Asian investors are the largest group snapping up foreign property according to research. But in which cities are they investing? And why?

As more people's attention is being drawn to real estate as an asset class, a larger number of people are seeking out foreign property. 2017 saw a large number of Asian investors enter the market sweeping up properties from the US to Canada straight to France. Recently, contrary to expectations, their attention is being drawn to residential and commercial properties in London, UK.

Propertywire's first quarter of 2018 stats https://www.propertywire.com/news/global-news/londons-commercial-property-market-top-draw-international-buyers/ reveal that overall about 5.6 billion pounds of foreign money was invested in London, with Asian investors contributing about 4.4 billion pounds or 65% of the total investments. The next highest was Hong Kong at 5 billion with Paris following from behind at 1.9 billion pounds.

If you're looking to invest in real estate, one of the major factors you would need to consider is liquidity. Based on liquidity, these are the top performing cities for cross-border real estate investing in 2018. This is indirectly influenced by population growth, employment growth and usually followed by an increase in home values or strong rental yield. 

•   New York, USA: Brooklyn and Manhattan are two of New York's favorite hot spots for foreign real estate investors. The activity of Chinese, Russian and Middle Eastern real estate investors, paying cash on high-end properties has consistently driven New York City’s real estate price upwards. With a population growth that hasn't slowed down, New York City real estate not only offers liquidity but stability for real estate investors.

•   London, UK: Despite Brexit, London leads the way as a favorite for foreign real estate capital. In the aftermath of Brexit, the attention to both London's commercial and residential real estate has been largely driven by a weaker pound and more affordable housing. Foreign real estate activity in London is largely funded by equity funds, institutional investments, and private capital. Units in the mid-range segments have been most popular among buyers. Presently, though, the government is setting tax constraints on foreign real estate investing as the cost of home ownership increases.

•    Hong Kong, China: In 2017, Hong Kong was named the "most luxurious" prime housing market for the second year running by Christie's real estate https://www.christiesrealestate.com/eng/sales/hkg . Hong Kong's housing market has shown little cooling with 4.4 billion pounds of foreign money spent by foreign investors in 2018 first quarter. The heated market in Hong Kong, as experts pinpointed, is a major reason for increased residential housing prices all through China.

•    Paris, France: The French economy is seeing a boom with the number of foreign investment activity reaching a 10 year high last year. The French economy exceeded expectations with a 2.2% growth, a large number of jobs created and strong real estate activity. Also with fairly stable mortgage rates, many investors are picking up properties in Paris and Bordeaux. Beyond 2018, analysts speculate the South of France will experience a strong housing demand.

•    Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles may soon replace Hong Kong as the no 1 most expensive city for expats. Currently, the average price of a luxury property in Los Angeles is $2.5 million. With population growth, increasing disposable income and a thriving tech sector, Los Angeles real estate offer stability and liquidity for investors. However, housing is in short supply. A situation leading to soaring house prices. With population growth and a great economy, Los Angeles is a great option for single-family investors seeking high rental yield.

The kitchen is the heart of the home. There will never be a day in your life when you don't enter the kitchen for some reason. It is where groceries go in and delicious pizzas and finger licking butter chicken comes out. The kitchen is where the children first learn to be of some service. It's also where you hone your cooking skills by trying new recipes.

The design of the modern kitchen has created an evolution in function that has made the kitchen a place of entertainment. An open kitchen is a place for socializing and hanging out with friends and families. This helps families spend more time together. You can keep an eye on your daughter while you cook. Your spouse can perch herself on the counter and regale you with tales from her workplace, you can share a bottle of wine with your friends as you cook.

Being such an important part of the home, it's important that home sellers make the kitchen attractive to prospective buyers. Here are some home staging tips to make your kitchen spark more attention from prospective buyers.

You want to make your kitchen radiate a fresh 'feel'. Buyers should want to stay a while longer in your kitchen. Although the process of staging your kitchen may warrant a few inconveniences, it's usually worth it because an attractive kitchen will sell your home faster than any other thing you do to prepare your home.

