Is Anyone Wholesaling or Doing Direct Marketing Internationaly?

[Harry Asnien]

I wanted to see if there was anyone doing direct marketing campaigns, building a lead website, or wholesaling internationally. 

I've been thinking of doing this in Central or South America in order to find vacation rentals. 

Any advice or thoughts? How different are the legal aspects of purchasing RE abroad?

[Ken Badziak]

Mexico does not allow foreign ownership of real estate. They will let you sign a 99 year lease, however the property will never be yours. So marry a Mexican! (unless the laws have changed- this was the case 7 years ago or so...)

Belize is great. My family has owned property there for over a decade. The time to buy was about 10 years ago. Just kidding; Corozal is expanding rapidly, and there's lots of developments popping up everywhere. However, the government is corrupt and not very business friendly. Nothing ever works properly, and its hard to get good help. Very much a place where you basically have to be there all the time to make sure things get done right. And on the coast, because of the coral reef off the coast, everything rusts. And I mean EVERYthing. Plastic rusts. It's a constant battle to keep things operating. Belize International looks like an African third world airport, whereas Cancun looks and feels like any major airport in the US. Leonardo Dicaprio is building an "eco-friendly" resort on his island. The Belizian government sadly gives a rat's behind about their ecology and their history; they're selling off the country to anyone with money, and destroying the amazing natural wonders in the process.

Costa Rica is good; a family friend went down there 10 years ago for a visit. When he came back home he sold his business and real estate holdings in Chicago, packed his bags and has rarely been seen since. He bought and developed property, quite successfully.

Although Montevideo, BsAs and Santiago are my three favorite cities in all of South America, I'd avoid Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, simply because they're quite far away. BsAs is a 9 hour flight from Miami.

I'd recommend Central America; Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua are all places that keep popping up in conversations. Plus, they're all within a three hour flight from Florida or Texas.