Category: Buying Land

How to Buy Land in Hong Kong: A Complete Guide

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Hong Kong is not the typical place for land purchases, at least not among foreign individuals and companies.

Having one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world, you’ll mainly find mainland Chinese and local developers that fight for land plots through government-run tenders.

With that said, there are ways for foreigners to acquire land in Hong Kong. Therefore, I decided to write this article where I cover the following topics:

  • Can foreigners buy land in Hong Kong?
  • Hong Kong Leasehold Terms
  • Buying Land Through a Company
  • Hong Kong’s Land Sale Programmes and Tenders
  • Taxes when Buying Land
  • How can I find land for sale?

Can foreigners buy land in Hong Kong?

Neither foreigners nor locals can purchase land on a freehold basis in Hong Kong. Instead, the land is controlled by the Chinese government and you can only get hold of leasehold property. Continue reading How to Buy Land in Hong Kong: A Complete Guide

Buying Land in Singapore: The Ultimate Guide

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Singapore has one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world and was placed only second behind Hong Kong in 2020, with prices averaging at USD 874,372 per home.

To protect its middle class and locals in general, a series of new regulations have been imposed on foreign buyers and speculators. Truth be told, Singapore is not the easiest place to buy land as a foreigner, but it is possible.

In this article, we cover the most important information for land buyers.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy land in Singapore?
  • Regulations to Foreign Property Ownership
  • Buying Property on Sentosa Cove
  • How much does it cost to buy property in Sentosa Cove?
  • Is Sentosa Cove freehold?
  • Restrictions to Foreign Ownership of Property
  • How can I contact the SLA for land purchases?
  • Who owns the most land in Singapore?
  • What taxes do I have to pay when buying land?
  • Land Sale Procedures

Can foreigners buy land in Singapore?

Singapore might have a transparent system and the ease of doing business is significantly high compared to other regional countries. Continue reading Buying Land in Singapore: The Ultimate Guide

5 Countries Where Foreigners Can Buy Land in Asia

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Asian countries have some of the most prominent and promising real estate markets in the world. While some foreigners prefer to buy condos, villas, or apartments for investment or self-dwelling purposes, you shouldn’t neglect the opportunities to buy land.

Personally, I believe that foreigners believe that it’s too hard to buy land, and for traditional reasons. But more and more people ask what opportunities they have when buying land in Asia. Unfortunately, there are not so many options available.

In this article, I list the 5 countries where you can buy and own land as a foreigner in Asia. Let’s have a look.

Continue reading 5 Countries Where Foreigners Can Buy Land in Asia

How to Buy Property in Laos: The Definitive Guide

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Suggestion: Watch the 5 minutes video tutorial before reading this article

Laos is a small country in terms of population, but big in terms of land area.

With one of the highest economic growths in SEA and landlocked by a number of other growing countries in the region, it will continue to grow over the years.

Still, it’s somewhat more difficult to invest in property, at least compared to a majority of its neighbors.

In this article, I explain the essentials you need to know when investing in Laos property, for example, about ownership regulations, taxes, where you should buy, and more.

Can foreigners buy property in Laos?

Buying property in Laos is not as easy compared to many of its neighboring countries.

You can buy and own physical structures (including houses).

This is how properties are often advertised: you simply buy a house with a leasehold agreement of the land that will cover you for a time period of up to 30 years, sometimes with an opportunity of renewal up to 99 years.

If you’re lucky, the property is built within an SEZ (Special Economic Zone) which gives you the right to lease the land for up to 75 years, straight away.

Problems when buying a strata-titled property

But there’s a crux for strata-titled properties (condos):

The problem lies within the fact that Laos don’t have a separate law on strata-titled property. Those are existing in all other countries in Southeast Asia.

Without a separate law on strata-titled property, there’s no clear separation of ownership of the land and the physical structure.

At the end of the day, the lessor of the land owns the physical structure as well.

So, when the lease period expires, the land and everything above it goes back to the lessor, unless the leasehold period is renewed.

Continue reading How to Buy Property in Laos: The Definitive Guide

How to Buy Land in Sihanoukville: A Complete Guide

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Sihanoukville has grown rapidly the past years and now attracts a big amount of investors and tourists.

Previously a sleepy tourist destination that was infamously known for attracting Western foreigners who were partying a bit too hard, it’s now attracting casino visitors, people enjoying its beach resorts, investors, and more.

Not to neglect, except for tourism, it’s also engaged in a number of other industries like textile, manufacturing, and agriculture.

In this article, I explain the opportunities to buy land in Sihanoukville.

Sihanoukville property market

Much investment pours in to build condos, casinos, and other property that will help to cater to more visitors, mainly from China but also locals.

Yes, the Chinese are taking over the property market in Sihanoukville.

Just listen to this:

Previously, Western companies made up 75% of all investments in Sihanoukville. Nowadays, an almost equally big share of investment is covered by the Chinese – alone.

Locals are even afraid that the Chinese will take over the real estate market completely, making Sihanoukville into a “Chinatown”.

Is Sihanoukville’s property market in a bubble?

Continue reading How to Buy Land in Sihanoukville: A Complete Guide