Investing from outside of the US

[Justin Woodard]

Hi everyone,

I'm originally from the US, but I'm currently living in Japan and want to get started in real estate investing. I picked up a copy of David Greene's "Long-Distance Real Estate Investing", but I was also wondering if anyone had any advice or experience with regards to investing out of the country that might not be covered in the book.  I'm interested in investing in single-family homes around the Dallas-Fort Worth area to start. I would appreciate any advice anyone could give. Also, looking to connect and possibly figure out ways to help each other out. 

Justin

[Daniel Mills]

Hi John, As John Rankin pointed out, I have been living in Japan for 14 years and own about 50 units directly in the States. I was on the BP Money Podcast recently and that will probably give you some things to think about. The key here is finding a team. I like to start with a property manager rather than a realtor as David Green suggests in his book. I find that they are much more objective. I have also found good success teaming up with locals. One opportunity that we have right now is that many local real estate meetups are online. So, you can make connections even while living in Japan. Finally, consider passive investing in syndications and funds. That is one great way to get into real estate investing without some of the hassles of active ownership. 

If you're interested in investing in Japan, I would recommend Ziv Nakajima-Magen's podcast about Japanese real estate.

Daniel