Real Estate and Property in Thailand - Legal Information For Prospective Property Buyers

Thailand is one of the most exotic and beautiful locations in the world. For this reason, it is one of the top tourist destinations and continues to draw new arrivals each year. Many of those coming to Thailand eventually decide to remain in the country as expatriates. When seeking to relocate to any country, the issue of home ownership becomes a paramount concern. Hopefully this piece will shed light upon some of the many facets of Thai Property Law.

Obtaining Real Estate or Property in Thailand

In order to stay in Thailand for the long term many people opt to buy Thai Real Estate. Owning a home in Thailand can be a bit of a risky enterprise since Thailand has many laws that preclude foreign ownership of land. However, there are some ways in which a non-Thai can own or control Thai property.

Thailand Condos

Condos in Thailand are a popular choice for many expats. Under Thai law a foreigner is allowed to own a Thai Condominium provided the Condo meets certain requirements laid out in the Thailand Condominium Act.

Thai Real Estate Lease

A long term lease of Thai Real Estate is another attractive option to many prospective foreign Property owners in Thailand. However, there is some misunderstanding regarding Thai leases. Many people believe that Thai leases are automatically renewable and they can last for over 30 years, this is simply not the case.

Thailand Usufruct

A usufruct of Thai property is another possibility. This is much like a life estate under the common law system in that a usufruct can grant a person the right to the use of land for life. There are many formalities that must be kept in mind when drafting a usufruct which is why it is advisable to have a lawyer prepare a usufruct.

Thai Company Formation for Property Ownership

Another method of "owning" property in Thailand is having a Thai company own the property and have a disproportionate number of voting shares allotted to the non-Thai property "owner," this method allows a non-Thai to keep control of the property while still adhering to Thai law.

For interesting insights regarding Thai Real Estate and Property Legal issues please see: http://hubpages.com/hub/Buying-Property-or-Real-Estate-in-Thailand

The legal system of Thailand is complex body of regulations and rules. As with any legal structure used to own real estate, it is wise and recommended that a competent lawyer draft all documents and conduct due diligence research in order to make sure ones interests are fully protected.

A Great Reason to Be in Real Estate - Rehabbing Properties

Among the reasons to be in real estate, quick cash is one of the most attractive upsides, especially for new investors looking to get started in a new business/career. When investors think of what it means to invest in real estate, there are two common things that come to mind. One is the holding of rental properties. The other is fixing up rundown properties and selling them for a profit.

I'll be discussing the idea of holding properties, particularly apartments in later articles and also cover this extensively in my training programs. I'd like to briefly discuss the idea of rehabbing properties and how this fits into your model for generating quick cash in real estate.

Having rehabbed over 450 properties of my own in just a seven year period, I have a lot of experience with this means of generating quick cash and know that it can be a useful tool in building your own real estate business. Rehab opportunities are everywhere and, once you see them as investment properties, instead of rundown junkers, your perspective will have changed for the better.

The secret to successful rehabbing starts with an accurate assessment of retail value post rehab, meaning after the job is done. Too many investors overestimate what they can sell a property of after fixing it up or underestimate either costs or time needed to sell it. Either way, profits can diminish and so too can morale, especially after having invested months into a single project.

My suggestion is to always err on the conservative side when estimating resale value of a property that needs rehabbing. Use lower sales prices, embellished repair estimates, and figure the job will take twice as long as you think it really should. When your analysis of a deal is built around these principles and the deal still looks good, then you likely have a winner. This is because the numbers work in a worst case scenario. Be positive but avoid shameless optimism as this will sooner or later bite you in the behind as a rehabber.

Consider too the end before the beginning. Who will buy your rehab project when it is complete? If the property is in an area where most properties are rented, then investors will be your most likely buyers and they are not going to want to pay you retail for the property. The best rehab deals are in areas where homeowners are looking to buy, as they are far more likely to compensate you fully for a job well done.

A final thing to consider is exactly how the work will be getting done. I didn't do 450 rehabs in seven years by doing all of the work myself. Some of you are handy and some of you are not and that is not the best gauge for how to process a rehab. Consider more than just your skills. What is the value of your time? Is it better spent putting up drywall or laying tile? Or rather seeking and negotiating deals? Chances are, your activities as an investor, rather than as a contractor, will be more lucrative so do what you do best and leave the rest to hired specialists.

Getting a Higher Return On Your Money - Real Estate and Your Asset Allocation

Rents are rising and they are rising faster than almost any other investment.

