Indians Among The Biggest Investors In Residential Real Estate Abroad

Chinese, Canadians, British, Mexicans and Indians ─ can you guess what is similar among them? The answer is their appetite for real estate investments. Reports claim that Indians are among the fifth-largest investors in residential properties across the globe. This is not surprising. Most Indians reckon property ownership as the most crucial investment in their lifetimes. In the absence of social security schemes, land has always been our top priority. So where are Indians buying homes outside their own country?

Here's a look:

The United States

According to the National Association of Realtors, between April 2016 and March 2017, Indians invested $7.8 billion in US real estate. The most preferred property markets included Florida, Texas, California, New Jersey and Arizona. A new president, the valuation of the dollar against the Indian currency and the tweaks in the visa system seemed not to have deterred NRI from investing. Most such investors abroad see the US market as a sort of security blanket which is prone to lesser tumult as compared to the Indian property market and even the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Not long back, Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia, had said that their online searches showed that Indians were mostly looking for homes in and around the Silicon Valley, where people from this country were heavily recruited. There were also investments close to educational institutes and suburbs.

The United Kingdom

The Sotheby's International Wealth Report previously estimated that in the next five years after 2015, ultra-high net worth individuals from India would be putting in as much as £1 billion every year in UK real estate. Reports suggest that over 3,000 Indian families own some of the most luxurious properties in London's prize catch districts such as Mayfair, South Kensington, Chelsea, Baker Street, Belgravia, St James, Portman Square and the like. In 2015, Indians investors outnumbered other Asian, Russian, West-Asian and continental European homebuyers in the UK. Brexit seem to have added more charm to property in London.

Australia

Did you hear that Steve Waugh, the Australian cricketer with a great professional record, is now projecting Australian real estate markets to Indian expats? For experts, the Indian middle-class is a potential target.

Experts believe that being Commonwealth countries, both India and Australia have similarities which really helps them bonds. The Chinese may still be the dominant foreign real estate investors across Australia but the fact that Indian property exhibitors are letting leading Australia's leading developers to showcase in India proves that Indians are open to the property market in Australia.

Parts of Asia

Well, being Asians, we cannot forgo the thought of an investment in places such as Tokyo and Bangkok, both of which have been attractive owing to low taxes on rental income. Minato in Tokyo is one such area where the business district and the cosmopolitan culture pull in more buyers. Another hotspot could be Pattaya in Thailand where condos would be as inexpensive as a starting price of Rs 35 lakh.

The United Arab Emirates

The Gulf land has always welcomed Indian emigrates.  A Government of Dubai's Land Department record suggests that Indian alone contributed to Dh 12 billion towards property transactions as compared to an overall contribution of Dh 91 billion. Over 6000 Indian buyers have purchased homes here. Most Indians find Dubai as a wise avenue to reap good returns and swear by the tax-free environment. Given that Dubai and India are geographically close, this becomes an added attraction.  

Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) permits Indians to invest up to $2,00,000 per year in foreign markets. However, make sure that you are clear about regulatory mechanisms and land and property laws in foreign shores.