![]() |
Real Estate Information |
|
|
Residential Property Abroad
It is increasingly common for individuals to own more than one property and in many cases the first investment after the family residence is in a holiday home. Whether you are buying a place in the sun, a country retreat or a city centre apartment, if it is in a foreign country you will be exposed to an unfamiliar legal system and to taxes in the country concerned. It is therefore important, even before a contract is signed, to decide whether to make the purchase in your personal name or through a company. To change course later will always be expensive. It is however usually possible to reduce exposure to tax. Buying in a personal name Assuming the property is for personal occupation, the form of tax, which is most easily avoided, is estate or inheritance tax. The death of the person in whose name the property is registered will normally give rise to a liability which may exceed 40% of the value at the time and the tax will usually have to be paid before the property can be sold or transferred. Buying in a corporate name If, however, the property is purchased in the name of a company, the death of the owner does not create a need to transfer the property. The property will be owned by the company, and it is the shares in the company which will form part of the owner's estate and not the property itself. If the company is formed in an offshore territory, the British Virgin Islands for example, which does not impose taxation on non-residents, the objective of avoiding foreign death taxes will have been achieved. There is a bonus, in that the name of the owner of the company need not be a matter of public record, thereby maintaining confidentiality. Ownership through an offshore company will also ensure that, on death, the property will pass to the intended heirs. It will overcome the forced inheritance provisions found in the civil law and in Sharia law. Purchasing through a company does increase the cost. The purchase may attract a higher rate of stamp duty, the company will need to be professionally managed and it may be required to file a tax return. These costs are however generally modest in relation to the potential tax saving. Some words of caution Some countries, whether in an attempt to prevent tax evasion by their residents, as part of increased international co-operation against tax avoidance or merely to raise revenue from non-voting foreigners, impose taxes on a notional income of companies incorporated in tax- free centres, but not against companies formed in taxing locations. Examples are France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Argentina. Others, such as the U.K. have hit on the wheeze of taxing their residents on a notional benefit, where the property is owned by a company rather than by the taxpayer personally, and no occupational rent is paid. Foreign investors in U.K. property are not discriminated against however. The answer, as always, is to take advice before acting. The Chesterfield Group provides a full range of trustee, and corporate advisory, formation and management services and invites enquiries. More particulars can be found on our web-site http://www.chesterfield-management.comREF=CH4EZ
MORE RESOURCES: Also: David W. Higgins, David Bohnett and more. Reality TV star and singer Heidi Montag has been hiding out by the beach this summer at a Malibu place she rented for $25,000 a month, according to the Multiple Listing Service. But she moved on in late August, and the gated contemporary is back on the market at $5.5 million. A Long Beach couple struggling with mortgage payments find out their home's been auctioned off by Wells Fargo when the new owner's representative shows up on their doorstep. Mike and Ellen Kahara knew times were tough. They'd run up about $30,000 in debt on their credit cards and had fallen about $8,000 behind on their mortgage payments. The 1960s Buff & Hensman-designed Wong House has a pool, a walled garden and downtown and ocean views. It seems as though actress Scarlett Johansson had no sooner sold her old place in the Hollywood Hills than she and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, closed on a house in Los Feliz for $2.9 million. Completed a few years ago, a Normandy-style estate was built to look a century old. Glen and Linda Keane felt guilty about tearing down the O'Melveny family home. After all, John O'Melveny was part of a group of Los Angeles businessmen who formed Lake Arrowhead Co. in the 1920s and oversaw the lake's development into a popular resort destination. The mortgage giant quietly launches the HomePath program, which offers subprime-era terms for buyers: minimal down payments, no appraisals, no mortgage insurance and lower minimum credit scores. If you're a buyer with little cash or a small-scale investor looking for a deal on a foreclosed house, a little-publicized national lending program could be just what you need this fall. How some of our previously featured properties have fared in the sales market. Buff & Hensman-designed beach house Lenders lose an estimated $310 million annually in undervalued short-sale transactions, according to a study released in August.
Question: I am fed up with my homeowners association and successive boards for sabotaging owner requests for records and refusing to fix maintenance problems in common areas that directly affect individual units. I believe I have no other choice than to sue the association and the boards. What are the steps I have to take?