In a small, older suburb of Denver, Colorado rents increased 16.2% year over year with a 95.4% occupancy rate. San Jose, California has it even better with an increase of 16.3% and a 97.3% occupancy rate according to a recent report by AxioMetrics Inc., an apartment market research firm in Dallas.

Portland, Seattle and Boston are also areas of the country that have seen the rents increase double digit year over year.

As a rental property owner myself, I am personally seeing this. I was heavily invested in the real estate market along with everyone else 10 years ago. The difference is that I never bought a property that didn't have a Plan B. Actually, for me, everyone else's Plan A was my Plan B. I bought for rental income, not short term gains. I did this for years and got up to about 7 duplexes at one point until the gains on the properties were such that the income became second fiddle. And, I lucked out. I started rolling the properties into ever nicer properties and then started selling them. I had sold all but one property by the top of the market in 2004.. I don't like to think where I would be if I hadn't sold them when I did.

Regardless, rents weren't great back then. It was tough to find renters and when you did, raising the rent on your tenants was out of the question. Raise it and they would leave and you would be out a couple of months' worth of rent.

Rents are great now. The reason I got into the properties in the first place was for the passive income that they generated and smart investors are doing the same thing.

Where else can you get passive income at this level? 30% down on an investment property can get you almost 8% a year on that money. The property value of the real estate market may not return for another 5 to 10 years, but at 8% a year I'm not really worried about it. Tenants won't always be a piece of cake and you will have some turbulent times.. One tenant almost tore one of my places to pieces, but that is the price of rental ownership.

Without putting 20-30% down on individual properties and having to worry about new roofs and bad tenants you can still take advantage of these returns on rental properties. There is an easier way with REITS, or Real Estate Investment Trusts.

REITs are required to pass through most of their income to you and because they are traded on a stock exchange, they are much more liquid than regular real estate and you don't have to pay a realtor. One more benefit is that you can individually choose cities and states. Investing in cities like Detroit right now is not a smart or strategic move.

I'm not selling any REITs and if you do decide to purchase an individual property, more power to you. What I am saying is that these high rental returns are going to be attracting more and more real estate investors, which will increase the property value which in turn may finally get us out of this real estate slump.

Palm Beach Florida Real Estate and Palm Beach Investment Properties

Palm Beach is a fully developed community, world-renowned for its extraordinary beauty, quality of life and small-town character. It is one of the most prestigious towns in South Florida. Henry Flagler founded the town in 1911. He was one of the founder of Standard Oil.

At only 14 miles long, The island of Palm beach offers amazing spaces and places. The Town offers fantastic sport fishing, exceptional golfing, the most exclusive country clubs and some of the world's best boating. Nearby finds a private airfield for your plane and elegant horse farms... Polo anyone?

Even with such world class amenities Palm Beach never loses its intimate, community feel. The glorious weather alone is reason to live here! Wouldn't you rather be soaking up the sun than shivering in the snow!

Palm Beach is considered an island. Beautiful beaches and the historic Par 3 give the island the feel that you are taking a vacation. The Town also has some famous residents. One of these famous residents include Donald Trump.

The Town's Real Estate is some of the most sought after property in the world. The luxurious properties of this amazing island are owned by some of the most prestigious people in the world. These properties can be an investment as they tend to keep their value when the economy takes a down turn.

The Island Town has some of the most beautiful homes in the world. The island is not over-crowded so there is plenty of room for new residents.

If you want to know more about the luxurious properties in the Town Of Palm Beach Florida, consider talking to an expert like Susan Polan. She's an expert in Palm Beach properties. If you are looking to buy a house in this prestigious town please go to her site and contact her.

Florida Real Estate and Property Tax Cuts

One of the reasons that the Florida real estate market has been sluggish over the past couple of years has been the result of property taxes in the state. Over the course of the past decade, Florida in fact had one of the higher property tax rates in all of the United States. Efforts are now underway to reign in the costs associated with property tax in Florida at this point in time. By dealing with property tax issues, the goal is to reinvigorate the Florida real estate marketplace.

Many real estate experts have maintained that residential real estate has languished on the market in part due to the fact that real estate tax rates have been considered to be high. Some individuals simply balked at making the purchase of a residence because they did not feel that they could effectively and comfortably manage the property tax assessments that they would be hit with when making the purchase of a home.

Historically, the new owner of a residence was saddled with the purchase price as the basis for the property tax computation. Therefore, this provided a buyer with an added motivation to really bargain for a purchase price that might even end up being below the appropriate market rate.

