Table of Contents
Introduction 1 About This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Building a Successful Real Estate Portfolio 5
Chapter 1: Introducing Real Estate Investment Strategies 7
Taking Your Real Estate Investments to the Next Level 8
Focusing on Investment Strategies That You Can Use Internationally 11
Running Your Property Portfolio as a Business 12
Getting Your Financial Ducks in a Row 13
Blending Real Estate Strategies to Create a More Robust Portfolio 14
So Which Strategies Are Right for You? 20
Chapter 2: Investing at Home or Abroad: Which Is Right for You? 23
Deciding Whether to Invest Abroad: It’s Not All about the Numbers 24
Considering Your Budget 26
Assessing Your Risk Profile 28
Figuring Out How You’ll Manage Your Property 31
Drilling Down to the Right Market for You 33
Looking at the cold, hard facts and figures 33
Developing your knowledge of that country and region 34
Focusing Your Attention on One or Two Key Markets 35
Chapter 3: Treating Your Real Estate Portfolio as a Business 37
Aiming for Passive Income as the Ultimate Goal 38
Drafting a Dream Team 42
Investing in Systems and Technology to Grow Your Business 49
Promoting Your Real Estate Business 53
Managing Your Cash Flow Like a Boss 55
Getting the Right Insurance 57
Chapter 4: Protecting Yourself against Market Fluctuations 61
Diversifying Your Portfolio with Multiple Revenue Streams 62
Finding Strategies That Work Well in a Boom Market 65
Finding Strategies That Work Well in a Credit Crunch 68
Doing the Opposite of What the Mass Market Is Doing 71
Tailoring Your Funding to Economic Fluctuations 72
Considering Foreign Exchange Rate Risks 75
Chapter 5: Getting into the Mind-set of a Successful International Real Estate Investor 77
Continually Improving through Education 78
Networking in the Right Places 80
Setting Your Goals 82
Cultivating a Positive Mental Attitude 85
Visualizing for Success 88
Harnessing the Law of Attraction 91
Meditating to Manage Stress and Risk 95
Making meditation work for you 97
Part 2: Money, Money, Money 99
Chapter 6: Weighing Traditional Finance Options 101
Finance as a Key Element of Success and Growth 102
Seeing the link between leverage and growth 102
Understanding the full range of finance options 103
Considering the Main Financing Factors 104
Assessing a Range of Traditional Finance Products 112
Finding the Right Product for You 117
Dipping into International Finance versus Domestic Finance 118
Chapter 7: Understanding Property Valuation 119
Defining Value and Real Estate Valuation 120
Seeing Why Valuation Is Fundamental to Property Success 123
Looking at the Three Main Valuation Methods 128
Knowing Which Method Is Best for You and How
Much an Investment Is Worth 132
Special Considerations for Valuing Property Abroad 134
Chapter 8: Looking at More Creative Financing Options 135
You Down with OPM? Investing with Other People’s Money 136
Joining Up with a Joint Venture 138
Securing Private Lending 146
Crowdfunding Your Way to Real Estate Success 149
Getting Control of a Property Instead of Owning It 149
Applying Creative Financing Strategies Overseas 150
Part 3: One-Off and Shorter-Term Income Strategies 153
Chapter 9: Developing Properties 155
Knowing What Property Development Means 156
Deciding Which Development Strategy Is Best for You 157
Sourcing Development Opportunities 161
Financing Your Development Projects 165
Managing the Development 169
Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 176
Chapter 10: Dealing in Property Information 179
Dealing in Investment Property Leads: The Five-Minute Lowdown 180
Generating and Selling Property Leads 183
Acting as a Retained Buyer’s Agent 192
Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 196
Part 4: Ongoing and Passive Income Strategies 199
Chapter 11: Making Rent-to-Rent Work for You 201
Defining Rent-to-Rent: The One-Minute Rundown 202
Addressing Rent-to-Rent’s Image Problem 203
Applying Rent-to-Rent across a Range of Properties and Strategies 205
Margin in the Middle: Understanding the Rent-to-Rent Financial Model 209
Sourcing the Ideal Rent-to-Rent Property (and Landlord) 213
Sorting Out Your Rental Agreement 218
Finding Tenants and Managing the Property 220
Identifying Five International Markets Where This Strategy Would Work 222
Chapter 12: Leveraging Lease Options 223
Understanding Lease Options and How They Work 224
Understanding the Financial Model for Lease Options 228
Knowing What’s in It for the Property Owner 232
Sourcing Lease-Option Opportunities 233
Negotiating the Deal and Contract 236
Identifying Five International Locations Where This
Strategy Would Work 240
Chapter 13: Delving into Houses in Multiple Occupation 243
Introducing HMOs 244
Breaking Down the HMO Financial Model 245
Sourcing HMO Properties 246
Deciding Who You Want to Rent To 249
Finding the Best Location for Your HMO 249
Staying on the Right Side of the Law 250
Managing Your HMO 255
Scaling Up Your HMO Portfolio 262
Identifying Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 263
Chapter 14: Renting to Students and Low-Income-Housing Tenants 265
Knowing What’s Involved in Renting to Students and Low-Income-Housing Tenants 266
Looking at the Pros and Cons of Renting to These Tenant Groups 268
Sourcing the Right Kinds of Property for Students and Low-Income-Housing Tenants 270
Marketing Your Property and Finding Tenants 272
Drafting the Tenancy Agreement 275
Physically Preparing Your Property for Use 278
Managing Your Property Effectively 281
Looking at Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 283
Chapter 15: Providing Serviced Accommodation 285
Defining Serviced Accommodation 286
Looking at the Pros and Cons of Serviced Accommodation 289
Deciding What Level of Service to Offer 294
Sourcing Serviced Accommodation Properties 296
Preparing Your Property for Serviced Accommodation Use 299
Navigating Planning and Regulatory Restrictions 301
Getting the Right Business Processes and Systems in Place 302
Managing Your Serviced Accommodation Business on an Ongoing Basis 306
Identifying Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 307
Chapter 16: Providing Vacation Rentals, at Home and Abroad 309
Knowing the Difference Between Vacation Rentals and Serviced Accommodation 310
Choosing the Right Location for You 312
Planning for Costs, Cash Flow, and Variations in Occupancy 314
Sourcing the Ideal Property for Vacation Rentals 318
Preparing Your Property for Use 320
Marketing Your Vacation Rental 324
Managing Your Vacation Rental 327
Identifying Five International Locations Where This Strategy Would Work 329
Part 5: The Part of Tens 331
Chapter 17: Ten (Or So) Practical Ways to Get into the Mind-Set for Success 333
Tapping Into Education Resources 333
Using Productivity Apps and Tools 334
Learning to Be in the Here and Now 335
Cementing Your Goals Using a Vision Board or Goal List 337
Trying Out a Visualization Exercise, Real Estate Style 338
Incorporating Positive Affirmations into Your Day 339
Recognizing and Giving Thanks for Your Successes 340
Downloading Helpful Apps 341
Chapter 18: Ten (Or So) Other Real Estate Strategies to Consider 343
Delving into Buy-to-Rent (Single-Tenant) Properties 344
Flipping Houses 344
Running a Bed-and-Breakfast, Guesthouse, or Hotel 345
Owning or Running a Care Home 346
Becoming a Real Estate Agent, Rental Agent, or Property Manager 347
Investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts 348
Offering Emergency Housing Accommodation 349
Getting into Commercial Property 350
Trading in Freeholds 351
Index 353