Why Invest in Overseas Real Estate?

International real estate may be the best possible way for investors to amass a fortune over the coming decade. In times of great change and flux, the returns can be stratospheric. Supply, you see, can’t be turned on like a tap. It’s finite in the case of land.

Famed investor Jim Rogers said of beachfront “they ain’t making any more of it”. So, what happens when a growing swell of cash and investors in hot emerging markets chase a finite or slow-reacting supply? Prices and value appreciate at an accelerated rate…far faster than the economy or other assets.

With some real estate, you can invest a relatively small amount of money to control a large asset. Buy right and you can lock in big potential gains with very little of your money…..

Real estate is also a great way to protect hard-won capital. Your asset is real, productive and has a use. You certainly can’t print any more of it. Historically, land has been one of the best hedges against inflation and turmoil. People will always need somewhere to live. Price bubbles may come and go… and come again. Meantime, your real estate always retains an intrinsic value.

Today, the best real estate opportunities are outside of the US. Investors are concerned about where growth will come from, the security of their investments, and the value of their paper assets.

Things are different outside America’s borders. There are real growth opportunities. In fact, there’s a full spectrum of opportunities to profit. These range from high-growth frontier markets…to regional hubs such as Panama…to places so cheap that they represent true long-term value.

Panama, for example, is now classed as wealthy nation. It’s a banking hub and a major player in international commerce. Its free-trade zone in Colón is Latin America’s busiest port and second largest after Hong Kong. Panama is also the regional base of big multinationals like Dell, Caterpillar, 3M, and Procter & Gamble. It boasts a vibrant, cosmopolitan capital city with all of the conveniences of New York or Miami.

The population’s growing fast… around 3 million in the year 2000, it is now estimated at more than 4.2 million. And it’s projected to hit 5.8 million by 2050.

Half the population lives in and around the capital city. But there’s a shortage of developable land.

Think about what this means: a population surge hitting a wall of lack of supply. We know from what we have seen elsewhere that this means prices should rise. Yet, by comparison with other global hubs, real estate in Panama is silly cheap.

Five Reasons Why You Should Invest in International Real Estate

Buying international real estate has five major advantages right now:

1. You retain control. You can buy, sell, rent, or develop, according to your schedule and your requirements.
2. You can generate a cash flow in another currency. This is a great way to diversify your portfolio.
3. It’s a great inflation hedge. Real estate is better than just cash flow in another paper currency. It’s a hard asset. That means it retains a value independent of any paper currency’s nominal value.
4. Real estate has multiple uses. Land you buy can be used for agriculture or forestry while you wait for the people, the tourists or industry to come. The new middle classes in China, Brazil, and India are eating more meat (which means more land is needed to grow feed such as corn). They also need wood for construction and furniture in their new homes.
5. Real estate investing is fun. Your real estate investment can double as a personal retreat, part-time residence, or vacation getaway. You can enjoy it while it’s appreciating in value…generating rental returns…and safeguarding your net worth.