In Tampa recently the promotion of a new constitutional amendment proposal involving property valuation, property taxes and home purchases took place in the home of Tampa resident who has had a property on the market for an extended period of time. This resident had come to learn that one of the reasons her property was slow in selling rested in the fact that many potential buyers simply did not feel that they could effectively or appropriately manage the property tax that would be assessed against the property based on the asking sales price for the home.

If the new proposed amendment becomes a part of the Florida constitution, the valuation for tax purposes of residential real estate would "reset" at the actual, lower market value immediately after the sale. Therefore, the new property owner would not be "stuck" with the higher property valuation assessment that otherwise does occur in the absence of this amendment.

Beyond this amendment proposal there is also a proposal that would allow for a super-exemption on homestead property. This super-exemption actually would work to exclude a higher percentage of the home's overall value or worth from property tax liability. This mechanism will work to significantly lower a homeowner's tax liability in many instances. A homeowner would have the ability to select one or another of these two tax liability reduction plans, but not both. A homeowner will be able to determine which scheme makes sense under his or her particular set of circumstances.

The bottom line is that Florida governmental leaders are attempting to take useful and meaningful steps to bring down the costs associated with property ownership in the state. The goal is to stabilize the market sooner rather than later.

Commercial Real Estate and Income Tax Savings - Truth Vs Fiction

"Other people and things can stop you temporarily. You are the only one who can do it permanently." -- Zig Ziglar

I'm going to provide the 30-second version of the 1986 tax reforms affecting commercial real estate and why they are important to you as an investor today. There is an instructive lesson looking back at history.

A lot has been said over the years about commercial real estate and income tax savings. Prior to 1986 many people would invest in all sorts of commercial real estate properties just because of the money they would save on taxes. The savings at that time were so accelerated that many high-income investors would literally get their down payments back in 1 - 2 years based on income tax savings.

...In steps the government...Out goes the perks, and in comes the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC).

This change made thousands of properties go belly up because now the properties actually had to cash flow. What a concept! I say that tongue-in-cheek, of course because before that, it did not matter to many investors if they cash flowed. The tax savings and loan structures were so liberal that even a property that was losing money would 'make' money because of the investor's tax situation.

After the tax law changes many people lost their shirts - and much, much more! The RTC was created to sell all of the repossessed properties back in the late 80's. There were so many repos that a separate corporation was needed to sell them all. Wow! This meant some investors got some great deals, pennies on the dollar which is another discussion for another time.

Much has changed, and arguably for the better. Now a property has to 'naturally' cash flow. I say naturally because the cash flow is not dependent on tax savings, or government incentives.

1. Truth.

The lesson in this 30-second overview of the 1986 tax changes is to invest in a property because it stands as a winner on its own. What I mean is that the Net Operating Income not only carries the property itself, but provides YOU, the investor, a healthy profit, as well. Do not, do not, do not use these types of tax savings in your property analysis.

2. Fiction.

Some may claim that you should include tax savings into your investment analysis, but be sure that you do not fall for this. Always remember that tax savings is simply a side benefit and NOT the sole reason to buy an investment property. If an owner or another investor is touting tax savings over and over again it probably means that it DOES NOT cash flow that well - if at all.

Get Into Real Estate and Why the So-Called Money Experts Around the World Are Out Dated

Right now, we are living in the middle of a severe financial storm, and yet we are still being told by so called financial experts get a Job, live below your financial means, save money, work hard, get out of debt etc,etc. It's OLD and it's out of date and leads most people to poverty.

We have to act smart and think exactly like the rich, which means we have to diversify and create wealth through having money work for us. One thing really important to remember is that money never sleeps, but we have to. That means we lose income when we don't work, can't work or even sleeping. Wouldn't it be nice to have your money working for you 24 hours a day,7 days a week building you financial security like the rich people enjoy today?

So what can we do to make that happen? In my opinion, one of the best ways to create new streams of income is in real estate, and in any good or bad economy. People always need places to live and work Right? which means when you invest and buy real estate, you can rent it out, or resell at a profit, either way, you make money.

Now, if you buy and hold for rent, your renter pays the monthly mortgage, so no out of pocket expenses, and normally earns you a couple of $100 extra a month on top, but the real money's made as the property grows in value month after month, year after year creating long term wealth for you and your family for life.

You have now taken control of your long term financial security, created an extra stream of income every month, and have money working for you even when you sleep just like the rich people do.

Most of the richest people in the world have created it through Real Estate investing, so why not learn all you can about real estate investing online to secure your future. Good hunting and good luck.