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How Law Changes Have Drawn in More Foreign Real Estate Investors

by Nadine Davis ~ Thanks mostly to new laws regarding the foreign ownership of land in Australia, there are more offshore investors in Queensland property than ever before. The Foreign Investment Review Board changed laws concerning foreign ownership in late 2008. Before that, offshore investors could only own up to 50% of any Australian property. Under the new laws, full foreign ownership in brand new residential construction is now permitted.

The Allure of Australian Real Estate:

Although the pace has picked up significantly in recent years, foreign investors have long been enamoured of the Australian real estate market. Indeed, buyers agents Brisbane are regularly hired by investors from Russia, China, Malaysia, South Africa and other far-flung places. Along with the assistance of a buyers agent, investors like these are able to make extraordinary money from well-chosen investments in property in Qld - especially in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. With full ownership now possible, it's clear that foreign investments in Australian property are only going to escalate.

Who's Doing the Investing?

There are two main players when it comes to offshore investing in Australian property: Russia and China. The Chinese invested approximately $22.76 million in the last year alone; Russians invested approximately $22.7m themselves. Since it's only been a little more than a year since the new laws went into effect, it is quite likely that these numbers are only going to grow going forward. It's easy to see that the Russian, Chinese and many others are experiencing very favorable outcomes from their investment in Australian property.

The Chinese have been investing in Australian property for quite some time. and continue to be the biggest foreign buyers of property in the country. Russia is quickly catching up, though, as its economy and changing demographics prompt more and more of its citizens to get into the real estate market. Success in the mining and oil industries has armed many Russians with the means to invest seriously in real estate - and Australia is a natural choice. Furthermore, a growing middle class in Russia means that there are more people with expendable income than ever in that country.

The Dubai Connection:

In addition to the changing laws in Australia, developments in Dubai have also played a role in the increasing popularity of offshore investing in Australian property. The real estate market in Dubai collapsed, leaving many investors high and dry - and scrambling for new, more reliable opportunities. For many of them, Australia was a natural choice. Close on the heels of the Dubai real estate market crash, Australian rules and laws changed, opening up the playing field to more foreign investors. All of these converging factors have created key opportunities for offshore investors in the Australian real estate market.

About the Author

There's no doubt that Buyers Agents Brisbane assist local residents with property investment. Did you realise, that it's very common for a foreign investor to hire a Buyers Agent Brisbane like Hot Property Specialists www.hotpropertyspecialists.com.au/ to assist in the purchase of their investment?

The Asian Development Bank launched a $9 billion solar power initiative to develop projects generating 3,000 megawatts by 2012.

The announcement, which came at the regional lending agency's annual meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, said that Central Asian countries would be prime candidates for siting the projects.

"Given Central Asia's growing demand for electricity, the availability of desert land for large- scale solar energy development, and their stated commitment to offset high carbon emissions, several countries in the region are excellent candidates for ADB support through this initiative," ADB managing director general Rajat Nag said.

The development bank will provide $2.25 billion in direct financing, expecting to leverage another $6.75 billion in private financing for the projects. It will experiment with other methods to attract private-sector investment, such as soliciting $500 million from donor countries to "buy down" some of the up-front capital costs in solar power projects.

"With energy demand projected to almost double in the Asia and Pacific region by 2030, there is an urgent need for innovative ways to generate power while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Nag said. "Sustainable solar energy can be the clean power of the future if there are appropriate incentive and financing mechanisms in place."

The initiative also includes a Solar Energy Forum to function as a knowledge-sharing platform. This forum will hold a conference in July in Manila, the headquarters of the ADB.

National Bank of Abu Dhabi Added to Sponsor Roster for Next Week's Latin America Mid-East Investors Forum in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, April 21, 2010 - The National Bank of Abu Dhabi is the newest sponsor of next week's Latin America Mid-East Investors Forum, a move that reinforces the growing bond between Latin America and the Middle East in a number of areas including agribusiness, real estate, infrastructure, oil, renewables and more.

The Forum takes place this coming Monday and Tuesday, April 26th and 27th, at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi, and features senior-level executives from Latin America's corporate and investment community, as well as public sector leaders such as the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the head of Public Credit for the Republic of Mexico.

Registration to the forum is nearly full, with a few seats left for qualified institutional investors representing SWFs, family offices, asset managers, private equity and direct investors, and high-net worth retail investors. Registration for these delegates is free of charge and must be confirmed before the event starts.

Press is also invited to attend and cover the event at no cost. Visit www.latinfinance.com/la-meif or contact Alex Rubin on
arubin@latinfinance.com, +1-305-357-4216, to register.

When you want to invest in the Cayman Islands, the place that you should be contacting is the Chamber of Commerce, as this is the best center to get any kind of business related information. This island has been a favorite spot for most business ventures for a long time now, since it has many potentials for investing in a Cayman Company.

There are many options to choose from in the Caymans, whether you want to invest in real estate, mutual funds or perhaps a business partnership, as any investments done on this island would be a lucrative venture. It is said, that investments flourish on this island simply because of the expansion in the population and the tourism industry.

In addition, there are also some key factors such as:

The stability in the government; the strong economic climate based on tourism; the intercontinental banking options and also the cutting edge national infrastructure.

The fact that investors would not have to pay the local taxation, such as capital gains, non-resident tax, income tax or any other comparable taxes that you will find in Cayman.

