Investing in Property Abroad - A look at overseas investment property

With this article we take a look at the overseas property investment market. What represents a hot destination with regards to investing in overseas property.

With globalization and liberalization at their zenith, the world is witnessing a rapid transformation towards a global village. The trend of 'think global, act local' (glocal) is also catching up pretty fast, whereby, the big and small business houses are increasingly looking to expand to offshore locations. The bringing together of all the nations closer has an interesting fallout. Now, no country seems far off in terms of investment or tourism purposes. With the prices of services crashing due to increased global competition in almost every country, investing in property abroad has suddenly assumed much more importance in the portfolio of the small time property investor.

Why Invest in Property Abroad?

The past decade has witnessed a paradigm shift in terms of the way people view the investment opportunities abroad. The opening up of international markets has a major role to play in this surge of demand for the overseas property market. Businesses are on an expansion spree, and the developing economies are welcoming the financial conglomerates with open arms. Globalisation has also led to a major increase in the spending capacities of the average man in the street, which in turn, means lots of disposable income and limited local resources to invest in. Resultantly, there is a clamor for investment in property abroad.

The reasons for investing in property abroad vary from individual to individual. But the bottom line is that everyone prefers real estate property investment overseas due to it being a relatively safer option to channelise the surplus funds nowadays. Most developing countries are witnessing a property boom and judging by the long-term policies of governments and the predictions by financial experts, the real estate sector is one of the safest bets to invest your money in.

Here are some of the factors that contribute to the surging demand of property for overseas investment.

The availability of credit options has opened up a world of opportunities for the overseas investors. The financial institutions have been offering attractive products to lend the required finance for investors, since the property mortgage is mostly dealt as a secured loan and much safer bet for the defaulters-wary banks and financial institutions.

The lure of an improved retired life in a country that offers much better standards of living is too good to resist. Finance is not much of a problem for this segment of investors.

Tourists are now seeking holiday homes in places where they enjoy the most. Again, the availability of easy finance has given them the opportunity to realize their dreams at much faster rate.

Most of the developing countries are offering a greater probability of capital appreciation for investing in real estate. As the development cycle is in its nascent stage, the property investment can translate into a windfall for the prospective investors.

There is a trend on moving to safer destinations abroad than suffering from the constant threat of terrorism and extremism. The lure of safer pastures and an easier less stressfull lifestyle has also contributed to the demand for overseas property.

The rising property rates will, more often than not, translate into rising rental values. The lure of good regular income from renting out the property abroad is also contributing to the surging demand for property investment overseas.

Current Hot Property Investment Destinations Abroad

Among major property investment destinations, countries like Spain, Italy, France, and Greece have always maintained a higher ranking among potential property investors. However, with the growing economies of developing nations and the dearth of supply of quality property in the developed countries, the countries of Eastern Europe have emerged as the dark horse in the race for grabbing a piece of the global real estate pie.

Bulgaria is attracting the maximum value for money being invested in real estate within the country. The Bulgarian landscape is rich in natural features like pristine sandy beaches along the Black Sea, wild mountain ranges, lush green hills, fertile plains with scented rose fields, richly colored orchards and sun drenched vine-yards, rivers, magnificent gorges, health spas and natural springs. The weather, comprising of four distinct seasons has also contributed towards the popularity of Bulgarian charm. The recent EU membership has catapulted the status of Bulgaria to newer heights and there has been a constant demand for Bulgarian property from around the world.

Croatia is another country of Eastern Europe that is poised for major gains as a result of its pending EU membership. The country has over 6000 km of vast coastline. Croatia is just waiting for the investors to pour money in its largely untapped tourism sector. Considering the immense potential the country has for the real estate investor, the Croatian property market is offering up property for grabs for peanuts considering the skyrocketing prices in other European nations.

Already a member of EU, Hungary poses a major challenge to the other established real estate giant countries. The economy of the country has seen tremendous gains from its EU membership and generous grants received from one of the richest Unions in the world. The rental property market in Hungary currently offers the best investment deal in terms of capital appreciation.

Estonia and Latvia are the other major East European nations that are emerging as the next destination for the budding real estate investors of the UK and other European countries. These countries are member nations of the EU and have elaborate expansion plans for their economies.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Property Abroad's directory Les Calvert writes interesting and useful articles on all subjects dealing with investment property Abroad and overseas mortgages. With over 400 company websites selling and renting property in almost every country around the world Les is well placed too ffer advice on existing and emerging property locations. Visit their sister website dedicated to overseas investment property

Tip: Ask a local foreign property manager for real estates in lübeck, northern germany: Wachholz Immobilien Luebeck.

Understanding Health Insurance - Part 2

Medical specialists can be a godsend, especially in particular medical emergencies. Imagine knowing that a specialist could provide exceptional care for your particular medical condition. Now imagine that your insurance carrier does not allow you to see any specialists outside of their approved list.

Medical specialists can be a godsend, especially in particular medical emergencies. Imagine knowing that a specialist could provide exceptional care for your particular medical condition. Now imagine that your insurance carrier does not allow you to see any specialists outside of their approved list. Would you be upset? I certainly would be. This very same situation happens to people everyday who tried to cut corners on their insurance premiums in order to save a measly 10-15%. When they finally need to file for a major health condition, they are stuck visiting doctors who must be on the carriers "approved" list.

