Category: Other Countries

How to Buy Property in Ireland: The Ultimate Guide

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Ireland becomes an increasingly popular investment destination, particularly after the Brexit, and more investments will be allocated here.

The country attracts many overseas students who look for quality education, at the same time as they can become internationalized and learn English.

Luckily, it’s significantly easier to buy property in Ireland compared to Southern European and Asian countries. In fact, Ireland has sprung up as one of the most popular options when overseas investors look for real estate.

In this article, we review how you can buy property in Ireland, covering everything from regulations, taxes, and the buying process.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy property in Ireland?
  • The process when buying property in Ireland
  • Property Taxes
  • Can I get a residence permit if I buy property in Ireland?
  • Can I rent out my property?
  • Property Prices in Ireland

Can foreigners buy property in Ireland?

Foreigners have no general issues buying property in Ireland, which is similar to many other European countries. That’s not the case in Asia where foreigners encounter strict foreign property ownership regulations.

In countries like Thailand and the Philippines, foreigners can generally only own condominium units on a freehold basis, with certain quotas. Continue reading How to Buy Property in Ireland: The Ultimate Guide

Buying Property in Spain as a Foreigner: The Ultimate Guide

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

Spain is one of the most popular locations among Europeans that look for holiday homes. Asians have also started to favor the nation, thanks to generous visa options, access to the EU, and low real estate prices.

Yet, navigating the Spanish real estate market can be both bureaucratic and challenging.

In this article, we review how you can purchase real estate as a foreigner, covering the most important topics. Let’s get started.

Topics covered:

Can foreigners buy property in Spain?

Foreigners have no particular restrictions to buy property in Spain. As mentioned, the Spanish government even encourages foreign investors to buy local property.

This is different from places like Singapore and Hong Kong, where the governments have introduced hefty buyer’s stamp duties, to cool down the markets. Continue reading Buying Property in Spain as a Foreigner: The Ultimate Guide

Buying Property in the US as a Foreigner: The Ultimate Guide

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

Increasingly more foreigners, particularly from Asian countries like China, have invested much in the US real estate market in recent years.

For some, it’s for personal reasons while others buy as investments. Some also plan to relocate to the country later on.

Before you start engaging in the US real estate market, you must get your feet wet and learn about local buying regulations, taxes, and the buying process.

In this article, we explain the key information you need to know when buying real estate in the US.

Topics covered in this article:

  • Can foreigners buy property in the US?
  • Getting an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)
  • Can non-US citizens get property loans in the US?
  • Can foreigners get residence permits when buying property?
  • Best cities to buy property in the US as a foreigner
  • Property taxes for non-resident foreigners in the US
  • Setting up a company (LLC) when buying property in the US
  • Finding a real estate agent as a foreigner in the US

Continue reading Buying Property in the US as a Foreigner: The Ultimate Guide

Buying Property in Portugal: The Ultimate Guide for Foreigners

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

Have you ever considered becoming a European resident and getting full access to the Schengen area? A property purchase in Portugal can help you to fulfill that goal.

With properties that cost a fraction compared to places like Singapore and China, Portugal offers a high quality of life with a pleasant climate, great food, just next to the Atlantic Ocean.

In this article, I explain the basics when buying property in Portugal as a foreigner.

Topics covered:

Can foreigners buy property in Portugal?

Yes, foreigners have no particular issues to buy properties in Portugal and the prices are still comparatively low.

As a result, we’ve seen many foreign buyers, particularly from Europe and Mainland China, that have entered the market. Portugal is currently one of the five most popular countries for Chinese property investors, for example.

If you buy real estate here as a non-EU citizen, you also have the chance to become a permanent resident, if you reach a certain amount. This is something I will explain more later. Continue reading Buying Property in Portugal: The Ultimate Guide for Foreigners

How to Invest in Mongolia’s Property Market: By Mongolian Properties

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mongolia-property

Mongolia has been one of Asia’s best performers in terms of property rental yields and capital appreciation in the past decade. Yet, it’s still not under many investors’ radar.

At the moment, most attention comes from foreign companies who look for commercial property or housing for expats. With that said, Mongolia is predicted to perform well in the coming years, having one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia.

Today, Mongolian Properties helps to explain how it works when buying property in Mongolia. It’s one of the biggest real estate agencies and a reputable developer that has built many projects in the past.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy property in Mongolia?
  • What property types are available to foreigners?
  • How is the real estate market?
  • How is the process when buying property?
  • Can foreigners rent out property in Mongolia?
  • What are the best cities to buy property?
  • What property types should be of interest?
  • How can I transfer funds from Mongolia to overseas?
  • What property taxes do I need to pay?

Can foreigners buy property in Mongolia?

Mongolian property laws are comprehensive and well-drafted with good protection of title and ownership rights. This applies to foreigners as well.

Having a ‘floating freehold’ system, the constitution and other major laws provide both foreign and Mongolian citizens with inalienable freehold rights to immovable property.

