Category: Cambodia

7 Asian Countries Without Capital Gains Tax

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 2 Comments

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Investors often pay much attention to the taxes and fees they have to pay at the time of buying property.

Truth be told, stamp duties, VAT and real estate agent fees can become significant when added up.

But, to have a complete exit strategy, it’s equally important that you understand what taxes you need to pay when holding and selling property.

In most countries, sellers need to pay capital gains tax when selling property. The tax can be substantial, especially if the property has increased much in value.

In this article, I list Asian countries where you don’t have to pay capital gains tax.

First, let me explain what capital gains tax is and how it’s calculated.

What is Capital Gains Tax?

Capital gains tax, sometimes referred to as CGT, is collected by governments and charged to the profits made when selling assets. Might it be real estate, businesses or stocks.

In Asia, capital gains tax rates normally range between 0% to 20%, depending on where you buy. With rates that high, the tax can reduce your profits significantly.

Not to forget, you might even be subject to capital gains tax in countries where the tax is generally not charged.

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Investing in Phnom Penh’s Luxury Property Market

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Cambodia is one of the fastest growing countries in Asia and has attracted many foreign investors during the past years. Even if the market has been a bit shaky, overseas buyers, and especially Chinese, continue to flood the property market in vast numbers.

Here, you’re not only able to buy residential property, but also commercial property that can bring in great returns long-term.

Today, I’ve invited CS Tee from Huttons Asia in Singapore to explain more about how it works when buying luxury real estate in Cambodia. He has personally bought commercial property in The Peak and will explain about the property market, the buying process, property taxes, what the benefits and drawbacks are, and more.

Let’s see what he has to say.

Thanks for being here Tee. You’re from Singapore and promote Cambodia real estate to international buyers. Can you explain what makes Cambodia so interesting and why foreigners should consider investing in real estate here?

Cambodia is still a relatively new market and therefore has the potential for an attractive return on investment compared to its neighbouring countries, like Thailand and Vietnam.

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How to Buy Property in Cambodia: A Complete Guide for Foreign Investors

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 8 Comments

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

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Cambodia will be a prime destination for property buyers in the coming decade. Having one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, early investors with some risk appetite can gain great yields.

It’s also the last frontier country in Southeast Asia and that welcomes foreign investors with open arms. Not surprisingly, individuals and corporations pour in to take a slice of this growing market.

However, before you engage in Cambodia’s property market, it’s important that you learn about ownership regulations, what kind of property you should buy, where to buy, and more.

In this article, you’ll learn the following:

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The 6 Cheapest Places to Buy Real Estate in Asia: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 2 Comments

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A commonly asked question among property buyers is where they can find the cheapest properties.

One should bear in mind though that it’s not easy, nor very important, to discuss property prices on national levels. It’s better to focus on a handful of cities, or the capitals, places where a big part of investors tend to go.

In this article, I list the countries with the cheapest land, houses, and apartments in Southeast Asia/Asia.

Before we deep dive into, I want to mention that I haven’t taken countries such as Mongolia, Brunei and Sri Lanka into consideration.

6. Thailand

Continue reading The 6 Cheapest Places to Buy Real Estate in Asia: A Complete Guide

Top 7 Property Developers in Cambodia: The Ultimate Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 1 Comment

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Many foreign residential property buyers decide to go for off-plan properties when investing in Cambodia. There are also a number of foreign companies who actively work to improve the infrastructure and develop new properties.

Either way, a property developer is normally involved and many people wonder which the biggest and most reputable developers in Cambodia are. It’s not strange that people perform due diligence in this emerging market, where there’s many pitfalls to come across.

Therefore, I’ve written this article where I list some of the biggest and most well-known developers in Cambodia.

1. Borey Peng Huoth Group

Borey Peng Huoth Group is one of the leading and biggest property developers in Cambodia. Founded in 2005, it soon becomes the prominent property developer in the country due to its large scale residential projects.

The Group consists of three subsidiaries, all working in real estate sector. The three companies working under the umbrella of the Borey Peng Huoth Group are
Borey Peng Huoth Construction, Borey Peng Huoth Property Development, and Borey Peng Huoth Shopping Mall.

They’ve sold around 10,000 houses by 2017. The CEO of the group is Mr. Oknha Thay Mengly.

Continue reading Top 7 Property Developers in Cambodia: The Ultimate Guide

Top Real Estate Agencies in Siem Reap: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 1 Comment

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Siem reap is the gateway to one of the most visited temples in the world, Angkor Wat. The tourism industry thrives, naturally, this affects the real estate market positively. Siem Reap is also famous for having more villas and land available compared to the capital, Phnom Penh. Prices are lower on average as well.

The number of real estate agencies is slightly higher than Sihanoukville, most of the multinational companies have decided to set up head offices in Phnom Penh, but still cater foreigners who wish to buy properties in Siem Reap.

In this article I list some of the biggest and most popular real estate agencies in Siem Reap.

Introductory remark

The real estate agencies are listed in a random order.

