Newbie International Investor Looking To Build A Portfolio

[Arun Chadda]

Hey BP Folks, 

My first post! Looking for a lot of help and advice so thanks in advance for anything you guys are able to share.

Essentially to sum up I am a foreign national looking to understand how this impacts my ability to leverage?   Are there specialised  mortgage  brokers who could help guide me in this situation? I have no US credit history, employment or income.  On the flip side I do have funds ready to invest. How is this going to impact my mortgage rates, down payments and terms?

Is there someone out there who can help me understand the best structure to hold the real estate in. Trust, LLC, Hold Co? Taxation and again if anything specific with being a foreign national?

As the  primary goal is to build and grow the portfolio  I am agnostic to the location or type of real estate.   Given then my different set  of circumstances what  would  anyone suggest the best strategy in the current market  conditions to first  acquire and then grow over the mid term?

I am not looking at any get rich schemes rather would like to use leverage as a tool and create a positive cash flow portfolio.  

Lastly, is there a one stop shop for someone like me that any of you would recommend?

I have time and money to invest, it's just that I am not physically able to spend large amounts of  time in the US.   Really looking forward to any help on the above!

Cheers!