How to Buy Real Estate Overseas

Praise for KATHLEEN PEDDICORD

"It is time for us all to think about diversifying out of the States, before it consumes us. Keep doing what you′re doing, Kathleen . . . you are saving lives in the United States (well, at least one for sure). Thank you."
Ray Smalls

"You have opened my eyes and helped me overcome ′border blindness.′ What a wonderful and amazing world there is out there. Now I′m discovering it, thanks to you."
Bill Nellis

"What I admire is your honest, tell–it–like–it–is approach. A lot of people have been hurt by nothing but glowing reports about offshore living from various sources. Your honest, direct approach is a real service."
Arlean Kealan

"I have to say that you seem to dig deeper into the feel of a particular place and to do comparative analysis between alternative places. Your approach is more sophisticated, thoughtful, and more useful than that of others I′ve read covering these same subjects."
John Watson

"Thank you for the immediate info without the bull."
Tom Franks

"You open the world for us. It′s like we travel together, but with more insightful information than the typical traveler is privy to."
Mihaela Davison

"Your country–by–country reporting makes us dream of a better future. . . ."
Carlos and Consuelo Villoria

I Launching Your Overseas Property Adventure 1

1 This Isn t Only about Making Money 9

2 Buy Overseas to Diversify Your Assets, Protect Your Wealth, and Avoid Taxes while Creating Cash Flow and Profits 17

3 Buy Overseas to Save Your Retirement 25

4 Buy Overseas to Make Travel and Adventure Part of Your Life Right Now 35

II How to Target Where to Buy: Five Strategies for Choosing a Property Market Overseas 41

5 Buy Crisis Opportunity 45

6 Buy for the Income 61

7 Buy Growth 73

8 Buy Agri–Profits 95

9 Buy Where Your Heart and Your Wanderlust Lead You 20 Countries to Consider 105

III You re Not in Kansas Anymore: Eight Unexpected Realities of Buying Real Estate Overseas and How to Prepare for Them 131

10 Don t Count on Leverage 135

11 Don t Expect Comps 139

12 Google Isn t Always Your Friend 143

13 Why Net Pricing Is a Dirty Word 147

14 You re a Gringo Get Over It 149

15 Rights of Possession and Other Ownership Concerns 151

16 Sometimes Really Cheap Isn t a Good Deal 157

17 Margarita Madness and How to Avoid It 161

IV How to Buy Real Estate Overseas: Eight Easy Steps 165

18 Get on a Plane 169

19 Figure Your Budget 171

20 Build an In–Country Network of Reliable Contacts 175

21 Identify a Purchase 181

22 Negotiate the Purchase 183

23 Close the Deal 187

24 Take Title 191

25 Manage the Asset 195

V What Every Overseas Property Buyer Needs to Know about Moving Money around the World 199

VI Where Not to Buy: Markets Perhaps Better Avoided 209

Appendix A Market Data 215

Appendix B Due Diligence Checklist 233

Acknowledgments 237

Index 239

KATHLEEN PEDDICORD was publisher and editor–in–chief of the International Living group for twenty–three years. Today, she is publisher and editor–in–chief for her own Live and Invest Overseas group (LiveandInvestOverseas.com). She writes a weekly retire–overseas blog for U.S. News & World Reports, another for Huffington Post, and is regularly quoted by news outlets including the New York Times, Money magazine, the Economist, Kiplinger, and AARP. She has traveled to more than fifty countries, invested in real estate in twenty, established businesses in seven, renovated historic properties in six, and educated her children in four. She now lives with her family in Panama City, Panama.