Overseas Investors For Commercial Real Estate Development?

[F. Todd Ryan]

Hi BP... What is the best way to find overseas investors for commercial real estate development projects in the United States? I have some great market feasibility study proposals that yield high internal rate of returns. Suggestions? Thanks. 

[Andrew Fielder]

If you're just starting off. Networking is probably the best thing you can do. Talk to anyone in real estate with an accent and find out where they're from. Chances are they will have friends and family in their country of origin. It's a little tougher right now because the US dollar is strong compared to other currencies so you will find less small to medium institutions looking to invest in the US. Connect with anyone who is Chinese. A lot of investors are looking to get their money out of China and invest in real estate. I'm currently working with cbre in Sydney and it's a very similar story. Unfortunately most of the investors I work with are looking for very large deals ie. $20M+. Where exactly are these opportunities located? Are these development opportunities you're talking about?