All Forum Posts by: Mark Wolk

Interesting variety of replies. Maybe the key element has been omitted and is: "where do I feel at home?" - In my case, there are several countries (spread over 4 continents) where I feel equally at home, and equally everywhere within each country. I have family, friends, acquiantances, business etc. in all these places. So maybe I would tend to diversify my real estate investments more than the average investor.

Good points regarding the risks of an earthquake or other natural disasters. Bear in mind that insurance covers only a small part of the damage; i.e. if a suburb is destroyed / badly damaged by a tsunami, insurance may cover the repairs to your property, but there are plenty of other damages that are more difficult to assess and to cover. I.e. the area will become undesirable, rents will go down, etc.

You seem to have little confidence in the safety of property as an investment in case of a major crisis.

So, if you knew the future and were sure that another major crisis is coming, under what form would you keep your assets? Life insurance in Switzerland? Bank account in North Korea? Buy gold bars? Property abroad (where?)?

It's common sense not to put all your eggs in the same basket, but how do you apply that saying to real estate investment?

I.e. if you have to buy 5 properties which you intend to rent out:

- how many of them would you buy in your town / city?

- how many in a different region of your country?

- how many abroad?

Some say that the current financial situation may evolve into a crisis similar to that of 1929. So, how did mum and dad property investors come out of the 1929 crisis?

I suppose they had a hard time for several years, whilst their tenants did not pay their rent, and then... what happened with the value of their properties?

I suppose also that those who bought properties during the crisis made a fortune with them when the crisis was over. Is that correct?

Anything that can be extrapolated from the past into the future?

Hello there! I am a learner investor of Polish origin living in New Zealand, taking each step cautiously. Hope to keep learning more through this forum, and maybe share my own experiences. :cool: