Worldwide financial outlooks are not keen, and many people do not see a bright future with current investment opportunities what with the end results of a decade of irresponsible and dishonest politicians manipulating entire global markets in order to line their pockets. Some countries are struggling to put the pieces back together like the United States and Ireland, while some countries are hovering precipitously near the edge, and desperately begging for help from the EU, like Greece and Italy. Even the mighty and burgeoning China has taken a series of direct hits to the financial belt-line, and she reels under the duress.
As the old saying goes, you cannot build indeterminately, you have to incorporate a period of rest. Let’s say that many economies are taking a much needed rest in order to re-align themselves under ethical and competent guidelines. At least we can hope that they are re-establishing ethical monetary guidelines. But let’s move on to the investment opportunities that exist here and now. You may assume that this is not an investors market, but I assure you, in many ways it is. Let’s just take one market and explore how it has become an incredible investment opportunity; the Real Estate market. The economies, both nationwide and worldwide are going to start getting better, the investor just has to have patience and faith.
Real Estate, really?
Yes, really. Real Estate prices across the United States and Europe and Asia have plummeted, the biggest drops occurring over the last five years. In certain parts of the United States what once cost over $400,000 is now selling for 80,000 to 100,000 dollars, and getting no buyers. Anywhere in the Rust Belt of the US is a excellent place to start, when looking for investment properties. The Rust Belt of the US is typically considered the old manufacturing corridor, straddling the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. While de-industrialization of these areas has given rise to a lower per capita income in general, these areas still represent large swathes of the industrial sector, and since they tend to be large cities and townships that have all of their services and infrastructures intact and functioning well, they represent good areas for investing in real estate.
You can purchase a delightful home in a good part of town, rent it out for a period of 3-5 years, and then sell it in a market better suited for making a profit. Investment properties offer the investor the chance to get something at unheard of pricing, and if the investor hangs on to the property for at least 3 years, they will recognize a profit. These are not run-down properties with enormous repair bills; they are pristine properties that can be maintained at a high level of functionality and aesthetic with a minimum of effort and cost.
Rural Investment Opportunities in Real Estate
It is not strictly an investment opportunity in the larger cities and towns though. Rural areas are beginning to look darned smart for the investor that has an eye toward the future, and the wherewithal to be patient, and purchase in the right place. Many rural areas are possessed of the infrastructure and services necessary for a minimum standard of living but offer far more beauty, peace and quiet than the city scenario. In the US alone, more and more retirees and young people are headed to rural areas, whether for the reasonable pricing of housing, or the opportunity to start an organic farm.
The demographics of Americans looking to start organic farms knows no age barrier, from 22 to 65 years old, American are flocking to the rural and semi-rural areas to grow their own, as it were. Organic farms are springing up all over the US, it is one of the largest growing sectors in the agricultural complex today; the demand for organic foods being driven by massive customer demand. An organic farm can function excellently on no more than three acres, provided the soil is favorable, and water is uncontaminated. A savvy investor can scoop up large chunks of rural land across the US, and worldwide for that matter, and then sell them off in smaller portions to the buyer.
Retirement Communities and Investment Opportunities
More and more retirement communities in the US are heading to the country. A lack of pollution, crime, and high taxes are an enormous draw for the retirees, while the peaceful and stress-free living the rural areas offers is yet another extremely attractive factor in the rural retirement community. Retirement communities are being established in the rural areas of the US rapidly, with the aging of a certain sector of the American population, and the desire of the retirees to make a limited income last longer.
If you plan on buying property with the intent to build a retirement community yourself, or with plans to sell it to a retirement community developer, you need to make sure that a series of things are in effect before you purchase the land. Access is a immense factor for the remote retirement community, how extensive are the roads to and from the community, and how well are they maintained? What types of services are offered to the potential retirees, and how far are those services away? These services include hospitals, grocery stores, retail outlets, etc. Often in the United States, one can be no further than 20 miles away from a large city or town, but the surroundings and atmosphere will make it feel like it is 100 miles away. Keep that in mind when looking to buy rural investment properties.
More City Investment Opportunities—the Multi-family Housing Unit
The multi-family housing unit is another investment opportunity available predominantly in the cities, and if purchased in a good area, they can be an investment goldmine. Again, make sure the area is not an unpleasant one, and that the investment property shows a strong and steady rental income. Be prepared to do some clean-up and painting after every tenant has vacated, rental properties require a minimum of upkeep on a yearly basis, no matter what the terms of the rental agreement are. When the economy does pick up, and it will, you own a property that you can sell for much more than you paid for it, and you can probably increase your rents if you choose. DO not make the mistake of thinking the economy is going to continue to plummet, things (in the US at least) are already well on their way to turning around, and this may be the perfect time for you to take a second look at real estate investment opportunities.
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