1. IPS

IPS is an established brand in Cambodia, they’ve managed to set up a strong local presence with a good mix of both local nationals and foreigners. The management consists of Australians and the company is headed by David Murphy in 2009,

David Murphy founded IPS in 2009 and serves as the company’s managing director. The management consists of mostly Australians, but there’s a mixture of both foreigners and local nationals in the company. David has a long history in real estate and previously managed a hotel for several years.

The company focus much on expats and foreigners and have staff capable of speaking English, French and more. Unfortunately, they don’t have any local branch in Sihanoukville, but cater foreigners from their offices in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Property types

Continue reading Top Real Estate Agencies in Siem Reap: A Complete Guide

Top Real Estate Agencies in Sihanoukville: A Complete Guide

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Sihanoukville becomes increasingly more popular among foreigners and has seen big increases in property prices over the years. If you look for real estate agents, you won’t find as many options as in Phnom Penh. Still, many of the agents in Phnom Penh can help you to find properties in Sihanoukville.

In this article, I list some of the most popular real estate agencies who help locals and foreigners to buy properties in Sihanoukville.
Introductory remark

The real estate agencies are listed in a random order. Some of the below listed real estate agencies have their head offices in Phnom Penh, but help foreigners to buy property in Sihanoukville.

1. CBRE

CBRE is one of the largest real estate agencies in the world and was originally founded in the United States. The company has tens of thousands of employees worldwide, naturally, they have also set up an office in a growing market like Cambodia’s.

Unfortunately, CBRE doesn’t have any remote office in Sihanoukville, as the head office is located in Phnom Penh, opened in 2007. But they help foreigners with a number of property services in the city.

CBRE has a number of reputable clients in the country, for example, the Embassy of Korea, PWC, KLM and Nokia.

Property types

Continue reading Top Real Estate Agencies in Sihanoukville: A Complete Guide

Top Real Estate Agencies in Phnom Penh: The Ultimate Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 9 Comments

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Phnom Penh is the capital and the business hub of Cambodia, attracting many foreigners who want to invest in this emerging market. With an annual economic growth of 7%, a young workforce and pro-foreign policy, it’s not strange why both locals and foreigners have decided to open up property agencies here.

But it’s not always easy to find an agency that suits your needs and that cater you in the best way. Therefore, I’ve written this article where I list some of the biggest agencies in Phnom Penh and tell you more about their founders, services and more. Let’s have a look.

1. IPS

David Murphy established IPS in 2009 and it’s currently one of the biggest and most reputable agencies in Phnom Penh. During his career, he’s owned a hotel for several years, managed to become a licensed Valuer in Cambodia and prior to that worked with infrastructure development projects.

David has managed to create a team that consists of both local nationals and foreigners that speak a number of languages.

Property types

Continue reading Top Real Estate Agencies in Phnom Penh: The Ultimate Guide

Top Real Estate Agencies in Cambodia: A Complete Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 3 Comments

cambodia-real-estate-agencies

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Cambodia’s economy is growing fast and even if the property market has been hot for more than a decade, many investors believe there’s more to come. But finding a credible real estate agency and a solicitor is crucial, in fact, the country is still undeveloped and there many pitfalls you can come across.

Fortunately, you can find a number of reputable agencies with long on-the ground experience. That’s why I’ve written this article, to save you some time. Let’s have a look at some of the biggest and most popular real estate agencies in Cambodia.

Introductory remark

The agencies are listed in a random order.

1. IPS

IPS is an Australian owned real estate agency in Cambodia, it’s famous for being one of the most credible and biggest agencies. David Murphy, originally from Australia, founded the company in 2009 and is currently the managing director.

He’s previously owned a hotel for years, is a licensed Cambodian Valuer and has a long experience in real estate, infrastructure development, facilities management and more.

Worth mentioning is that the company has a good mixture of both Cambodian nationals and foreigners, ready to serve their clients in French, English and other languages.

Property types offered

Continue reading Top Real Estate Agencies in Cambodia: A Complete Guide

Buying Property in Siem Reap: The Ultimate Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 2 Comments

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Siem Reap is the gateway to one of the most visited ancient temples in the world, Angkor Vat.

Following the increased amount of tourists visiting Siem Reap, both locals and foreigners want to grab a share of the real estate market.

Not only will you find opportunities to buy residential property, it’s getting increasingly popular to buy hotels and restaurants as well.

In this article, I explain the basics you need to know if you plan to buy property in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap real estate market

Compared to its rival Sihanoukville that gets income from other industries than tourism, like manufacturing and fisheries, Siem Reap’s economy relies heavily on tourism. In fact, it’s said that 50% of the Cambodians who live in Siem Reap work in tourism.

Just look at these numbers:

The tourism has increased massively in Cambodia the past years and more than 5 million people visit the country yearly. Siem Reap receive more than 2 million tourists each year, making a great contribution.

I think we can agree that these numbers speak for themselves.

As one of the most visited cities in the world, especially from countries like China, Korea and Vietnam, tourism grow by 10% on average annually.

The Chinese flood Siem Reap’s property market

Continue reading Buying Property in Siem Reap: The Ultimate Guide