Keeping tenant out over concerns of illegal activities may be viewed as a 'constructive eviction.' Such moves as changing the locks to prevent access can bring significant penalties. Question: I own a couple of houses that I rent out for extra income. Unfortunately, they are not in the best part of our town. I have a tenant living in one of them who may be dealing drugs or doing something else illegal because the police have arrested him several times. Every time he is arrested he makes bail and returns to the house in a day or so. Even though he pays the rent on time, I realize that I can't continue to allow him to live in my house. My plan is to change the locks the next time he is arrested, so he can't come back into the house. I know that I need to protect his property inside the house if I do this, but my plan is to move his belongings into a storage locker. I can't afford a lawyer to file an eviction case, so this is my only alternative. Will I be OK if I do this? July's increase from June in the National Assn. of Realtors' gauge for previously owned residences follows two straight months of declines and a report that sales of such homes dived 27.2%. An index of home purchase contracts for previously owned dwellings unexpectedly increased 5.2% in July over June, the National Assn. of Realtors said Thursday, a modest note of good news for the U.S. housing market. |
RELATED ARTICLES
Real Estate Values or Just Bad Habits There are several small businesses that retain hundred year old traditions. Hand-dipped chocolates, fresh flowers and cloth napkins on every table in a restaurant, or mints and roses on a guest's pillow at a B&B. Buying Property in Bulgaria : How to Avoid Making A Bad Investment Where is it possible to buy a property on your credit card? Bulgaria, of course! With thousands of potential property buyers seduced by Bulgaria's bargain property prices, the temptation is to think that making a solid return is a no-brainer! Searching the Internet, dozens of articles and property websites boast about the 100% capital growth that can be achieved on Bulgarian property investments in the space of 12 months.For first time investors with small budgets looking for a step onto the property ladder, this seems like an opportunity almost too good to be true! The result is that thousands of novice speculators and second homebuyers are flocking to Bulgaria to cash in on the investment opportunities it offers. Time Is A Major Real Estate Wealth Growth Tool, So Use IT And Watch Your... In Real Estate "Time" is a Wealth Development ToolsReal estate wealth,From The Desk Of Colm DillonHello, Colm here .. Want To Be Profitable In This Real Estate Bubble? I'll Show You How In Just Three Easy Steps STEP#1. First you have to recognize that in order to make money in almost any market (i. How To Get The Best Rental Accommodation In The Area By Using Your Capital My report is for you to use your power to negotiate, not only a reduced weekly cost of accommodation, but also to get the best accommodation available in the area in which you wish to live.Hello Colm Dillon here . How to Build Your Free House What if you could "place an order" for the construction your Dream House (made either for your family, or for monthly rental income) and have it built for you in only a few months, or maybe weeks?!What if you could get other people to do all the work.. Easing Your Way Into Homeownership: A Guide To Low Down Payment Mortgage Programs There's no question about it: Buying a first home is a big financial commitment. In most cases, a home is the largest single purchase an individual or family will make in a lifetime. What Should I Do If My Home Isnt Selling? Suppose you've been trying to sell your home for months. You haven't had even a nibble from a prospective buyer. Real Estate Investing with Bad Credit! By being creative, you can play the game of real estate investing by using what is called Option's investing.This is just one technique of the Option's strategy of investing but can be a power tool in your investors toolbox to help you control more real estate and build wealth. Property for Sale in Piemonte Italy is Attracting British Interest The Region has four distinct seasons but in general possesses a Mediterranean feel strongly influenced by the proximity of the Mediterranean Sea. Winters are short and cold (the snow and mountains providing spectacular scenery for the region's ski resorts). OPM - The Art of Leveraging Equity lender, hard money lender, private investor or what ever term one uses can be a great source of funds to do real estate transactions and the question of how to find them comes up often!There are numerous ways to do this, and no two investors are exactly alike, so it's important to be innovative and customize your proposal to the specific "hot buttons" for each funding source.One of the greatest advantages of real estate investing is the power of leveraging other people's money. Escalation Clauses - A Home Buyers Secret Weapon Today we discuss escalation clauses because much of the country is experiencing an extreme "sellers' market." By that, I mean there are more buyers than there are sellers, and that results in sellers' getting more than one offer to buy their property. Before Selling Your Home Here are some important steps you should take before you put your house on the market:1. Home Loan Approval for your next HomeYou don't want to be signing a contract to sell your house before knowing if you are qualified to buy another. Why A Final Inspection Is Necessary In the sales contract, the sellers of your new home agreed to leave all the light fixtures, custom blinds, and refrigerator. When you walk in the home on moving day, to your surprise, all of those things are gone. How To Sell A Home That Didnt Sell If your home has just come off the market and hasn't sold, don't be discouraged. The reason it didn't sell may have nothing to do with your home. Internet Battleground for Future of Residential Real Estate Real estate agents are gearing up to face the biggest shift in their industry since it's beginning. No longer the first in the path of homebuyers and sellers, agents have gone from top feeders to the bottom feeders with real estate consumers in just a few years. Dont Get Stuck Having To Deal With The Sellers Household Hazardous Wastes - After You Move In! I have a confession to make!I was just outside with Frankie (my dog) and noticed I stillhad an old car battery sitting by the foundation, at therear of my house.Yes, I'll admit it's not right, and quite environmentallyinsensitive for me to have it there. Important Facts For Home Buyers If you are considering buying a home or have spent many years saving in preparation of buying a home, the questions and process involved in buying a home can be extremely stressful. As exciting as it is to begin looking for your new home, there are many unexpected costs and details to be considered before contacting a real estate agent. Secrets of Making Money from Real Estate - Part 2 Leverage: With real estate, people and companies will lend you money to invest. How much real estate can you buy with $20,000? Probably between $100,000-$300,000, depending on the lender. How to Create Cash Flow Out of Thin Air! Want to see a trick every real estate investor will love?From the Desk of Thomas KishCrazy as it may sound.. |
| home | site map | |
| Realty Web Services © 2007 | MesaSky Services |