Investing in International Real Estate For Dummies

Aspiring international real estate investors—expand your portfolio today! 

The real estate world can be a particularly difficult place to do business, and this book helps aspiring international investors of all skill levels avoid some of the pitfalls first-timers often make. Expert author Nicholas Wallwork opens your eyes to how accessible international real estate can be and provides an excellent introduction to some of the main strategies and nuances when investing at home or away.   

Investing in International Real Estate For Dummies covers expert strategies for investing in international real estate, going beyond the more obvious tactics like buy-to-lease and flipping houses. It gives you a solid roadmap for successful property investing that actually works in any market. It lays out checklists of tasks and offers step-by-step guidance and advice based on over a decade of in-the-trenches experience working in the international real estate investment sector.

• Learn previously unseen expert strategies
• Find out how to choose which countries to invest in
• Easily navigate your way around lease options
• Build an in-country network of reliable contacts
• Manage your new assets with ease
• How to build the mindset of a top real estate investor

Looking to start or expand your international real estate portfolio? Everything you need is at your fingertips!

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Building a Successful Real Estate Portfolio 5

Chapter 1: Introducing Real Estate Investment Strategies 7

Taking Your Real Estate Investments to the Next Level 8

Focusing on Investment Strategies That You Can Use Internationally 11

Running Your Property Portfolio as a Business 12

Getting Your Financial Ducks in a Row 13

Blending Real Estate Strategies to Create a More Robust Portfolio 14

So Which Strategies Are Right for You? 20

Chapter 2: Investing at Home or Abroad: Which Is Right for You? 23

Deciding Whether to Invest Abroad: It’s Not All about the Numbers 24

Considering Your Budget 26

Assessing Your Risk Profile 28

Figuring Out How You’ll Manage Your Property 31

Drilling Down to the Right Market for You 33

Looking at the cold, hard facts and figures 33

Developing your knowledge of that country and region 34

Focusing Your Attention on One or Two Key Markets 35

Chapter 3: Treating Your Real Estate Portfolio as a Business 37

Aiming for Passive Income as the Ultimate Goal 38

Drafting a Dream Team 42

Investing in Systems and Technology to Grow Your Business 49

Promoting Your Real Estate Business 53

Managing Your Cash Flow Like a Boss 55

Getting the Right Insurance 57

Chapter 4: Protecting Yourself against Market Fluctuations 61

Diversifying Your Portfolio with Multiple Revenue Streams 62

Finding Strategies That Work Well in a Boom Market 65

Finding Strategies That Work Well in a Credit Crunch 68

Doing the Opposite of What the Mass Market Is Doing 71

Tailoring Your Funding to Economic Fluctuations 72

Considering Foreign Exchange Rate Risks 75

Chapter 5: Getting into the Mind-set of a Successful International Real Estate Investor 77

