Given our mortgage's life started in the era of double-digit interest, expedited pay-down was the best option.

Is it 6 digits or 10 digits? 

I assume this would be a vacation rental you would occasionally use yourself.Be sure to include currency exchange rate risk in your evaluation of the deal.

They even explicitly state that they are not responsible for determining the veracity of things posted on their site.The reality of doing business in the digital age is that anyone can post something online, true or not, and there is no way for the business to have it removed.

I listed with Zillow and discovered that a tenant's digital footprint is really useful in determining who is a good tenant.

I still haven’t met a person that likes to pay taxes.20% in gold: investing in gold is betting governments will keep borrowing at elevated levels, and hence depreciate their currencies, causing investors to lose trust.

But, even if you take it into account, most of the huge currency discount will remain.Moreover, while inflation has been pretty much inexistant in North America and Europe over time, their real estate price inflation has been very high during those years.

., a 1000 sq ft unit would need a 35,000 btu furnace at minumum. then you have to consider the distance from the furnace to the unit is services. if the building is a 3 story with a couple of apartments on the top floor, then those units should have at least 10,000 more btu than the calculation calls for. if each unit has the furnace within the apartment, then the calculation is what you go by. most systems are pretty much the same, but, just like a car, there are some brands that simply cost more to repair based on parts and such. trane seems to be among the most expensive. i recommend goodman. easy to install, easy to work on and parts are reasonable. no one can calculate the timing of repairs on any unit. i have seen 3 year old furnaces need work and i have seen some go for several years without an issue. too many variables to figure that out. if you are talking about having one unit for the entire building, same formula applies to the sq footage, however, i would not recommend this because inevibly, some apartments will not get as much heat as others, and with one furnace, you cannot control the heat going to each apartment. a boiler system could do that but if you don't already have one, it is going to be massively expensive to have one put in. in an inspection, look for the age of the furnace, this can be found in the model number in most furnaces. usually the 1st and second digits are the month it was build, and the 3rd and 4th is the year. however, this is not on all furnaces. basically, get the model number and look it up on line. anything over 15 years old is probably on its last leg and about as fuel efficient as a campfire. also, look for how clean the furnace is. if it is dirty, chances are it hasn't been service often enough. i would have it cleaned out at least once every 3 years at a minimum. change the filter at least once a month, especially in the winter months. a clogged filter not only can lead to premature damage to the heat exchanger, but will also effect the output and efficiency of the unit and could possibly poison your tenants with co2 gas. i hope this helps you, please let me know if you need any further assistance

Enough time has elapsed since we have seen a truly hot real estate market where the investor can feel confident that the high double-digit gains he experienced during the prior 4-5 years are not soon to return.

I'll just add on a couple1) Christopher is correct - you will be required to include the rental income into your US tax return.If you are paid in a currency other than US dollars - you will need to convert the rental income/expenses into US dollars.2) if you hold the rental property in a corporation/partnership.