Which Country?

[infoberlin]

Hi
Rules of thumb:
Avoid those "weirdoo" places which are too distant from Western culture
Avoid leasehold
Avoid rental pools (they take the largest part of your yield and if they go bust - which they do - you are really stuck)
In my opinion, Berlin is the bet because of good prospects of capital appreciation and good rental yield.

If you want to know more, please get in touch

Thanks and good luck.

[Investy]

Originally Posted by Chavo

Could anyone give me some general info on Germany and investment options?

Germany is one of my investment arenas.

Stick to Berlin, dont be beguilled by £5,000 property in the sticks - a lot of empty property features here and ongoing costs / disputes are a feature of such property.

I have 3 ways that I have entered the market:

1) Buying cheap land in Berlin - pretty much hassle free but I dont expect capital growth to take - off for at least 3 years but when it does it should be robust (UK land investmnets produce a lot more capital growth in the last 15 years than say a flat bought for the same price in 1992).
Germans will tell you land isnt worth buying. Most Londoners thought the same after our crash just as 99.9% of Uk lenders in 1992 told me B2L mortgage would never come - they used to laugh at my enquiries!
This is the thing about a recession - when it comes only a tiny minority of people can see round bends.


2) Buying repossesed but nice condition flats for about £20000 that yield about 5% (forget 10% - this is not true)

3) Buying shares in UK funds that target German property. For my money the best of these are the 2 funds with DAWNAYDAY, the TREVERIA FUND and the Sirius Fund. Hassle free growth and income from a reputable AIM traded group.


Your other option is to buy a more central appartment for £60000 or so in areas such as Freiderickshaine or Prentz LauerBerg (which I cant spell).
Be careful as some apprtments are incredibly small - I was shocked by this.

[John Mclane]

Poland is the best. It will be the next Ireland

[JudithA]

Huge growth and now and expanding airline network. Wait till the low costs links hook up europe with USA then SA. Goldmine.

And's it beautiful (like me)

ja

[newguest]

Hello rjbevan,

Take a look at the article published on the global property guide web site on rental yields which I think you will find useful in deciding where to invest. The article is titled: "London and Monaco are Europe’s most expensive cities for residential property buyers" (I am not allowed to post a link).

It ranks many european cities for capital cost & rental yield, and indicates that eastern european countries have low priced property capable of producing a good yield. The article is a little out of date but indicates yields of 10% or more are realistic in the right location.

[JudithA]

hey thanks,

I did find a nice site for co-buying, the co-buyers network which I'm going to investigate. Monaco is about out my range, but maybe Morocco while getting myself a nice fez. Any one else bought there, or co-bought there?

Thanks all..

Jude

[Investy]

Judith

Morocco for me, Germany in second place. 3 hours flight, huge sandy beaches - this is so important as I find most Med beaches are too crowded and getting worse.

Morocco's touristic plan began in 1999 and is very sophisticated and well thought out. It specifically set out to avoid the unplanned free for all seen in Spain, Turkey et al.

Furthermore the whole market is being positioned at the middle -upper classes which is a highly unusual feature.

I prefer the Med resorts as opposed to the chilly sea, windy Atlantic Ocean based areas.

There are many classy very large resorts being built. The 6 Government backed sites are known as Plan Azure and Saidia is the biggest of these and where I invested.
Written into the constitution of these sites is something very special; Clause to ensure the sites are 'year round'. This year round rental potential was VERY attractive and highly unsusual.

Lastly the level and extent of onsite facilities are immense, unlike anything Ive come accross elsewhere, so the reasons to holiday here year round are many and very compelling.
Try and buy with the 3 magic ingredients onsite - beach, golf, marina as this will set you apart for most other developments right accross Europe.

[teepeeseller]

Originally Posted by Investy

Germany is one of my investment arenas.

Stick to Berlin, dont be beguilled by £5,000 property in the sticks - a lot of empty property features here and ongoing costs / disputes are a feature of such property.

I have 3 ways that I have entered the market:

1) Buying cheap land in Berlin - pretty much hassle free but I dont expect capital growth to take - off for at least 3 years but when it does it should be robust (UK land investmnets produce a lot more capital growth in the last 15 years than say a flat bought for the same price in 1992).
Germans will tell you land isnt worth buying. Most Londoners thought the same after our crash just as 99.9% of Uk lenders in 1992 told me B2L mortgage would never come - they used to laugh at my enquiries!
This is the thing about a recession - when it comes only a tiny minority of people can see round bends.


2) Buying repossesed but nice condition flats for about £20000 that yield about 5% (forget 10% - this is not true)

3) Buying shares in UK funds that target German property. For my money the best of these are the 2 funds with DAWNAYDAY, the TREVERIA FUND and the Sirius Fund. Hassle free growth and income from a reputable AIM traded group.


Your other option is to buy a more central appartment for £60000 or so in areas such as Freiderickshaine or Prentz LauerBerg (which I cant spell).
Be careful as some apprtments are incredibly small - I was shocked by this.

Investy,
Your "ADVICE" to ignore other German areas in favour of Berlin is not altogether borne out of altruistic intentions, is it?

I too run a company buying/selling/investing in Germany and whilst I would not rule out buying in Berlin (prices good, lifestyle better) It is really irresponsible and self serving of you to rule out the half a dozen (at least) other cities/areas which present as good if not better opportunities than Berlin. To name a few - Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Dresden, Leipzig.
If you're going to come on here to sell the hell out your own properties at least have the decency to announce it as such. Hardly impartial advice you're offering.

Having got this off my chest. I agree with most of the non "repo" like info you pass on to others and enjoy reading your posts. A mild rebuke only my friend.

On the other hand I will tout my properties unashamedly and proudly. Anyone interested in purchasing in Germany. I'd be willing to help., unfortunatley not for altruistic reasons but for commercial reasons.

[joshteo]

Hi,
Ever thought in Romania or even philippines or somewhere in South East Asia.I am a foreigner working for a real estate company here in Romania i may be able to help you out here if you share with me what you are looking at.

Cheers,
Joshua

[Mikeyv]

If you are to Invest in Thailand have you looked at Chang Gardens they offer guaranteed rental income of 10% and prices start from 22k that is near Patthaya and you will have good capital growth aswell.