Buying Property in Vung Tau (Ba Ria): A Foreigner’s Guide

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Despite being in the shadow of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau is the preferable weekend gateway for expats, locals, and travelers alike who reside in Southern Vietnam, especially Ho Chi Minh City.

With improved infrastructure and connectivity, you can reach this harmonious island within 2-3 hours. With a long shoreline, there are a number of condos and condotels that pop up here and there, attracting the attention of property buyers.

In this article, I explain the basics you need to know if you’re interested in buying property in Vung Tau.

Can foreigners buy property in Vung Tau?

The same as it goes in other parts of Vietnam, you’re legally allowed to buy and own condo units in your own name. There’s no restriction on the number of units you can buy, but foreigners can own a maximum of 30% of the units in a condo building.

It’s important that you confirm with your agent or developer and assure that the quota hasn’t been filled.

Buying villas is also a popular option, where you can lease the land for a period of up to 50 years, even if the government has talked about increasing the term to 99 years. In general, the regulations to foreign ownership are going in the right direction.

If you buy a villa, 250 can be owned by foreigners in a given ward. This was not the case before 2015 when the Vietnamese relaxed the regulations to foreign ownership.

Why is Vung Tau interesting for property purchases?

Vung Tau is not a sleepy backwater, but actually a city with hundreds of cafés and restaurants, many decide to settle down here for a long time.

Continue reading Buying Property in Vung Tau (Ba Ria): A Foreigner’s Guide

Top 4 Real Estate Websites in Thailand

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Do you plan to buy property in Thailand?
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Thailand has been a hot-spot among foreign property buyers for decades back, but the market really took off around 2010. Since then, we have seen various real estate websites popping up, trying to attract local and foreign buyers alike.

Being one of the most popular markets in Asia, it would be an understatement to say that the competition for real estate leads is high in Thailand. Even if places like Vietnam become interesting among investors, Thailand will remain as a prime location with more options.

In this article, we review the four top real estate websites in Thailand and what sets these apart. Let’s start with the biggest one.

1. Dot Property & Thailand-Property

Dot Property and Thailand-Property are two of the biggest real estate websites in Thailand owned by Dot Property Group. Continue reading Top 4 Real Estate Websites in Thailand

Buying Property in Cambodia: The Definitive Guide

Posted on by Marcus Sohlberg — 10 Comments

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

Do you plan to buy property in Cambodia?
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Cambodia is one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and novice investors with some risk appetite have made great gains here in the past decade.

It’s also the last frontier country in Southeast Asia where it’s comparatively easy to start a business.

With that said, being a developing country, things are done differently compared to what many foreigners are used to.

Before you engage in Cambodia’s property market, it’s important that you learn about ownership regulations, property options available, where you should buy property, and more.

In this article, we review the following topics:

Continue reading Buying Property in Cambodia: The Definitive Guide

Thailand Property Prices: An Overview

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Thailand is one of the most visited countries in the world that relies much on foreign investors. The country was affected badly, to say the least as COVID-19 spread over the world and reduced investments to a minimum.

It’s not easy to discuss future outcomes or current prices when the market is turbulent and behave abnormally. With that said, we have collected data and information to understand how the Thai real estate market has been affected, reviewing real estate prices in different cities and islands.

In this article, we analyze the top investment destinations among foreigners, including Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, and Pattaya. If you have any questions or valuable information you would like to share, feel free to write a comment below.

Bangkok

Bangkok’s real estate market has been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic and new supply was down more than 73% in Q2 2020 compared to the previous year.

Saying that both the tourism industry industries have been heavily disrupted would be an understatement. The demand and supply have decreased tremendously and around 100,000 units were unsold in May 2020, according to Knight Frank Thailand. Continue reading Thailand Property Prices: An Overview

Investing in Australia Commercial Property: A Complete Guide

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Australia is popular among commercial property investors who look for a politically stable country with a strong economy in the Asia Pacific.

With a growing population, especially in the bigger cities, we’ll see a greater demand for commercial property here in the future.

Commercial property can give you high returns, but is rarely talked about compared to residential property. In fact, commercial property generally gives you a return of 5% – 12%, while residential property averages at around 3% – 4% in Australia.

In this guide, you’ll learn how you can invest in commercial property in Australia as a foreigner, where to invest, how high the taxes are, and more.

Can foreigners buy commercial property in Australia?

Foreigners generally don’t have any issues to invest in commercial property. However, you sometimes need approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

Continue reading Investing in Australia Commercial Property: A Complete Guide

Best Areas to Buy Property in Bangkok

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Bangkok is the most visited city in the world and attracted as many as 22.7 million travelers in 2019. Foreign investors have poured, particularly from countries and regions like Hong Kong, mainland China, and Singapore, driving up prices.

