How to Write the Best Property Description to Find Foreign Investors?

We have already established in the previous posts that during all those coronavirus restrictions in the world, we mostly can count on real estate foreign buyers who are investors and purchase properties based on the financials.

Yes, writing a home description to attract foreign investors is more complicated than doing it the old usual way everybody had been using for years: size, beauty, facilities, location… (unfortunately, often we can see lots of properties for sale with descriptions missing even some of these mandatory features…)

Now, let’s forget the old rules and start calculating the profit that an imaginary foreign investor could get from your property (if this is possible of course…). Treat the sale of your residential property as if it’s commercial.

There are actually 2 types of profiting from real estate: rental income and price appreciation with time. Look at both possibilities carefully, find the historic data of real estate prices in your area, rental prices and costs now, show some forecast maybe, etc. Calculate approximate financials of your property for sale, and if they look good you might be way ahead of any other real estate seller in these difficult times, and foreign buyers will come to you!

Happy blog reading,

Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2020 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

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Who are Perfect Foreign Buyers for Your Property for Sale during Covid-19?

While traveling is restricted all over the world, it’s obvious that just only international INVESTORS are still buying profit-making real estate in foreign countries – as buying for their own families vacations would usually require personal visits and viewing of the property they want to buy.

Let’s look at 2 recent descriptions of condos for sale in South Florida – both are 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, more or less the same asking price around $300k AND in the same very rare(!) building in Miami-Dade county that allows short-term rentals:

1. “ALLOWED SHORT TERM RENTALS, 1 block from the beautiful beaches, 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms. The unit offers open views and very bright natural light, excellent for investors. LOW- EXPENSES WITH HIGH RETURNS, large balcony/terrace, open view of the park, assigned parking. The HOA includes maintenance of common areas, water, waste, cable, and internet. The areas close to restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, and more”

AND

2. “Here comes a great corner unit! These corners are almost never for sale. Now is the chance to acquire one! In absolutely perfect condition and furnished with high quality furniture. Good taste all over. One block to the beach, restaurants, shops, etc. Can make a 3rd bedroom with the den if desired”

So, being an investor, would you consider the first or the second condo??? The answer is obvious – what investor would care about the “good taste” of the previous owner of the second unit while the “short-term rentals are allowed” in the first one!!!

Pay attention to features attractive for investors and you’ll be able to sell your property successfully to foreign buyers even at the times of crisis.

Happy blog reading,

Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2020 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

Foreign Investors for Your Real Estate for Sale during Time of Crisis

Although the world seems to have stopped during these times of the coronavirus outbreak, many people are still making money and looking for real estate to invest it in. And properties are being sold, although the numbers of sales are down, of course.

Let’s see who is buying and what? Definitely the markets for homes where families are going to live in, are on hold due to travel bans and restrictions on social contacts, etc. But what about real estate INVESTORS? They are interested not in viewing a property for sale to discover its beauty, but exclusively in profit it can bring into their pockets, right?

If it was always obvious for commercial properties to calculate CAP and ROI, how about to do the same for your home for sale, for instance, – if renting it out is an option for a new future owner?

Thus, the today’s marketing idea for any property for sale is the following: try and describe it as a profit-making property first of all. (Yes, the seller or his agent should do some research for that – for example, to find out about rental prices, possibilities and trends in the area, etc.)

The profit-making option may attract INVESTORS to purchase your home for sale (and foreign investors including, of course, if you market properly – in the foreign internet too). Remember: while regular home buyers put their dreams on hold, INVESTORS are quietly buying in difficult times.

Later we’ll talk more about creating real estate listings that beat any competition by attracting the foreign investors in these times of crisis.

Happy blog reading,
Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2020 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

Update on Amazon Books on the Topic: International Real Estate Buyers

As you probably had multiple chances to notice that Amazon search results you receive each time, vary a lot depending on the key words or phrases you try. For example, the list will be different for “foreign buyers” and “international buyers” although for a human being there is no difference in the meaning of these two key words.

 

Ok, let’s search Amazon Books for “international real estate buyers”. There are 100+ books, and approximately 60% of them are e-books with an average price of $10 – very affordable.

As it always happens with any automatic search, some results are not so much on the topic, and you have to decide on their usefulness for yourself looking at particular title descriptions. (I have looked at several, and they seemed to be more about general real estate buyers rather than international ones.)

Anyway, many of the e-books we have found, are right on the topic of marketing and selling properties world-wide (my own e-books including).

