USA – Where to buy?

Just my few bobs worth to throw in the mix.

i am mostly involved in Indianapolis and Kansas City MO for my buyers.

But rather than me saying that these two are the best, or Atlanta  or Memphis, Orlando, etc, or wherever, most good cities have like anywhere in Australia, both good and bad areas, it's just the same as in Melbourne or Sydney etc, you know the good and bad areas. It's just the same over there, yes there are some bad areas which i would never recommend or sell in, and every sales company can try and say that where they sell is the best city in the US etc etc etc.

What you have to remember is that you are buying from a US Company, agents or large seminar sales companies it really doesn't matter who, are NOT actually selling properties themselves, but only as the middleman, myself included.

So the real question should be, who am i buying from? What is their set-Up? How long have they been in business? what;s their background? Do they really have local neighborhood knowledge and know all the better places down to the streets etc, where to buy and sell? Are they investors themselves? What services do They supply? And so on,.

It doesn't matter whether the agent or company over here are owners themselves, it matters who they are working with and whose properties you are actually buying from in the US.

Knowing this information, will help in getting the best help and advice and ultimately, a good Investment Property, I happen to work in these two locations not only because they are always ranked very high in the top places to invest in for many reasons, but also because of the teams on the ground that I work very closely with and have proven time and time again, their credibility and care for the buyer and providing a very good product.

I hope this helps a little.

Jeff L.

Obviously that hardest thing to do on forums such as this is to be as constructive as possible without being seen as being critical or negative. I'll do my best……

Jeff let me first of all congratulate you for admitting your a "middleman". Your a link in the chain that  perhaps isn't necessary but you see yourself as a conduit between the actual seller and the buyer and provides advice and customer service. Would you be brave enough to tell us if you charge a fee for providing this type of service ? Again I am not being negative nellie….I just think that should be clarified.

Unlike most…. I can tell you for a fact that we do own every property that we sell to buyers. I am based here in Australia but am simply an outpost of the US company based in Dallas TX. So when you deal through me your dealing directly with the sellers. Same price, same service just a different time zone. There are a few Aussie companies that sell our inventory (one in the past even tried to sell them at a higher price then what we were selling them for until they had all agreements terminated as a result). It makes me laugh when I look at their websites and they claim "exclusive listing" and how they can unlock all the secrets in exchange for a hefty fee in the thousands of dollars just to assist you. That's the part that I think most on the forum are critical of. Paying all this money when if you go straight to the original source and cut out all the sales companies you find you get the EXACT same services etc for free.

To remark on all the above answers, i don't know if there is a right or wrong answer, as everyone involved in some way with selling US Property is always going to try and push their own barrel, it's only natural.

Yes, someone can purchase direct  with a company based in for example Australia, who do actually buy  ( Take Tilte ) from whatever source in the US, do any rehab and then resell to the investor ( I know this is a simplified example ) and the investor can possibly make more on the deal buying this way.

However, that is only one business model, and certainly it doesn't fit everyone's needs or wants.

So definitely YES, there is a need for someone like myself or others similar, that do not actually buy the properties and then resell them. I can only speak for myself, as I have developed a really good team both here in OZ as well as on the ground in the US of A, and I get clients that want to buy but want a lot of handholding, others might be cash rich but time poor and certainly don't have the time to both travel over there or do the proper research.

And as anyone knows in this business, almost every would be buyer have different needs, circumstances, budgets, depth of existing knowledge, and most definitely….personalities. So you have to cater for many different circumstances.

What i personally don't like, is when an unwary buyer gets told a pack of lies, packaged to make the seller, seminar company, other agents etc, look like they are real experts, and that if the person doesn't buy through them, they will get into a lot of trouble, and quite often, they end up buying a dud, maybe one of the  cheapies with high returns in some really bad areas, that are often flogged at some of these seminars or through some uncaring agents.

So if providing an honest, personal service, that handholds the buyer through the whole process, has the proper contacts for the buyer to use, such as opening the US Bank Account, getting the best professional advice on all tax matters and opening the correct structure etc, through to the start of the rents being paid into their accounts, then YES, we all have our own roles to play, and for all that, and providing the contacts etc, of course we should be compensated for our services, and compensated well, although ripping people of is a different story and to be frowned upon.

For what i charge, and the actual time and effort spent with every buyer, the end result from my fees, is really not much if worked on an hourly rate, but customer satisfaction is paramount.

So whether you actually are the owner of the properties you sell, or like me, an agent that sets everything up and organizes the whole process, together with my associates and Asset Teams in the US, as well as over here, there is a definite place for all.

jeff