I’ve always been intrigued by the way surfers ride across the waves. The surfer waits long for a little sign, puts his gear in motion, gets into position near the peak and glides through with a small wave, trying to catch the big wave before it breaks. It’s a really risky game, requires a lot of patience. But he trusts his calculations, stays perpendicular to the upcoming waves and there he goes, riding the wave. Successful real estate investors have learnt to move like the surfer.

They have figured out that the best investment strategy as a real estate investor is to simply be on the lookout. That is, open your ears and eyes to the possibilities available to you. A lot of real estate investors built their real estate empires by being informed and proactive when they spotted opportunities. How do you adopt this same strategy and generate wealth by spotting hot real estate markets?

Yea, it’s true. Too much information may be disadvantageous in some cases. All you need may be a stroke of intuition. Alas some real estate investors fall into the trap of making ‘educated guesses’ and filling their heads with too much details. Eventually, what could appear to be a ‘hot property’ ends out being a deal turned sour. Looks may be deceiving. But you need to look at the obvious signs and trust your instinct at the same time to ride the big wave of global property investing.

IDENTIFYING AREAS OF GROWTH

1. Gentrification.

These areas may have had poor reputation in the past, but now they are seeing homeowners moving in and changing the suburban landscape. Are there a number of renovation and improvement projects going on? Are new homes being built? Which means developers are turning their focus to that area. Are new cafes or retailers opening up? Most importantly, compare house pricing for a period of 2-3 years, if prices have grown steadily, look at the demographics. An increasing number of young residents with decent incomes is a strong indication that a suburb is about to gentrify.

2. Look for the ripple effect.

If you cannot afford to buy in a hot real estate market (you may have missed the mark this time), you may still be able to shop in the area by checking the surrounding suburbs. This takes time, so you need to know what phase, the local real estate market cycle is in. This will help maximize your chances of riding the wave of growth. How to analyze real estate market cycles.

3. Examine supply and demand

The relationship between supply and demand for property in an area is a key factor in price growth. If there is no more capacity to build in the suburb, but demand continues to grow, prices are likely to rise.

TIPS FOR FINDING HIGH DEMAND AND LOW SUPPLY AREAS.

·        Look for areas where rental performance is increasing. This indicates that an area is popular with tenants. When tenants become owners, they also tend to buy in the same area they are renting;

·        Look at the demographics of people moving in the area. For instance, suburbs where median age is around 35 or so tend to gentrify faster as these demographics tend to have better incomes and can thus afford to buy or rent more expensive properties;

·        Look for areas with increasing population. The population itself is not enough to boost prices, but when combined with other indicators such as increased incomes and low supply, this is a good indication that real estate prices will grow in the area.

·        Look for large ongoing infrastructure projects. This is a good indicator that the area is likely to see an increase in demand for housing as workers gather in search of employment. Projects that have already begun are preferable, as project pledges can fall through with changes in government and as budget priorities change.

Yes, you can be the one sitting on the next hot property. All it takes is a little knowledge, research and intuition.

What do you do when bank financing is not available in your destination country? This article explores other options to finance your foreign property investment.

You’re not getting the same mortgage deal you’re used to

Bank financing abroad will be different from what you’re used to at home. Here are some ways in which the terms will likely be different:

1. Loan-to value ratios will be around 50 to 75 percent of what you're used to.

2. Terms may be shorter. It's almost impossible to get a 30-year loan when buying abroad.

3. You will be offered adjustable interest rates, rather than fixed.

4. You might be required to get a life insurance to secure your loan for foreign property. This isn't good news if you're already around 60, as banks wouldn't borrow you loans of more than 15-year terms. The reason being that insurance companies, as a rule, wouldn't cover you when you're above 75 years old.

Hence, there is need to check out other financing sources.

Financing tips from experts

Generally, here are some financing tips from foreign property experts:

1. If possible when starting out; start small and pay in cash. If this isn't possible, you can use your current home as collateral, without having to rely on banks or regular mortgages. Depending on the amount of equity in your home, you might get lower rates.

