New Member from Melbourne, Aus

[Jay Stevens]

I am interested in property investments in the USA.

[Carl Olsen]

@Jay Stevens

For any Americans reading this please put on your best Aussie accent to read the rest of the post :).

G'Day mate, welcome to bigger pockets from a Aussie living in Denver. 

You will need a US accountant as you will need to file a Non-resident alien tax return for your investments. The accountant needs to understand the tax treaty between Australia and US as this can change the treatment of some of your investment. I have details of the accountant I used when I first started investing in the US and can send those if you need them. Your Australian account will also need to be familiar with foreign income for your Australian tax return. You will need to file for an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) as well but this usually happens when you file your first tax return in the US.

Have you looked at getting finance for a purchase here? I very much doubt you will get a US bank to lend you money, I can't even get a credit card because I don't have a SSN yet. From the checking I did in Australia some years ago Australian banks would only lend money with Australian assets as security.

The other questions would be if you buy the properties under an LLC or in your own name. Given the debate that goes into that question for US residents I am not sure how the complications of international borders would affect that.

I think you will be hard pressed to find a property in Denver for 100K but if you do and want a opinion on the area feel free to contact me. My wife was born in Denver and knows the city and the front range well.

I lived in Sydney for 30 years and when looking at real estate in the US it is very exciting to see property that is positively cash flowing, something that is unheard of in most Australian cities. 

Good luck with your investments and if there is anything I can help with feel free to PM me.