1. Make it sparkling clean. Obviously, buyers won't be able to imagine themselves in your home if your home has a dirty kitchen. The neater your kitchen looks, the better. From kitchen windows, to rugs, to stoves and dishes, make sure that everything shines. Hiring a professional cleaning company might be worth the cost.

2. Apply fresh paint. A quick and easy way to make your kitchen appear fresh is putting fresh paint on walls. Let the colors used complement colors of cabinets and drawers to bring out cohesiveness.

3. Use energy efficient lighting. Another relatively inexpensive tweak to make your kitchen feel fresh and new is updating lighting with energy efficient and bright ones.

4. Update kitchen hardware. Buyers love a kitchen with updated fixtures. Don't leave your kitchen with old kitchen faucets and outdated lighting fixtures. Inexpensive, simple updates like garbage disposal, stainless steel appliances, faucets and cabinet hardware can make your kitchen appear new and attractive to prospective buyers. You can also go a step further by adding some pizazz to your countertops. You can put in decorative canisters, herbs, bowl of fruit, new cookbooks and new tea towels, etc.

5. Declutter. Decluttering may be the hardest part of staging a kitchen for sale. Your kitchen should no longer reflect you, but it should give potential buyers a chance to use their imagination. The easiest way to start the process of decluttering is to completely clear off your counters, then only put selected decorative items to fill in and soften the corners of a long expanse of countertop.

An ugly kitchen can make the home sit on the market for long. Staging your kitchen right might require some effort and inconvenience but if the property is priced right and looks fantastic, you should only have to be inconvenienced a very short time.

With delightful sights and enticing cuisine, it's no wonder France is at the top of the list for many tourists. And not only tourists, people who are banking on profiting from these fascinations are snapping up properties fast too. France also boasts collections from masters of both modern and contemporary art.

However, if you're looking to buy a home in France as a foreign investor, don't be distracted by the sights. It's easy to be carried away by the beaches of Riveira, wandering through the battlefields of Normandy or viewing castles along the French countryside. You will need to focus your efforts on getting the deal done right. Let’s consider some stats on French property prices.

Facts about property prices in France

Prices are competitive and mortgage rates are currently low in France, according to Notaires de France. In the past year, over 900,000 properties have changed hands. Even though a surprisingly large number of these properties (90%) were bought by people looking to live in, rather than let. For investors, this means there hasn't been a property bubble and this might just be the right time to buy a house in France. Price is increasing steadily. Notaires de France estimated a year on year increase of 1.2% in property prices by August of this year and a jump of 4% in property prices by the end of the year.

What to know when buying property in France

Although the process of buying property in France is fairly straightforward, here are some things you need to know:

1. You're not required to hire a solicitor. As a general rule, buying property in France must proceed without an advocator or solicitor. It can't be delegated. So you have to travel and spend time and effort on acquiring the property.  Although property buying and land registration in France are secure, you need to have your wits about you.

2. You should learn French. If buying a house in France, you should know French or at least hire a translator. Trying to infer what the other person is saying will only give you a false sense of security. On the other hand, a knowledge of the language will bolster your confidence.

3. The notaire will not verify everything. The notaire may not be able to tell you if the property would give good ROI or what liens are currently on the property. There is room for you to do your own research about the property and about prices in that neighborhood. It's also advisable to get a specialist property lawyer.

4. Estate agents mostly act for the seller. Take care to read through any written offer. Make sure that the content of the offer are subject to a written sales and purchase offer. Also make sure you read through the content of the sales and purchase offer prepared by the agent to ensure equity. As with buying property anywhere, take your time before signing on the dotted line.

5. Local mortgages can be favorable. You might want to consider buying with a French mortgage as mortgages in France are relatively cheap. If you'll be seeking a mortgage, it's important you throw in a conditional clause in the sale contract.

In conclusion, having your own notaire is advisable. Don't expect the notaire working for both seller and buyer to seek your best interest.