International Investing The United States

I have just return from the United States and New Zealand. The purpose of my trip was to buy some properties in New Zealand and further study the markets in the United States. If you are to be a successful investor it is important to look at markets outside Australia providing that they offer decent returns and are in safe locations. I am not a gambler, I do not believe in taking risks with my money or investors. Providing that you do the research investing is safe. It is important to develop a team of people wherever you are looking to purchase. In New Zealand I have a team on the ground who are always keeping there eyes out for good deals. Our team includes spotters, Real Estate agents, property Managers who are independent of any real Estate agents. International finance brokers, solicitors, accountants and building inspectors. The quality of your team can make all the difference between investing being a pleasure or a painful experience.

My role is to find the best deals. Once I have done that, conferring with my team gives me the opportunity to double check all my decisions, that way there is little or no chance of mistakes being made. In Australia and New Zealand my teams are in place and where there are opportunities I find them.

The United States became a challenge on a number of fronts. Firstly it was important to gain an understanding of how the market works. Many Australians have been investing in Buffalo in upper state New York. While the return on paper looked good by the time you took the taxes away, the returns were only average. That’s not to say that there may be some good deals there, but I prefer safer markets. It was also important to keep I mind is that although properties are cheap, it is very difficult to obtain finance and in many cases it is difficult to find good property managers. Clearly when you are so far away a good property manager is an integral part of any investment strategy. You also have to look at the quality of the tenants in any given area. After reviewing the Buffalo market I determined that it was not the best place for me or my clients to invest in.

Presently I am focusing on Texas, there are a number of advantages firstly the taxes are lower than in many other parts of the United States. Before I travelled to Texas two of my associates had already been there and started to establish the teams that we required to commence investing there. We have found that buying apartment building gives the greatest return and prospects for capital growth. While there I inspected around 9 apartment complexes and numerous houses in different areas and price ranges.
We now have property managers, solicitors and accountants on the ground, together with agents and foreclosure specialists.

Foreclosures provide the greatest opportunity to acquire properties at under market price; however there are a number of rules that apply. Once you understand the rules you need to know the values. If you are interested in the United States and would like more information regarding general investing or foreclosures please let me know and I can discuss a series of strategies with you.

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Nigel Kibel

http://www.propertyknowhow.com.au

Australian and New Zealand The United States Property Researcher and education
One Day property investment research workshop The United States. Please register your interest