There's extensive discussion on all things US here including many of the RE players both good and bad. You need to use the search function and go through those threads to appraise yourself of a wide range of issues and knowledge they can reveal.

At the moment the US market would eat you for breakfast. There's plenty of war stories here from those who went before you and thought they had it all figured out.

Recovery strategy… ???

….more debt, higher expenses and less income. Is that what passes for a recovery strategy these days?

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If that's a recovery strategy I'm a monkeys uncle.

Japan deflation persists, industrial output falls (30May13)
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-05-30/japan-deflation-persists-industrial-output-falls

BOJ Seen Failing to Tame Volatility as Sale Slumps: Japan Credit (29May13)
By Masaki Kondo, Mariko Ishikawa and Shigeki Nozawa
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-28/boj-seen-failing-to-tame-volatility-as-sale-slumps-japan-credit

On the Road to a Japanese Debt Crisis (29May13)
By Desmond Lachman (served as director in the International Monetary Fund's Policy Development and Review Department.)
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/road-japanese-debt-crisis-164423450.html

I liked this one;

Japan Output Gains as Tokyo Prices End Four-Year Slide: Economy
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-30/japan-output-exceeds-estimates-in-boost-for-abe-revival-campaign

I laugh when I read this stuff. They've just managed to smash their currency by 27% and then claim a surge in things like GDP (3.6% annualised) and output. (production +1.7%) That's like having a liquidation sale and saying sales are up but then not disclosing your input costs went ballistic and margins got crushed. 

But in the pro Abe twilight zone all is well….kinda

I'm glad I wasn't drinking a wine when I read that. 

You should go into business consulting. There's heaps of businesses who would like to know how to make a go of it with rising input costs and shrinking income but still be able to borrow to the moon whilst paying the staff more.

They'll gladly pay a small fortune for that.

I hear Krugman's looking for an apprentice. You and him would get along like a house on fire.

Exports rose 3.8 percent yoy to 5.777 trillion yen, marking a second straight month of gains.

Imports rose 9.4 percent yoy to 6.657 trillion yen, up for a sixth straight month.

I must be maths challenged. Corporates reporting profits when costs exceed revenues. There must be a new paradigm in corporate accounting that I haven't heard of. Or maybe it's simply revenues from international operations being converted to the newly depreciated yen that look good on the local balance sheet. A pity that income will never see the light of day in Japan

MOF Japan obviously have it all wrong then if MSM articles trump real data.

And your take on that is??

Here's my bet. The current hot money flows into Japan trying to front run the market will in due course (and I expect that to be soon) correct back and beyond where they came from. AU$ saw some pressure from Yen exiting positions here and heading home to speculate on the gold rush spurred by BOJ policy and market actions. AU$ dollar now seems to have stabilised around the US0.96 region.

The kind of stuff you're seeing on the ground is to be expected. Problem is they are distortions from a normal market and that produces volatility. That volatility is pushing large institutional investors away from bonds and investing in Japan. The VaR isn't worth it. 

BOJ has started something it may not be able to stop. They want 2% inflation but bonds to stay below 1%. Enough Bond holders are saying bugger that an opting out. That's putting upward pressure on yields and rates forcing the BOJ to support the market. Over 1% and banks face substantial T1 capital impairment. Mainstream banks by 10% and regionals by 20%.

It's the kind of thing Bass has alluded to. He's also indicated the BOJ planned operations are too small and they will have to massively increase bond buying programs over the long haul. He describes this as the investor paradox. The govt wants 2% inflation but sub 1% interest rates. The normal investor would sell and look for yield somewhere else. With almost one quadrillion yen on the table a Y60T buying program isn't going to satisfy the bond market. That then leads to a currency depreciation as the initial program of doubling the money supply will have to go much further to support the bond market.

They're caught between a rock and a hard place. Their debt load is, according to current budget forecasts, set to increase by 7% between now and 2014. Their cost to income ratio is already at 46% of revenue and set to deteriorate further.

Bond rates where around 0.3% when this all started and are now around 0.9%. That's a massive hit to expenses. 