If your current health insurance provider severely limits your decision-making ability when it comes to seeing a specialist or even family doctors you might prefer over others, you should purchase an additional Major Medical policy that allows you the freedom to go wherever you wish. If you ever encounter the above described scenario and you are not happy with the "approved" doctors you are referred to, simply go see the doctor of your choice since you are covered under the additional policy. To offset the cost of purchasing an additional policy for this unique situation, you can choose a much higher deductible on the second policy.

Do you travel a lot? Do you live in different states or perhaps different countries at different times of the year? If so, you should make sure your insurance policy covers you wherever you are. If your policy does not cover you for worldwide, non-emergency medical attention, you can purchase an additional policy that will. If it is expensive, choose a higher deductible. And should you decide to purchase an additional policy for travel or international living, purchase your policy limits accordingly to the amount of time you intend to stay at each location.

The last thing to consider when choosing a health insurance policy is whether or not the insurance provider has paperless claim submission. Although a minor detail, paperless claims can provide you with significant convenience after you experience extensive medical attention. Consider it the icing on the cake for a good insurance policy. After all, who wants to spend hours and hours filling out paperwork to file a claim? If you've just experienced major medical attention such as a surgical procedure, filing out paperwork is the last thing you want to worry about.

If you are married and you provide health insurance for the both of you through your employer, there's no need to purchase additional health insurance for your spouse unless its coverage falls outside of your current policy limits. "Double coverage" is a waste of money since you cannot collect twice on the same claim. This recommendation does not apply to a Major Medical policy if purchased to extend coverage or allow for greater flexibility as mentioned elsewhere in this article.

Choosing insurance coverage for your children should be based on the criteria mentioned earlier in this article and not by cost of coverage. When it comes to your children, don't cut corners on health insurance unless you simply cannot afford it. If both parents can provide it through their respective employer, choose the insurance policy that allows for the most flexibility on the areas listed above, and then use cost as a final determining factor if you need to.

Health insurance typically comes in two forms: individual or family, and family could be a single parent with one child or a married couple with ten children. The insurance companies do not further define the definition of family other than a minimum of two individuals. As a single parent or a small family, this means you are paying premiums equal to a large family. The simple solution for a single parent is to take the policy provided by their employer but for a single individual. Since your employer is paying part of the cost, this should be on the "less expensive" side of health insurance coverage. When it comes to your children's health insurance, purchase an individual policy for each child. Again, don't cut corners when it comes to your children's health insurance. Choose a policy that affords the greatest flexibility in the areas mentioned throughout this article while still being affordable cost-wise.

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Understanding Health Insurance - Part 1

What exactly is health insurance and why do you need it? This two-part article series will discuss the many factors you should consider when choosing a health insurance provider.

Health insurance helps reduce medical costs (major and minor) in the event you or a loved one needs some form of medical assistance. Managing your potential risk for major medical expenses includes two things: a solid health insurance program and good self-care. While self-care is free, health insurance is definitely not. Health insurance can be purchased by the individual, provided by an employer, or can be provided through the government. This article will discuss some of the many variables you should take into consideration when deciding between health insurance programs.

Coverage Limits - There are two limits that must be noted when selecting an insurance program: coverage per year and coverage per lifetime. Coverage per year is the maximum your insurance company will pay-out for any single illness or injury. Did you get into a major auto accident this year? If your coverage per year limit was one million dollars, then the insurance company would pay up to one million dollars for your auto accident medical bills. Next year you get diagnosed with a curable disease and the new limit is again one million dollars because the events occurred in different years. Coverage per lifetime means exactly what it says: your limits are depleted as time goes by and you accrue medical bills. On a long enough time line, the lifetime limit will be reached while the coverage per year limit will be reset at the beginning of each year.

Out of Pocket Expenses - This is where co-payment comes into play. To limit your out of pocket expenses, you could select a very low co-payment so that whenever you visit a doctor or the emergency room, you will pay a flat-rate fee, such as $20 per visit. Or, you could choose a % split between you and the insurance company such as a 20/80 split. This means the insurance company will cover 80% of your medical bills while you are responsible for the remaining 20%. While the percentage split may not sound bad, it can get quite expensive if you have the need for major medical assistance such as a surgical procedure that could easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When considering a health insurance program that offers a percentage co-payment, make sure there is a cap limit to your responsibility, such as $5,000 or $10,000 per year.

By having a cap in place for your responsibility, you are safeguarded from an unexpected medical emergency that could put you in debt for the rest of your life. If your insurance policy does not have a cap to your responsibility and you are unable to switch insurance carriers, you can purchase what is called an Excess Major Medical policy. This additional policy typically pays 80% of your responsibility on your first policy. For example, if you have a base insurance policy with a 20/80 percentage split and you accrue medical expenses totaling $100,000, you are financially responsible for $20,000 of that debt. With the Excess Major Medical policy in place, your responsibility would be cut to only $4,000 of that $20,000. The combination of two policies (if you can afford the premiums) can dramatically reduce your medical expenses should you require major medical attention.

Internal Policy Limits - Many smaller insurance programs contain their own internal limits beyond the per-year and per-lifetime limits. These limits could include such caps as room and board or surgical procedures. It's very important that you ask if these types of internal limits exist with your current insurance provider. If they do, either try to switch insurance companies altogether or in the event that you cannot switch carriers, you should purchase an Excess Major Medical Policy to help cover unexpected major medical expenses.

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