There’s no distinction between local and foreign purchasers in the legal system in terms of property rights. Continue reading How to Invest in Mongolia’s Property Market: By Mongolian Properties

5 Worst Countries for Foreign Property Buyers in Asia

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yangon

Asia is one of the most diverse continents, not only culturally, but also economically.

It’s the only continent where we find highly developed countries, such as Japan and Singapore, alongside countries like North Korea and Myanmar.

Due to this, openness to foreign investment and foreign property ownership regulations can differ significantly between Asian countries.

I’ve already written an article that explains about your best options when investing in real estate in Asia. Today, I’ll list your worst options.

1. North Korea

pyongyang-property

Let’s start with possibly your worst option.

North Korea is notorious for being one of the most isolated countries in the world.

Continue reading 5 Worst Countries for Foreign Property Buyers in Asia

Top 11 Property Developers & Real Estate Companies in Bangladesh

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Being one of the fastest growing countries in the world, and a member of Next Eleven, Bangladesh is attracting more attention and interest from investors overseas.

The country is becoming on par with India in terms of economic rise, something that will naturally gain the real estate industry long term.

If you plan to buy property in Bangladesh you’ll find a number of local developers in Bangladesh, but rarely exhaustive and summarized information about them.

Therefore, I’ve written this article where I present some of the top developers in Bangladesh.

1. Building technology and ideas Ltd.

Building Technology and Ideas Ltd., also known as BTI, is one of the leading and biggest real estate developers in Bangladesh. The company established in 1984, at a time when there were only two other real estate developers in the country.

The company was also among a few that established REHAB – the Real Estate Housing Association of Bangladesh, making them pioneers in the industry. They’ve completed hundreds of apartment projects in the last three decades, out of which 13 were completed in 2017.

The head office of the company is based in Dhaka, but they also have an additional office in Chattogram. Property types include mostly apartments under different collections like luxury, classic, and standard apartments.

Most of their projects are small-scale projects containing 10-20 apartments on average. For now, they develop projects in two cities, namely Dhaka and Chattogram. BTI has won several awards in the last few years and achieved an ISO 9001-2008 certification.

In addition to property development, they offer other real estate services like interior design, property rentals, corporate services, and contractors.

Projects

On average, BTI develops more than a dozen new projects a year, mostly apartment buildings. Some of their recent projects are listed below:

Continue reading Top 11 Property Developers & Real Estate Companies in Bangladesh

Top 9 Property Developers & Real Estate Companies in Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka’s property market has grown much in the past years, so much, that government officials are afraid that we will see a new bubble burst in 2020-2022.

Everything from condo buildings to commercial properties is being built, and there are a number of local developers operating in the country. But you rarely find summarized information about the top developers.

In this article, you’ll learn more about some of the top residential property developers in Sri Lanka, who their founders are, what properties they build, what projects they manage, and more. Let’s have a look.

1. Blue Ocean Group of Companies

Blue Ocean Group of Companies is a big and diversified international business conglomerate based in Sri Lanka. They’re a leading real estate developera in the country, but also offers services in different sectors include trading, engineering, education, logistics, garments, construction of government infrastructure projects, and corporate consultancy.

The founder and the chairman of the company is Mr. Sivarajah Thumilan. He’s a graduate from the UK, with degrees in ACCA, CPA, and FMAAT from universities in UK, Australia, and Sri Lanka.

In total, they own more than 40 different companies and subsidiaries, out of which 16 works in the real estate sector. Some of their well-known companies and subsidiaries working in the real estate industry are listed below.

  • Blue Oceans Residences (Pvt) Ltd.
  • Blue Ocean Realty (Pvt) Ltd.
  • Blue Ocean Breeze (Pvt) Ltd.
  • Link Realty (Pvt) Ltd.
  • Alconn Construction (Pvt) Ltd.
  • Blue Ocean Real Estate (Pvt) Ltd.
  • Link Real Estate (Pvt) Ltd.
  • Link Capital (Pvt) Ltd.

Continue reading Top 9 Property Developers & Real Estate Companies in Sri Lanka

Top 9 Property Developers in Myanmar: A Complete Guide

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Being a military junta for decades, Myanmar opened up to the rest of the world very recently. Not surprisingly, it’s not the easiest place to do business or buy real estate in Asia. Hopefully, things will change over the years.

Still, Myanmar is an untapped frontier market with lots of potentials, a reason why property buyers and investors alike, turn their eyes to this country.

There are many infrastructural investments going on in Myanmar, and many new properties in the pipeline. But it’s not easy to find summarized information about the developers, operating in the country.

Therefore, I’ve written this article where I list some of the biggest and most reputable property developers in Myanmar.

1. Marga Group

Marga Landmark Development Co. Ltd is the real estate wing of the Marga Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Myanmar. Marga Group is an international corporation that owns several subsidiaries, working in real estate and the telecommunication sector in Myanmar.

Marga Landmark Development focuses on mixed-use and high-end property developments. The company is based in Yangon, the founder and the chairman of the company is Dr. Stephen Suen, who has more than three decades of experience in real estate, management, telecommunication, and finance.

Continue reading Top 9 Property Developers in Myanmar: A Complete Guide

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