Buying Land in Korea: The Complete Guide

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Korea is undoubtedly one of the easiest countries to buy real estate in Asia and foreign investors have poured in during the past years.

This has left the country with uncontrolled price increases and locals are putting more pressure on the government to curb sales.

Despite its small size, Korea offers plenty of investment opportunities for land buyers. Jeju Island, Seoul, Busan, and Incheon are just examples of places that have become increasingly targeted by foreigners.

Even if it’s fairly easy and transparent to acquire land in Korea, you should understand what regulations that apply to foreigners and how you can find land for sale. Therefore, I decided to write this article. Continue reading Buying Land in Korea: The Complete Guide

Buying Property in Japan: The Definitive Guide

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

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Japan is one of the most popular investment destinations for international corporations and individual property buyers. Being one of a few developed countries in APAC, it’s not strange.

Foreigners find Japan as safe and ownership regulations are both transparent and favorable, which is not often the case in many other APAC countries, especially in Southeast Asia.

Not to forget, Japan is very livable and many decide to either settle here or to buy lifestyle property for holiday or rental purposes.

Before you buy real estate in Japan, it’s important that you understand the property market outlook, how high property taxes are, if you can get a property loan as a foreigner, and more.

In this article, you’ll learn the following:

Continue reading Buying Property in Japan: The Definitive Guide

Investing in Indonesia REITs: The Complete Guide

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Indonesia is currently one of the most interesting investment destinations in Asia and set to become a regional powerhouse.

In previous years, many foreigners have been standing on the sideline, waiting for the market to open and ownership regulations to become more relaxed.

Fortunately, the government plans to make real estate ownership more accessible, something that could benefit the market significantly.

Besides, even if there are fewer REITs available in Indonesia compared to countries like Singapore, we will probably see an introduction of more trusts in the coming years.

Topics covered in this article:

  • Can foreigners buy REITs in Indonesia?
  • How can I start buying REIT units in Indonesia?
  • What are the benefits of buying REITs in Indonesia?
  • List of REITs in Indonesia

Can foreigners buy REITs in Indonesia?

This is not a yes or no question but depends on what residential status you have in Indonesia. Continue reading Investing in Indonesia REITs: The Complete Guide

How to Buy Land in Thailand: A Complete Guide

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Foreign developers and overseas corporations typically look for land and/or hotels in Thailand. Industrial real estate is also targeted by investors who set up manufacturing or assembly operations locally.

It’s not strange, as Thailand has one of the biggest economies in Southeast Asia and attracts tens of millions of travelers and workers each year.

In the past years, land prices have increased much in the greater Bangkok area. This is contrary to Japan, where land prices have fallen since the early 1990s.

With that said, acquiring land in Thailand can be a time-consuming process with many potential pitfalls. It’s crucial that you work with a reputable partner that has experience in catering to foreigners.

In this article, I explain how foreigners can buy land in Thailand and what you should pay attention to.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy land in Thailand?
  • Title Deeds Available in Thailand
  • Common pitfalls when buying land in Thailand
  • Thailand Land Prices

Can foreigners buy land in Thailand?

Foreigners are not allowed to own land in Thailand, this is a common practice in other Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

With that said, there are ways to at least control land. Let’s review the different options you have.

1. Buying Land With a Nominee

The first option is to buy land with the help of a local nominee. In short, this means that a local citizen keeps the land under his or her name. Continue reading How to Buy Land in Thailand: A Complete Guide

Buying Land in Japan: Foreign Investor’s Guide

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Do you plan to buy property in Japan?
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Japan’s land prices haven’t increased as much as in developing Asian countries in the past years. The country suffered from an economic downturn in the early 1990s and the real estate market never really recovered since.

With that said, the market has started to gain more interest and Tokyo currently has one of the most active markets, according to PwC. It’s predicted to see great rental growths as it gains interest locally and from overseas.

In this article, we focus on land investments and where I explain the basics if you plan to buy land as a foreign corporation or individual.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy land in Japan?
  • Land Prices in Japan
  • The Process When Buying Land
  • Taxes when Buying Land
  • Finding Land for Sales in Japan
  • Commercial Real Estate Agents in Japan

Can foreigners buy land in Japan?

Japan is one of a few Asian countries that allow foreigners to own land on both a freehold and leasehold basis. This comes as a surprise to many overseas investors, especially as habitable land is limited. Continue reading Buying Land in Japan: Foreign Investor’s Guide

Investing in Thailand Hotels & Resorts: A Complete Guide

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We’ve mostly talked about buying residential real estate previously, covering foreign ownership regulations, taxes, and more. In this article, we take it to another level and review how it works when buying hotels and resorts.

Buying a hotel is generally more complex as the properties are treated as businesses. As such, different regulations apply. The transaction values tend to be higher as well.