If you have visited Bangkok a few times and aren’t sure about where you should buy real estate, you have come to the right place. In this article, we list the neighborhoods, the most interesting areas to buy, and finally, explain briefly about the most luxurious areas. Continue reading Best Areas to Buy Property in Bangkok

How to Buy Hotels in Korea: An Overview

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The hotel industry has grown much in Korea in the past years mainly thanks to increasingly more tourists from China, but also Vietnam, Japan, and other regional countries.

Plenty of international hotel operators have opened new hotels in cities like Seoul and Busan and companies like Marriott are bullish on the market. Domestic traveling grows here as well, especially among young Koreans, that have a strong purchasing power.

With a promising economy and growing population, experts predict that the economy will perform well in the coming years.

However, investing in Korea hotels can seem like a challenging task with foreign eyes and requires that you do due diligence and work with a credible partner.

In this article, we review the following topics:

  • Can foreigners buy hotels in Korea?
  • The Hotel Market in Korea
  • Best Cities for Hotel Investments in Korea
  • How can I find hotels for sale in Korea?
  • How much do I have to pay my real estate agent?
  • What are the biggest hotel operators in Korea?

Can foreigners buy hotels in Korea?

Korea brings similarities to Japan where property ownership regulations are practically identical between foreigners and locals. Yet, both countries are renowned for exerting a high level of bureaucracy. Continue reading How to Buy Hotels in Korea: An Overview

Investing in China Commercial Property: Complete Guide

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Do you plan to buy property in China?
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China’s residential property market has been in limbo in the past years, at the same time, we’ve seen increased activity in its commercial property market.

With that said, China faces many issues due to a weakening economy that relies heavily on real estate, demographic challenges, and an escalating trade war with the US.

Besides, it’s not the easiest place to acquire property as a foreigner due to strict foreign ownership regulations.

In this article, we review the following topics:

  • Can foreigners buy commercial property in China?
  • The Commercial Property Market in China
  • Best Cities to Buy Commercial Property in China
  • Commercial Property Taxes

Can foreigners buy commercial property in China?

This is not a yes or no question, as it depends if you buy as a private investor or through a local company. Let’s review both options to see what kind of property that foreigners can get hold of in China.

Individual Investors

China is one of the least preferred destinations among private individuals who wish to capitalize on growing real estate markets in Asia. Most buyers of residential property buy for personal reasons.

Truth be told, China has one of the most overvalued markets in the world, low rental yields, and comparably strict foreign ownership regulations. For example, you must live there for at least one year before you can buy one residential unit.

Yes, you heard that right – one unit.

On top of that, you’re not allowed to own land like in Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Continue reading Investing in China Commercial Property: Complete Guide

Buying Hotels in Japan: The Ultimate Guide

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Do you plan to buy property in Japan?
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Japan is one of the most visited countries in Asia and its tourism industry has seen a great upswing in the past years.

The major cities will see a large supply of new units in the coming years, an interesting trend is that the demand for nights at 4-5 star hotels increase much.

Investing in Japan real estate is straight-forward compared to other regional countries, including Thailand, China, and Vietnam, just to mention a few.

Yet, the country is also well-known for being bureaucratic which can understandably make some investors frustrated.

In this article, we review the following topics:

  • Can foreigners buy hotels in Japan?
  • Licenses Needed to Operate a Hotel
  • Hotel Business Permits (The Hotel Business Act)
  • Buying Japanese Hotels through a Company
  • Japan’s Hotel Market
  • Best Cities for Hotel Investments in Japan
  • Commercial Property Agents in Japan

Can foreigners buy hotels in Japan?

Japan has transparent and preferable property ownership rules, foreigners generally don’t have any issues to acquire hotels and resorts. Continue reading Buying Hotels in Japan: The Ultimate Guide

Investing in Korea Commercial Property: Foreign Buyer’s Guide

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Do you plan to buy property in Korea?
Click here to get in touch with an experienced agent

Korea’s residential and commercial property markets have seen much investment recently. Locals have started to complain about rising prices and the government imposes higher taxes to cool down the market.

Cities like Seoul attracts many investors thanks to preferable ownership regulations, having a strong economy, and a bright future outlook.

We see large foreign corporations such as WeWork and Marriott expanding quickly in Korea, trying to grasp market shares.

Yet, before you invest in commercial property here, you must get your feet wet and learn about the market and local regulations first.

In this article, we review the following:

  • Can foreigners buy commercial property in Korea?
  • Buying Property through Companies and Trusts
  • Korea’s Commercial Property Market
  • Hotels
  • Office Space
  • Retail Property
  • Industrial Real Estate and Warehouses
  • Car Parks
  • Best Cities to Buy Commercial Property in Korea
  • Commercial Property Taxes

Can foreigners buy commercial property in Korea?

Foreigners don’t have any particular issues to buy residential or commercial property in Korea. With that said, there are three laws you need to comply with:

Continue reading Investing in Korea Commercial Property: Foreign Buyer’s Guide