2. Research bank financing terms, requirements and laws in your destination country to decide which financing option would work for you. 

3. Since most of what you know about real estate might be ineffective in your destination country, it would be wise to get a partner or local agent. You'll need someone who can offer useful advice regarding financing and home ownership laws in the country.

4. If you'll be transferring funds denominated in your domestic currency, either to make a down payment, full payment or mortgage payments, don't go through the local bank. Local banks, with their wide dealing spread and limited transaction sizes, offer poor Forex services. Foreign exchange services would offer a better deal. 

Options to finance foreign property without using the local bank

Here are three options for foreign property investors who don't want to go through the local bank:

1. Personal loans.

Potential buyers with excellent credit will often fund an overseas purchase with an unsecured personal loan for foreign property. Interest rates can be in the single digits for qualified buyers.

Financing with a personal loan avoids the risks that go with leveraging property with a HELOC or cash refinance. This type of financing is particularly attractive when you are investing in a developing country where mortgage rates are high, and the cost of property ownership is relatively cheap.

2. Seller financing.

Some private sellers might be willing to pay part of the price. The conditions will be whatever you and the owner decides, and an average term is up to five years. In most cases, the longer a bit of property has been on the market, the better conditions you can negotiate. Much like bank funding, don't expect the owner to provide the deed until you've finished paying the loan.

3. Home equity (HELOC).

When cash is not an option, tapping into your home equity is one of the easiest ways to finance a property abroad. If you are investing in a country without a developed banking industry, it can also be the cheapest. Getting a HELOC has the added benefit of making you a cash buyer, which provides leverage when negotiating price.

The most important aspect of agent-client relationship is communication. A house seller or buyer can find it stressful dealing with an agent or buyer who is not a good communicator. An agent that stays in constant contact with clients and answers their questions proves his or her proactivity.

Yes you need to let buyers and sellers know where they stand quickly so they can move on to another property or potential buyer. Real estate is time sensitive. Buyers and sellers need the right information and need it fast. Hence, one of the qualities of a good agent is the ability to give the right information to the right kind of buyer at the right time. What an experienced agent might deem insignificant information might be important information to clients who are new to the real estate game. Putting the right information in front of clients communicate that you're an agent who puts clients first.

It's the responsibility of a good agent to sort out what clients need to know and provide this information. Hence it's important that an agent has a well updated website complete with valuable information. You don't really need to pressure your clients with too much information. Just the right information will do. Here are five content types that real estate buyers and sellers find valuable.

REAL ESTATE CONTENT TYPES THAT WORK

When correctly done, real estate content marketing can be a game changer for your real estate business. You have the chance to attract thousands of new leads through well-researched, helpful content. This is why effective real estate bloggers put a lot of plan and effort into creating the right content for their real estate website. Here are some of the real estate content types you should be posting for your real estate business.

1. Market Reports. Writing a recap of real estate activity in your community for the month shows you as a knowledgeable real estate agent in the community. Buyers and sellers want to be informed about the real estate market in their area of residence. Even if they aren't going to take action immediately, when you post fact-based market reports, they know whom to approach for questions. Also, Google ranks market reports high. Since few realtors are posting them, your posts have less competition.

2. Local Community Information. A local community guide includes details about a neighborhood such as detailed information about the local real estate market, local economy, housing and population, local school information, parks and restaurants and attractions. This type of content is important because it increases your real estate website's SEO value and helps the area residents see that you have strong knowledge of the community.

3. Home buyer and seller tips. Both buyers and sellers have a lot of questions on their minds about real estate. Providing helpful information on your site can be timely and help you gain more leads. However, when covering the questions, your visitors would find it much more helpful if you cover the topic in 'extreme' detail and they'll love you for it.

Cold calling for sale by owners or door knocking is old school. A much better way of gaining trust and new leads is through helpful content.  When you consistently post content that real estate buyers and sellers love, you'll start reaping the benefits of real estate content marketing.