Local stuff aside for a minute. All this printing is pushing yen out of the country looking for safety and yield. That's screwing with international bond markets and forcing CB's to take stabalising action to buffer their own economies. I can't see them tolerating this for too much longer.

Ziv you need to stop admiring the paint job and pop the bonnet for a deko at the engine. It's a dog.

Bloomber – Nic Smith. Hardly convincing. A very superficial rap. The RE he's talking about is market REITs fueled by a rotation out of bonds. WSJ article wouldn't come up.

BOJ is trying to push investors out of JGB's at a controlled rate (not working) and into stocks and other investments. It's also buying directly into the market especially ETF's. 

This will be a disaster for Japan. If you don't understand the relationship between JGB's, yield ceilings, currency devaluation and their effects on key sectors of the economy then you need to study this thing a lot harder. BOJ hasn't got control of this and it's lurching from one crises to another as it tries to hold things together.

This has been done before. It failed then and it'll fail again. Crucial economic indicators are deteriorating not getting better.

It's like deja vue Rio and BHP 18 months ago all talking up their book. When you have companies like Xtrada pulling back you have to ask yourself why GVK think they know what they're doing. 

The problem with current projects like this is that in terms of RE you really can't consider it any more than a spec play. I think anyone going in for the long haul is absolutely playing with fire.

China has some massive problems with energy and especially coal. They've capped imports so there's unlikely to be any real growth. India has some serious economic and political problems to get past before I could believe their growth story. There GDP may be high but I tend to think their figures are as reliable as the Chinese. The Emerging market theme gets done to death like its some sort of savior. SEA EM's are tiny and highly dependent on established economies for growth. Countries like Malaysia and Thailand have substantial percentages of their GDP generated by foreign companies who at this point are struggling in most markets that matter.

If global markets and conditions where more stable and there where some healthy growth centers driving or supporting economic growth I could go with the G Basin as a reasonable RE risk but I think the risk factor is high and consequently returns would need to reflect that.

It's the kinda place that could give an investor ulcers and grey hair.

You have my apology if I've misjudged you. New members jumping on the bandwagon and making supporting comments in favor of those with little or no credibility and who make silly and superfluous comments throws up the odd red light or two.

I'm still not convinced but I'll give you have the benefit of doubt for the time being.

I rarely make assumptions. The mistake was not investing in Mandurah but where they invested and their reasoning. There are some here (on this forum) who have done well in Mandurah over the last few years.

Again a simplistic view.

Coastal requirements – you just described 90% of Australian towns

downsizing – there's less downsizing than you think. It's a tiny percentage of Mandurah RE

babyboomers retiring – coupled to the downsizing theory.

The GFC and an impending economic recession will likely cause further financial damage to the over 55's. They will not be a sector that helps any area ride out a contraction.

Sydney is probably the lowest risk market historically and NSW as a whole is the only state with reasonable economic conditions. That said you can still easily get your fingers burnt there as well.

If you're confused then you're not ready yet. It takes time before you can confidently get your head around the necessary skills required to invest confidently. Absolutely no harm sitting on your hands and spend a year or two learning the ropes. One screw up now and like so many you waste years and loose your grubstake. It's not a booming market. There's no rush. In this type of market patience is an absolute must.

Perth is high risk. While the Perth market may appear buoyant at the moment WA economic fundamentals are deteriorating rapidly. Many areas of WA are in decline and at the moment I see a retreat to Perth as the main driver of current activity. I don't expect that to continue for much longer. At some point the largely uninformed market will realise that growth/price drivers are weakening or simply disappearing. When that moment comes I expect to see the Perth market at best drift sideways and at worst decline quite rapidly. 

This isn't to say there aren't opportunities in WA but that they are high risk and require the knowledge and experience of a veteran investor. Preferably one resident or familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the region.

Property markets are going to be tough going for some time. I expect to see quite a high casualty rate for the over leveraged and less sophisticated investor for the foreseeable future. The winners will be few and far between.