There are absolutely no restrictions on investors in regards to purchases.

There is maximum privacy and the investors don't have to worry about reporting earnings or ownerships to the government agencies.

Socially responsible investing (SRI) also sometimes referred to as sustainable investing or ethical investing, is the practice of making investment decisions based not solely on financial consideration but with a social consciousness at work. SRI looks at ethical, environmental and social concerns. SRI is not a new strategy, in fact people have been doing it for years and anyone who has been looking into opportunities lately will see an abundance of different projects.

There is little doubt that we face major global challenges in the decades ahead - global warming, burgeoning demand for resources, transport congestion, trading imbalances, an expanding global population and so on - but these challenges present equally major opportunities for those companies that have the foresight and capability to deliver solutions to these challenges.

In order to make the best picks for the companies you choose to invest your green stocks in, you need to be knowledgeable about the companies and to do thorough research. This can be incredibly time consuming in order the find the right investment.

The key factor which determines whether an investment is a fair deal is the risk vs the reward element. Don't be blinded by emotion, or sucked in by sales tactics talking about "potential" or "position" or "future growth"... Unless you can quantify the investment's potential to make money BEFORE you commit, you're leaving your chances of success up to chance.

Fair Deal Investments (FDI) has built a reputation of only recommending secure investment opportunities that have passed rigorous due diligence procedures and moreover, have a real chance to provide investors with a higher than average return on their investment whilst carrying a low risk factor.

For more information on FDI and their latest recommendations please visit www.fairdealinvestments.co.uk

Uruguay is a place that people fall in love with. The extensive, untouched beaches, old-world charm of capital Montevideo, and warm Uruguayan attitudes towards foreigners all play their part. In fact the most trouble tourists have in Uruguay is when trying to leave!

But there's something else which is attracting alarming numbers of visitors. Uruguay real estate. To Europeans and Westerners Uruguay real estate is looking so attractive that it's even getting the Uruguyans worried.

The problem is, Uruguay house prices refuse to fall. Why is it that when real estate has been dropping like a stone in the US, Uruguay has carried on as if the financial crisis had never happened?

Low base prices - Uruguay had its own fiscal crisis in 2002, the effects of which have knocked real estate values down to what others might consider ''unnaturally low'' levels.

Low carrying costs - It's very hard to get financing in Uruguay - but the lack of debt and low insurance (from low debt and infrequent incidence of natural disasters) keep house prices down.

Low Taxes - Uruguay taxes are comparatively low, and, best of all from an expat view, you only pay tax on income derived in Uruguay,

Liberal laws toward foreign ownership - this has made it a haven of sorts for Brazilians looking for a safe place to park cash and Argentines looking for anywhere to hide funds outside the clutches of a government that appears to be in trouble. In fact, the Uruguayan government even offers fast-track citizenship for foreigners that purchase real estate over a certain value.

All these factors mean that property prices continue to grow across the spectrum in Uruguay. From, campos (large traditional farms) to chacras (cottages with 10-15 acres of land) to city centre apartments, prices remain level or rising. Increasingly, foreigners are getting in while prices remain affordable. It's still possible to get a city centre apartment (or even a small house) for around $30,000 dollars. You don't have to pay with Uruguyan currency, in fact native Uruguyans use dollars far more frequently than pesos when buying property.

That said, investors looking to make millions should look elsewhere. The most meteoric growth has been seen in the coastal ''balnearios'' and holiday towns like Piriapolis and Punta Del Este - growth fed by mostly by Uruguay's neighbours. Argentinians combine both a holiday house and a ''safe'' investment when they buy into Uruguay real esate. But in the capital Montevideo, prices have risen more steadily than dramatically.

Compared to most developed countries, Uruguay is manna from heaven. For a stable property investment, in a country where friendliness and good weather come as standard, Uruguay's hard to beat.

Get the inside scoop on uruguay real estate. Beautiful houses at the best prices. Find the latest news on property purchases and rentals in the real estate section of Uruguay's only English news digest.

By Jim Pickard

The arrival of real estate investment trusts (Reit) in the UK has prompted the biggest shake-up in the commercial property market for years. But Michael Marx, co-managing director of Development Securities, is non-plussed. "It hasn't changed anything for us," he comments. "What has changed? Nothing has changed."

Since the turn of the millennium, real estate has become one of the fastest growing investment sectors, not just in the United States but globally as well. The gospel of property investing has penetrated every corner of the world from mature economies to developing countries -- a result of the revolution in real estate investment vehicles created over the past two decades to meet investor demand.

Looking at Real Estate companies in the UK that are registered for REIT's combined with using you person ISA allowance in the UK make the option worth a second look.

REITs do not have to pay corporation tax or capital gains tax. Investors in REITs will still have to pay tax on dividends however taxpayers can avoid paying tax on dividends simply by placing their REIT within an ISA.

One in four baby boomers are discovering the long-term benefits of property investment and they are seeing a significant return for their diligent investment efforts. Puerto Vallarta real estate is being positioned as the next property hotspot for baby boomer investments.

If you're a baby boomer interested in property investments the beachfront property of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is more popular than ever prompting real estate experts to pull the trigger on advising investment due to Puerto Vallarta's pristine coastline, mild climate and desirable property locations.