In this article, you’ll learn how it works when buying a hotel or a resort in Thailand and the regulations that apply.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy hotels in Thailand?
  • Foreign Ownership Regulations of Hotels in Thailand
  • How do I get a hotel license in Thailand?
  • Hotel Classifications in Thailand
  • Documents & Information when Buying Hotels in Thailand
  • The Best Cities to Buy Hotels in Thailand

Can foreigners buy hotels in Thailand?

Foreign individuals cannot invest in hotels as we are only allowed to own strata-title units, which are predominantly in condominium projects.

Even if we can buy residential physical structures like villas, we are not allowed to own the land on which these are built on.

Therefore, foreign corporations set up a Joint Venture (JV) with a local partner or a Thai Limited Company (LLC) to invest in hotels.

This generally requires that you apply for a Foreign Business License (FBL) if foreigners own more than 49% of the shares.

Worth mentioning is also that the Board of Investment (BOI) sometimes exempt foreigners from applying for an FBL if you invest in special projects in certain areas.

Foreign Ownership Regulations of Hotels in Thailand

It’s important that you learn about local ownership regulations and find a credible partner before you engage in the commercial real estate market. Continue reading Investing in Thailand Hotels & Resorts: A Complete Guide

Investing in Malaysia REITs: The Ultimate Guide

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Malaysia has one of the most developed REIT markets in Asia where most are centered around Kuala Lumpur.

At the moment, there are 18 REITs listed on the stock exchange in Malaysia that have attracted many local and foreign investors in the past years.

In this article, we review how you can invest in Malaysian REITs and why this type of asset has become increasingly popular. This is not only the case in Malaysia but in Thailand, Australia, and Vietnam.

Topics covered in this article:

  • Can foreigners buy REITs in Malaysia?
  • The Process to Buy REITs in Malaysia
  • What are the benefits of buying REITs in Malaysia?
  • List of REITs in Malaysia

Can foreigners buy REITs in Malaysia?

Foreigners have no particular restrictions on buying REITs or other securities in Malaysia. Continue reading Investing in Malaysia REITs: The Ultimate Guide

Investing in Japan REITs: The Ultimate Guide

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Do you plan to buy property in Japan?
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Japan introduced its REIT market in 2001 which is now the second-biggest in the world, worth around USD 120 billion.

In 2019, Japan’s REIT market reached a 12-year high but was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) REIT Index saw a decline of almost 50% as investors pulled out.

With that said, many trusts have performed well in the past years and until the beginning of 2020. As the Japan REIT market has gained increasingly more interest in previous years, I decided to write this article.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy REITs in Japan?
  • How can I invest in REITs in Japan?
  • Trading Japanese REITs Through an International Broker
  • What are the benefits of buying Japan REITs?
  • List of REITs in Japan

Can foreigners buy REITs in Japan?

Foreigners have no particular issues to invest in REITs or stocks and participate in the Japanese stock market. Continue reading Investing in Japan REITs: The Ultimate Guide

How to Buy Land in Australia: A Complete Guide

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Investing in Australian land plots is comparably easy to other Asian countries like Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Foreign investors generally only have to apply for approval to the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), but few applications have been rejected.

Worth mentioning is that your nationality and what land type you plan to buy affect the requirements. In this article, I present the key information when foreigners buy land in Australia.

Topics covered:

  • Can foreigners buy land in Australia?
  • Land Types Available to Foreigners
  • Process of Buying Land in Australia
  • Land Prices in Australia
  • Taxes

Can foreigners buy land in Australia?

Australian citizens can own land on a freehold basis, which is contrary to developing countries like Vietnam where land is controlled by the state. As such, in this article, we primarily focus on how it works when foreigners acquire land in Australia. Continue reading How to Buy Land in Australia: A Complete Guide

Dubai Real Estate Market Outlook in 2021: A Complete Overview

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 12 Comments

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Dubai is the Middle East’s equivalent to Hong Kong and relies less on oil production compared to neighboring countries. It’s been popular among overseas investors and the real estate market grew remarkably throughout the 2000s.

With that said, Dubai’s property market has not performed that well in the past years. There are plenty of reasons for this, particularly its oversupply. If you plan to buy real estate in Dubai, you must know how healthy the market is and what you can expect for the coming year.

In this article, we review how the market has behaved in previous years, present data and statistics, and share what we expect for 2021.

Topics covered:

  • Dubai’s Property Market in Previous Years
  • Dubai’s Property Market in 2020 / The COVID-19 Pandemic
  • How will Dubai’s property market perform in 2021?

Dubai’s Property Market in Previous Years

The market has been turbulent since mid-2013 and had some of its worst years from 2015 to 2016 when real estate prices declined significantly. The market was then in a recovery mode from 2017 to 2018.

Prices and rents didn’t fall as much these years compared to the previous years. For example, the average sales price decreased by around -5.6% in 2017 according to Savills, while the average rents fell by -7%. Continue reading Dubai Real Estate Market Outlook in 2021: A Complete Overview