lief Simon considers the circumstances that might cause you to walk away from international real estate investing altogether…
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007
Learn more about investing in foreign real estate in International Living Postcards--Saturday Edition
"I know that Lief Simon is still advertising that he has never lost money in a deal,” says a reader, “ but I'll tell you that I have lost a lot of money following his advice. This is a very risky business if you are not where the investment is and an expert in that local real estate. And it's especially dangerous if it's one of the pre-construction deals that this operation loves to hype. One never knows what the situation will be a year or two in the future. I would avoid these enticements like the plague!"
Read OnWhere to Find Low-risk Real Estate Investments
Date: 12/22/2007Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007
Read more about investing in foreign real estate in International Living Postcards--Saturday Edition
You have watched others do it, and you have read about the opportunities in these dispatches. Now you’re ready to make money investing in foreign real estate.
But you also want to be able to sleep at night. So you must ask yourself a key question:
How strong is your stomach?
Read OnGet a Big Discount on a Piece of Spanish Coast
Date: 12/20/2007
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007
The Costa del Sol, Spain
Read more about Spain in International Living Postcards--your daily escape
Following my last rubbishing of Spain’s most famous stretch of concrete coastline, some readers accused me of being unfair. So I returned to the Costa del Sol to see if I was being unreasonably harsh…
Read OnBeware: Guaranteed Rental Returns Exist in Only One Place
Date: 12/15/2007Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007
Learn more about overseas real estate in International Living Postcards--Saturday Edition
I’ve been recommending the French leaseback program for 10 years. I continue to believe the idea can make sense, though you should view a leaseback as a financial instrument, not a real estate investment. In my mind, when you buy a French leaseback property, you’re buying a bond…a bond backed by the real estate. Your return comes from the annual rental yield, not capital appreciation.
Read On
An Italian Home for Less Than $50,000
Date: 12/12/2007
December 12, 2007
Paris, France
I’ve just heard about a sustainable tourism project in Italy with restored properties selling for less than $50,000. The houses are in a cluster of abandoned medieval villages, the Borghi Nascosti in the Abruzzo region, and prices start at 29,000 euros ($42,530) for a studio or one-bedroom apartment. The price tag includes new wiring, plumbing, furnishings, and restoration work; some of the houses have antique floors or vaulted ceilings. The whole project is backed by the village councils. Labor and materials are largely locally sourced.
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