It’s Ludicrous Everybody Doesn’t Want To Live Here
Abundance of opportunity.
I think that was the biggest takeaway from this year’s Global Property Summit.
Over three full days in Panama City last week, the crowd in attendance was presented with one legitimately exciting and tempting opportunity after another, from resort condos, leasebacks, and city-center rentals to land for development and turnkey agricultural offerings including organic fruit plantations, timber, vineyards, honey, and more.
Beachfront and ocean-view… riverfront and mountainside… big-city and rural farm…
Options for yield, cash flow, and capital appreciation in the immediate-, mid-, and long-term…
And something for every budget… from sandy, front-line-to-the-water beach lots for less than US$50,000 (something almost impossible to find in today’s world) to agricultural investments for as little as US$38,500… from a French chateau leaseback you could participate in for as little as US$23,900 to one thriving tourist market where you could own a rental for as little as US$80,000…
Plus real estate for residency—that is, at least four places where you could purchase a piece of property (for as little as US$15,700) and establish residency in the country as a result.
In all, we looked closely and in real time at 15 different property markets and two-dozen current investment opportunities.
How in the world do you choose?
If you’ve got the capital budget and a little experience at this already, I say spread yourself around as much as possible. That is, act on as many options as you’re able and act quick.
That was the advice to the group from our panel of global property investing experts (with decades of experience and millions of dollars of assets and profits among them). We are at the heart of an extraordinary moment of opportunity thanks to crisis markets, shifting demographics, technology advancements, geopolitical realities, and a soaring U.S. dollar.
What, though, if you’re new to this? What if you’re considering making your first property investment in another country? How, then, do you choose the best opportunity for you?
Hedge your bets by combining your investment agenda with a more personal one. Make your first global property investment in a place where you’d like to spend time as well as money.
Again, last week we considered many tempting options for living along with investing overseas.
One of the featured markets at this year’s Global Property Summit was Colombia. Among the Colombia experts on stage to help showcase all that Colombia has to offer was attorney and friend from MedellĂn Juan Dario Gutierrez. The day after the conference had concluded, Juan Dario sent me this note:
“Thank you, Kathleen, as always, for your kind invitation to participate in your event this week. I returned home to a goose bump-producing news about MedellĂn, and you´re the first I want to share it with.
“Take a look at this five-minute video when you have a chance. This is the city we told your attendees about this week (and where you´ll be hosting your next event next month). We weren’t exaggerating when we told your folks that MedellĂn is the place to be right now.”
Here’s the video Juan Dario was referring to.
As Juan Dario put it, this award that MedellĂn has just won is “like the Nobel Prize in urbanism.”
I’m not saying everyone should move to MedellĂn, Colombia, but I agree with Anthony Bourdain. Once you’ve seen this place, it’s hard to understand why everyone in the world doesn’t want to live here.
Eight years ago, I predicted that MedellĂn, Colombia, would one day enjoy a top position on lists of the world’s best places to live or retire. My prediction is coming true even sooner than I expected.
Kathleen Peddicord
