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Buy Property Abroad: Guam

by Alison Ward

If you have the intent to buy property abroad, you should follow a set of methodical and systematic process, based from careful analysis, planning and execution. However, more often than not many homeowners tend to disregard these processes and make their property purchases based from impulsive decisions that are driven by emotions and ignorance instead of rational considerations. Unluckily, such hasty actions often lead to serious consequences. The inability to take appropriate real estate purchasing methods often lead to the procurement of a property without habitation license, refusal of utilities, unable to put the property for resale, poor house construction that may lead to accidents and worst having the house demolished.

Purchasing mistakes when you buy property abroad could cause legal troubles, stress and uncertainty that could last for a very long time results that prospective homeowners wouldn't like to happen. Purchase a property abroad hastily and you would surely lament your decisions in the near future. In order to avoid this from happening, getting things right can mean taking things one step at a time and doing a lot of research. If you would be able to do these things, you would certainly enjoy your overseas property without getting into any legal trouble.

It cannot be denied that it is tempting to search for property investments whenever you're in a holiday vacation, and it does make sense to purchase property in a location that you know and you enjoy than putting your money in a property in an uncharted territory. However, you should also take into account that holidays aren't the appropriate time to scout for property investments because it is more likely that you are not on your logical mind during these times, which means you have to organize a schedule for your property-hunting visits. It is also important that you look at different locations and real estate investments so as to properly make comparisons and assessments. A well acknowledged location that holds functional property investments that you could try are the homes for sale in Guam.

The price of homes for sale in Guam are way competitive than the ones found in other countries, though the biggest fees could come from real estate agents, with 4% to 10% of the property value payable by the seller, while the buyer shoulders all the remaining fees like title insurance, recording fees and escrow fee. There are no constraints in terms of foreign property ownership; however, Guam laws allow foreigners to own only one owner-occupied property under their personal names if they are not citizens of the USA or if they do not have any plans of acquiring permanent residency in this US territory.

Let's just say that you finally found your dream house in one of the homes for sale in Guam, the next thing that you would have to do is to check if there are associated issues with the property you like to purchase that could posit future problems on your side. The first action that you have to take is to have the property inspected and surveyed in order to analyze its physical condition and know if there are structural problems such as subsidence or if roof replacements are needed, which will cost extra finances for you later. Once you are assured that there are no issues associated with your prospective property, the next things that you have to attend to include some form of a title, written documents of who owns what, and series of contracts that fall under two categories: first is the preliminary contract that contains the owners commitment of selling the property and the buyer's commitment to purchase the property along with some form of deposit, and secondly, the completion of the closing contract that would finalize and set the deal. With all these, it would be necessary for you to have your personal legal representative and not the one suggested by the selling agent to ensure that your interests are well represented, the property bound are clearly outlined and there would be no ownership disputes later.

If you will buy a property in Tamuning, for instance, with the objective of using it as a profitable investment, you must give emphasis on the financial elements of such prospective property. If you intend to earn an income through rentals, you must look at the local rental market in order for you to properly outline the returns that you should expect. It is also important that you do some consumer research in order to gauge the rate of occupancy in the area where you intend to purchase your property compared to a property in a nearby community along with the costs like utility bills, taxes, housekeeping so that you could make realistic estimates. All in all, purchasing property overseas has many drawbacks and requirements; however, these things should not hold you from owning a property as the rewards you would receive are far greater than the drawbacks you are likely to experience.

To buy property abroad, whether it is one of the homes for sale in Guam or a holiday house in Spain, it is essential to carry out your purchase with careful analysis, planning and legally adherent execution. For example you wish to purchase a rental house in Tamuning, your decisions should not be persuaded by your emotions but should be based on rational considerations.

Published August 16th, 2010

Filed in Real Estate

 

 

 

 

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