All Forum Posts by: Aaron B.

Colombia and Brazil

South America is outperforming my USA properties. Each property is such a different story that they deserve their own post.

@Mike Lambert I invest anywhere that makes sense. I also agree with you regarding the land rights, I don't like the idea of having to give the land back with whatever property is on it in 20-99 years, on principal. Bali is an example. Currently, it is not a good time to invest in Vietnam, Thailand, or Indonesia or many other areas there because the numbers are simply not there. However, if you were looking to set up a really sweet life in a villa by the water or surrounded by palm trees, it could make sense for yourself but not as a straight rental property. It depends on your goal, because land is not getting cheaper. If you are looking to retire abroad to a dream property that you don't want to rent, it has its appeal.

As an example, right now in Bangkok there are an estimated 100,000 empty condos, many of them are really nice. They are overpriced and the market is saturated. Now is not a good time to buy, but I think the opportunity to get nice properties at a steep discount is around the corner. I am keeping an eye on Thailand and Vietnam. For the last few years, it has made more sense to simply rent luxury because the cost to buy vs the rental rates didn't make sense.

I'll make some separate posts regarding properties, everything from investing in favelas of Brazil to Penthouses and beach-front properties.

I love BiggerPockets. It is full of great information, stories, and has a great community. I have learned much through the podcast and by reading. I'd say about 99.9% of the content is geared towards the USA, however, much of the knowledge, wisdom, tools, rules, etc. are applicable in foreign markets where I have been using them.

I would love to share my success stories, lessons learned, etc. from investing in international real estate, but the platform does not really provide a way to do that. For example, if I try to add my investments to my profile, the dropdown menu assumes my property is a state within the United States. 

I want to open up the discussion to something atypical and talk about my adventures in doing what we do in the USA and applying it in South America and Southeast Asia.

I am curious what the founders of this site, moderators/admin, etc. think about this and if they could add a feature to list "Other" locations outside the USA. 

Hi! Thanks for sharing. What were your roles and personal benefit in the properties acquired by other people? Were you the agent getting a 3% commission, were you the general manager for renovation, were you the property manager after they bought and you managed it for a standard commission? Did you get equity in some of the properties?

It helps me think of other creative ways to partake in deals.