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With the euro becoming weaker, is it the right time to buy a property in Europe?

I have been thinking about buying property in Europe for sometime. Now that the euro is becoming weaker I'm more into the idea. Where would you recommend I buy? For investment purposes and maybe summers or winters use.

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Jonathan Updyke

Everything is sales!

With the over production of the us dollar and the euro becoming weaker the real question is will the European nations ever settle on a unified monitory system (personally i doubt it will ever happen) and how long are you willing to wait for the market to go back up. Also me personally I would stick to your strengths, if you are a house flipper stick with that, if you are an investor and rent till the market is ready that would be my suggestion as the safest bet for your money. Best investment places are resort and tourist locations or just outside of those locations where people want to be but wont want to pay prime rates, also lower taxes in those locations so more profit for you. If you are looking for more information on prediction of human tendencies feel free to give me a call.

Answered over 9 years ago

Alexander Crutchfield

Clean Energy. GreenTech. Water. Agriculture.

I have been a real estate investor in the US, Europe, Latin America and Africa for many years. The first thing you learn in any new market is that education costs. Thats a cynical shorthand to explain how the first investment in a new market is usually not successful. Real Estate Laws and practices vary by country and are different from the US. Many countries lack title insurance. Few countries are what are known as record title jurisdictions. And leaving a property empty 9 months a year is a recipe for trouble.

If you want to speculate on the Euro, you can buy Euros or a Euro Contract or an ETF or open a bank account.

If you want a getaway in Europe, just buy something you can afford in a place you like. Plan to hold it for a long time. Budget at least 10% of the property value for upkeep, management, repairs and the like.

Good luck. Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to discuss this further.

Answered over 9 years ago

Todd Millar

Licensed CPA

Buying Rental property in another country is much more complicated than just waiting for the proper time to buy. The proper time to buy also does not mean when the Euro is "undervalued". This often is a sign of larger global macroeconomic trends, such as recession, or lower growth compared to other countries. The proper time to buy may be in a couple years if Europe goes into a recession. There are different regulations for landlords depending on where you buy, taxes, and market outlooks. If the Euro is getting weaker, that does not necessarily mean you will be getting a deal on property. It likely means the property will go up in price to match the inflation of the euro. There are many other factors to consider when buying the rental property. Also, the way to go international is not so much to focus on the similarities, but you really need to know the differences between countries inside and out when entering foreign markets, cultural, fiscal, and economic differences is important to understand prior to investing overseas. I do not specialize in international real estate investing, so honestly I am probably not worth a call. Although, to put it in prospective, I would say, what would be the differences you would look at between investing in real estate in NYC, SF, Alabama, and Minnesota? There are significant differences in each state and city, and same goes for different continents and different countries.

Answered almost 6 years ago