Continually Improving through Education 78

Networking in the Right Places 80

Setting Your Goals 82

Cultivating a Positive Mental Attitude 85

Visualizing for Success 88

Harnessing the Law of Attraction 91

Meditating to Manage Stress and Risk 95

Making meditation work for you 97

Part 2: Money, Money, Money 99

Chapter 6: Weighing Traditional Finance Options 101

Finance as a Key Element of Success and Growth 102

Seeing the link between leverage and growth 102

Understanding the full range of finance options 103

Considering the Main Financing Factors 104

Assessing a Range of Traditional Finance Products 112

Finding the Right Product for You 117

Dipping into International Finance versus Domestic Finance 118

Chapter 7: Understanding Property Valuation 119

Defining Value and Real Estate Valuation 120

Seeing Why Valuation Is Fundamental to Property Success 123

Looking at the Three Main Valuation Methods 128

Knowing Which Method Is Best for You and How

Much an Investment Is Worth 132

Special Considerations for Valuing Property Abroad 134

Chapter 8: Looking at More Creative Financing Options 135

You Down with OPM? Investing with Other People’s Money 136

Joining Up with a Joint Venture 138

Securing Private Lending 146

Crowdfunding Your Way to Real Estate Success 149

Getting Control of a Property Instead of Owning It 149

Applying Creative Financing Strategies Overseas 150

Part 3: One-Off and Shorter-Term Income Strategies 153

Chapter 9: Developing Properties 155

Knowing What Property Development Means 156

Deciding Which Development Strategy Is Best for You 157

Sourcing Development Opportunities 161

Financing Your Development Projects 165

Managing the Development 169

Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 176

Chapter 10: Dealing in Property Information 179

Dealing in Investment Property Leads: The Five-Minute Lowdown 180

Generating and Selling Property Leads 183

Acting as a Retained Buyer’s Agent 192

Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 196

Part 4: Ongoing and Passive Income Strategies 199

Chapter 11: Making Rent-to-Rent Work for You 201

Defining Rent-to-Rent: The One-Minute Rundown 202

Addressing Rent-to-Rent’s Image Problem 203

Applying Rent-to-Rent across a Range of Properties and Strategies 205

Margin in the Middle: Understanding the Rent-to-Rent Financial Model 209

Sourcing the Ideal Rent-to-Rent Property (and Landlord) 213

Sorting Out Your Rental Agreement 218

Finding Tenants and Managing the Property 220

Identifying Five International Markets Where This Strategy Would Work 222

Chapter 12: Leveraging Lease Options 223

Understanding Lease Options and How They Work 224

Understanding the Financial Model for Lease Options 228

Knowing What’s in It for the Property Owner 232

Sourcing Lease-Option Opportunities 233

Negotiating the Deal and Contract 236

Identifying Five International Locations Where This

Strategy Would Work 240

Chapter 13: Delving into Houses in Multiple Occupation243

Introducing HMOs 244

Breaking Down the HMO Financial Model 245

Sourcing HMO Properties 246

Deciding Who You Want to Rent To 249

Finding the Best Location for Your HMO 249

Staying on the Right Side of the Law 250

Managing Your HMO 255

Scaling Up Your HMO Portfolio 262

Identifying Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 263

Chapter 14: Renting to Students and Low-Income-Housing Tenants 265

Knowing What’s Involved in Renting to Students and Low-Income-Housing Tenants 266

Looking at the Pros and Cons of Renting to These Tenant Groups 268

Sourcing the Right Kinds of Property for Students and Low-Income-Housing Tenants 270

Marketing Your Property and Finding Tenants 272

Drafting the Tenancy Agreement 275

Physically Preparing Your Property for Use 278

Managing Your Property Effectively 281

Looking at Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 283

Chapter 15: Providing Serviced Accommodation 285

Defining Serviced Accommodation 286

Looking at the Pros and Cons of Serviced Accommodation 289

Deciding What Level of Service to Offer 294

Sourcing Serviced Accommodation Properties 296

Preparing Your Property for Serviced Accommodation Use 299

Navigating Planning and Regulatory Restrictions 301

Getting the Right Business Processes and Systems in Place 302

Managing Your Serviced Accommodation Business on an Ongoing Basis 306

Identifying Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 307

Chapter 16: Providing Vacation Rentals, at Home and Abroad 309

Knowing the Difference Between Vacation Rentals and Serviced Accommodation 310

Choosing the Right Location for You 312

Planning for Costs, Cash Flow, and Variations in Occupancy 314

Sourcing the Ideal Property for Vacation Rentals 318

Preparing Your Property for Use 320

Marketing Your Vacation Rental 324

Managing Your Vacation Rental 327

Identifying Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 329

Part 5: The Part of Tens 331

Chapter 17: Ten (Or So) Practical Ways to Get into the Mind-Set for Success 333

Tapping Into Education Resources 333

Using Productivity Apps and Tools 334

Learning to Be in the Here and Now 335

Cementing Your Goals Using a Vision Board or Goal List 337

Trying Out a Visualization Exercise, Real Estate Style 338

Incorporating Positive Affirmations into Your Day 339

Recognizing and Giving Thanks for Your Successes 340

Downloading Helpful Apps 341

Chapter 18: Ten (Or So) Other Real Estate Strategies to Consider 343

Delving into Buy-to-Rent (Single-Tenant) Properties 344

Flipping Houses 344

Running a Bed-and-Breakfast, Guesthouse, or Hotel 345

Owning or Running a Care Home 346

Becoming a Real Estate Agent, Rental Agent, or Property Manager 347

Investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts 348

Offering Emergency Housing Accommodation 349

Getting into Commercial Property 350

Trading in Freeholds 351

Index 353

Nicholas Wallwork is a successful entrepreneur, multimillionaire real estate investor, developer, and property and business mentor. He is known across all media channels as a highly respected authority in the real estate investment world and has an extensive and proven track record for delivering successful, high-return investments for his clients and students. Wallwork is dedicated to helping educate investors. Visit www.propertyforum.com/ real-estate-courses for upcoming companion courses to this book.