Basics of Investing

Archive for September, 2009

Question: Please help me with these real estate/investment questions – I am from France and wish to invest in U.S.?

1. Is it possible to make up 40 to 50% profits on an investment and how long does it take?

2. If it is not the case, what would be the commissions taken by the intermediaries?

3. Is it needed to prove the provenance of the funds? If yes, it is as complicated that to invest with a federal trader?

4. Do we have to be an institutional Investor?

5. Is it possible to put together a pool of investors?

6. Beside the money, do we have to spend time in putting the deal together?

7. Where will the properties be purchased?

8. Is it possible to resale these properties very quickly?

9. Is there a heavy taxation by the state and federal if we resale the real property in less that 5 years, especially if we are not a realtor?

Answer: First off, your inquiry is multiple questions in one… However I would try and answer as many as possible to the best of my abilities

1. Anything is possible but there is no guarantee you would earn 40 to 50% on your R/E investment. It would also depend which real estate market you’re interest/investing in. For example in California where property values traditionally return higher dividends to investors than the rest of the country, in a relative hot market the norm is between 20 to 30%. Presently the real estate market nationwide is flat… In short–there is no guarantee….

2. Cant answer this questions…it varies depending on services rendered

3. No need to prove source of funds….

4. I dont think so….

5. Again, anything is possible. In fact there are companies that specialize in doing just that. I personally dont like the idea for I like to have control over my investments..too many people, even with a legal contract, too many headaches.

6. Buying a piece of property, once you have identify market and property to purchase, is a relative simple task…at lest for american citizens it is. Now to roganize a group of investors I suppose it would be more expensive and time consuming.

7. that’s utterly up to the individual investor….

8. It’s possible but it depends on lots of factros; location, market, price, etc. It’s possible but no guarantee…

9. There are too many, complex tax rules to give a simple answer… I would suspect that capital gains, specially if you are a foreign investor, could be in the 25%, give or take.

I hope I were able to give you a ball park answer to all your questions. My honest advice to you: Consult with an international real estate attorney before investing. Best of luck.

Pooling $$$ For Real Estate Deals PART 2 Gene Trowbridge Attorney CCIM.wmv