All Forum Posts by: Elizabeth M Williams

I would consider using 99designs.com. They have brilliant creatives, who can help not just with the name, but the the brand and concept, too. 

Hi Shai, did you manage to find one? We did one through HSBC, and it was a total pain, and we put 40% down. I know that these guys in the link below also do it, but the mortgage rates will be a bit higher. 

America Mortgages | World’s Only U.S. Mortgage Specialist

@Gloria Wang. It's a good market, indeed. I'm actually married to an Australian, and we have an investment property there, about to invest in more, via syndications thru a SMSF. For the US, if you want to go the easy route (which is what we did, as we are currently based in Dubai), you might want to consider syndications. I had every intention of buying individual properties, but then someone turned me onto syndications. Fast forward a year and a half, and we are just about to close on our rental in Oregon so we can invest in 4 more syndications. The returns are similar, if not better, than actively investing, tax advantages same, if not better, as well. Plus you can cover top growth markets without having to deal with tenants, mortgages, repairs, sourcing, & selling. On most deals you need to be accredited, but not all. And on most deals you need an initial $50k investment. I love them so much I took 3 pretty tough exams to become SEC registered to raise capital for them. 

There are cpas who can help you set up an LLC in the state you want to invest in, and they will also set you up with an ITIN, as well as do your tax returns for you. You will also need a US-based bank account.

On a side note, had a great chat with the people at wealthi.com.au this week, if you're after more properties in Oz. They do all of the leg work for you, and I have no affiliation with them, was just really impressed. There are also a few really good Australian syndication companies I've spoken with this week (and will invest with), but you need to be accredited for those private equity deals, fyi. 

@Jason Shackleton I do capital raising for US commercial RE syndications, and am an SEC Registered Representative. I have a Canadian investor about to deploy into 2-3 of my deals, and he's speaking with a few cpa's to best work this out. I spoke with one of them, who was a bit on the expensive side, but what I understand so far is that rather than an LLC, it's best for Canadians to invest via setting up an LP. From a tax perspective, you won't have as many advantages as you would as a US citizen, or other foreigners, for that matter, but I've been told that the returns still make the investment worthwhile. Happy to share a few names with you if you'd like. I believe once the LP is set up, the process is the same as for other foreign investors - ITIN, local bank account. But I work in syndication, so not sure if for individual properties the same rules apply.

Forgot to add, the process is pretty straightforward. Hire a cpa to set up an LLC & ITIN number for you, and set up a local US bank account. The cpa can do your tax returns, as well. The LLC invests into the syndications.

US citizen based in Dubai here. I read that long distance book, took tons of notes, spoke with other investors, connected with someone in Tennessee and someone in NY who sells investment properties, and in the end, having been a long distance landlord for over 20 years, I am grateful to have found syndications. They are so much easier to invest in, as in, no need to find a mortgage, no need to find a local team for sourcing/managing/maintaining, passive vs active involvement in the US RE market with the same, if not better, tax advantages, too. You can still utilize leverage, just with a pool of investors, so you can access much larger assets, and don't have to worry about finding tenants. I just sold my rental in Oregon, after owning it for 14 years, and am deploying straight into 4 syndications, covering a multitude of growth markets in the process. You do need to be accredited for most, not all deals, and the minimum investment on most deals is $50k. Returns have been consistent and on par, if not better, than buy and hold & buy and flip. The hold times range from around 2-5 years, and the assets I invest in are value add, like a slow flip.

I am grateful to have found them. Will be continuing to invest with them for years to come, and am looking into investing in some in Australia, too, where my husband is from. Went from searching high and low for a few rentals to buy in the US, to getting so into syndications that I became SEC registered so I could raise capital for private equity into them. 

Hi all, happened to be searching for Australia posts, and stumbled upon this thread. My husband is Australian, I'm American, we are based in Dubai. We will leave next year, and haven't decided if we'll go to Brisbane or Upstate NY, but will have had 10 years in Dubai, time to finally say goodbye.

2 years ago I started looking into finding rentals in the US, and got a ton of good advice from people. But my concern, as a long time long distance tenant, was around dealing with tenants & repairs from far away. Been doing it for over 20 years, it's a pain. It's also hard to know what market to invest in, and who to trust with management and maintenance locally. 

Long story short, someone on BP, can't remember who, pointed me in the direction of syndications, and the rest is history. Spent several weeks investigating, then not only invested in a deal in Dallas, but I went on to raising capital for syndicators, became SEC registered (some hard tests involved), and could pretty much shout about syndications from the rooftops to anyone who will listen. Great way to be in real estate with all (often better), of the tax benefits, passively. Just sold my rental and about to invest in 4 more deals. Plan is to exponentially invest in them over the coming years. 

Also found some great syndicators in Australia, after lots of digging around, and planning to set up a part of my husband's super in a SMSF, to invest in the Australian commercial real estate market. Super excited about it.

Shares will still be half of our portfolio, but real estate, especially in inflationary times, is a great way to diversify, and will always be part of our holdings. 

I have a few cpas that work with foreign investors, and to invest in deals like these, the process is have a cpa set up a LLC, get an ITIN (tax id number), and help you get an account with a local bank. We have HSBC here in Dubai, so opening in the US was pretty easy. I know there are regional banks that are pretty foreigner friendly. The cpa does first year tax returns, as well, for an all in fee of $1600 US. There are plenty of cpas that work with foreign investors. I like syndications because I don't have to get a mortgage, I can invest in the best growth markets (all data driven, no guesswork), I get monthly distributions & tax deductions, and the returns have ranged from 15-30% annualized.

Just another thing to think about. Happy to share the companies in Australia (no affiliation with them at all), as well as info on some of the projects/funds I raise for. 

Just sold a rental, and about to sink the majority of proceeds into syndications. Been working with my cpa on tax planning, and the bonus depreciation, in addition to all of the other deductions given by syndications, will make a huge difference in my tax exposure on this sale. In future, assuming the 1031 sticks around (I tend to believe it will), our plan is to roll over from one syndication deal into the next, via 1031. 

Hi Andreas, I'm based in Dubai, and part of a real estate investment group here, as well. Happy to connect you with the group. Having said that, most, if not all of us, are investing in other markets, mainly US, but not 100% sure as it's a fairly big group of investors. Pretty sure a few Germans in the group, as well. 

I used to be the Sales Director for a real estate company here in Dubai. Never pulled the trigger on buying here, but my clients did well, on the whole, so good for you for buying up some rentals. The market has gone crazy the last year, and rentals are in high demand. Probably telling you something you already know, but it's super important here to get the best quality tenants you can find, as evictions/notice period is a whopping 12 months. 

Nice to meet you!

Have you considered investing in a self storage syndication? We've got a great partner in the space, just delivered 58% returns, in 2 years, to its investors.