Global Realty News | International Real Estate News, World Events & Market Information » Education

Tips for Buying Property Abroad

Brian Kinkade — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:16:14 +0000

No matter how appealing a Tuscan villa or English cottage may be, purchasing property in another country needs to be fueled by wise decision making, not impulse buying. You can help your clients turn purchases into a great deal with 12 basic tips offered by Property Investment. Key tips include:

Never sign a contract that you do not understand. (For example, contracts written in a foreign language).
Always get advice from independent specialists who are proficient in the chosen country’s laws, processes and specifics of buying property there.
Ensure you do not inherit a debt on the property before you purchase
Always give yourself a cooling off period if you see a must-have property and are tempted to put down a deposit right then.
Arrange your mortgage in the currency that you earn in where possible, unless you are going to receive rental income from that property in the local currency.

Help your international property clients by giving them a list of these tips, customized with your company logo and details about your international real estate service offerings.

Enrich Your International Presence with Google Translation Widget

Brian Kinkade — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:22:24 +0000

With the Google translation widget, International REALTOR® Members of the National Association of Realtors can add an international element to their online presence. NAR has put the Google translation widget at the launch page for International REALTOR® Members. The free widget translates the initial web page on which it sits into more than 30 languages. It also translates linked pages and subsequent linked pages and so on down the line. Although electronic translation is not perfect, it continues to improve. Most find the Google tool to be more than sufficient in terms of web site communications.

Know Cultural Correctness in Ethnic Markets

Brian Kinkade — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:17:01 +0000

Tapping into a growing ethnic market for real estate clients, such as Indian Americans, requires familiarity with the culture of their native country, reports CIO. The Indian American population grew 53 percent to 2.6 million in the seven-year span from 2000 to 2007 and is the fastest growing Asian American community. It is the third largest Asian American ethic group, after Chinese and Filipino Americans. Many of the cultural norms of India are widely practiced by Indian Americans. Realtors® who want to work with ethnic groups will benefit from understanding these norms. Examples include:

Don’t assume you can use a person’s first name; it may be considered rude.
Don’t refuse hospitality.
Don’t expect people to disagree. Indians generally agree to all that you say, so dig deeper to ke sure you are understood and that what you are asking is doable.
If you see shoes near the door, assume you should take yours off.
Don’t be offended by debate. Indians like to argue and debate every small point in any topic or conversation.

For more information about best practices of International real estate we invite you to visit our Denver luxury real estate website.

Ask International Clients Open-Ended Questions

Brian Kinkade — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:22:11 +0000

The tendency of clients and customers who are not fluent in English is to answer questions with a simple “yes” and “no.” Thinking that you understand the answer can lead to possible misunderstandings and failure to close a deal. To ensure thorough communication, Executive Planet advises, make your questions open-ended. For example, ask “Can you tell me what you like or don’t like about this property?” If the client or customer isn’t able to respond fully, you know you need to probe further, and/or get assistance from a translator.

For more information about working with real estate agents with experience and training geared towards working with International buyers and investors, I invite you to visit this Denver luxury real estate website.

FIABCI-USA Fall Business Conference, Denver Colorado

Brian Kinkade — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:00:30 +0000

Don’t miss the FIABCI-Fall conference coming to Denver, September 11-13, 2009. The event is to be held at the Downtown Denver Ritz-Carlton.

FIABCI aims to bring you into the fold of a family of people, all embracing cultural diversity, united in one common goal: to erase the borders in international real estate and provide the world with a team of experts ready to meet their property needs.

Visit the FIABCI-USA website for more information.