And while getting ready for the after-covid19 world to be open again, you might want to read about:

= How to Build Trust with Buyers and Partners: Practical Advice to Achieve Success in International Real Estate Sales

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZ86G93

= How to Find the Best Foreign Realtors and Make Your Offer of Cooperation in Sale Irresistible to Them

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BDSMM80

= How to Efficiently Advertise Your Property for Sale Internationally  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BTCNYE6

= How to Sell Real Estate to the Russians

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C3DOB4M

= How to Sell Real Estate to the Chinese: Overview http://www.amazon.com/dp/B072JYX43F

= How to Plan and Budget for Success in International Property Sales
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CZ1K0XI

= How to Be the First on Foreign Google

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H0Q2ZGI

= How to Convert Foreign Internet Visitors into Real Estate Buyers
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2BA00Y

= How to Use Free Online Translation in Real Estate Business http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JGQB71Y

= A Case Study of Effective Low-Budget Real Estate Marketing to Foreign Buyers: (Interview with Jessica Marks, Real Estate Marketing Specialist) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LDIEY4U

= The Beginner’s Guide to Selling Real Estate to Foreign Buyers
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MED0JTH

Happy blog reading,

Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2020 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

How Your Local Foreign Community Can Help with Selling to Foreign Buyers

Foreign buyers of real estate may originate from foreign countries as well as from foreign communities in your neighborhood. For example, according to Pew Research there are about 50 million foreign-born people mostly living in 20 metropolitan areas in the US – may be quite a market for a property for sale, right?

Of course, the first thing to do would be to find out whether the population of your country and area “fits the bill” – means whether there are immigrants settling around your property for sale and from what country or countries they come from.

At that moment we have to remind ourselves that people always prefer their own mother’s language over a new acquired language of their new country where they may settle for whatever reason.

Also anybody tends to remember and love their native country’s culture, that’s why immigrants create communities with magazines, newspapers in their native languages, events and even chambers of commerce – in some areas where the immigrant population speaking the same native language is significant enough for vibrant business life within the community. Look for your foreign buyers there!

For example, in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida some stats say that about 20% of the population speak Russian as their first language. There are Russian shops and restaurants, many other businesses with Russian-speaking personnel around the city. And of course, magazines and newspapers with advertising in Russian!

If there is one or another local foreign community around your area, using the various possibilities it can provide to market your property for sale may be the best marketing decision you can make to successfully sell the property to foreign buyers.

Happy blog reading,

Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2020 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

Pocket Listings and Real Estate Marketing to Foreign Buyers

It happens that a property owner wants to sell, but at the same time doesn’t want the general public to be informed about it ahead of time, and thus the usual real estate marketing methods are not possible. When and why does it happen?

If this is a commercial property that sells with the business connected, the current owner may fear that the existing clients would feel disturbed by the news and go to a competitor ahead of the future change of management, and this would let the sale price down (who wants to pay a top price for a business with not large number of clients?).

If this is a private property, the owner may fear that the inside pictures of his luxury dwelling would be available for everybody to see, and this would affect his privacy and safety.

Anyway, how to sell a property if it’s not allowed to be publicized (so called a pocket listing)? Pocket listings may be very comfortable for sellers in some circumstances, and also very lucrative for their realtors, but at the same time they are very difficult to market. Where to find a buyer?

The problem may be solved by marketing to foreign buyers in a foreign language on the foreign internet. Thus, the owner may be fully aware that nobody in his surrounding would know about his intent to sell the property (who on Earth is going to search the internet in other languages?), but the property marketing still can be done as wide as desired – to the foreign buyers in the foreign languages on the foreign internet in the foreign countries.

Of course, this approach requires a comprehensive preliminary research of all the marketing possibilities: the foreign buyers from what countries might be mostly interested in this particular property for sale?

Happy blog reading,
Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2019 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

Marketing to Foreign Buyers is a Way to Increase Real Estate Sales in Slow Market

We know that in the Seller’s market realtors and developers do not need to do a lot of marketing actually as homes sell themselves, while in the Buyer’s market the situation is quite the opposite: to sell a home would be a hard task to complete.

We remember the good times about 15 years ago when leaving the door of your condo building in Florida we saw people hanging around and asking whether somebody could sell something here – they were ready to buy anything at all.

Then we also remember the bad times about 10 years ago when the market was down and realtors who didn’t do an adequate marketing went to drive a taxi to make a living.

So, real estate markets go up and down and a wise seller should be always ready for any situation.

One of the best ideas for slow times is Marketing Real Estate to Foreign Buyers.

Of course, to sell a particular property would require some research: is it in demand by international investors and from what country or countries?

An example: there had been a financial crisis in Greece and the locals didn’t buy even when the real estate prices were low. What helped the sellers? International marketing. Some sources say that about one third of Greek properties are being sold to the foreign buyers.

Another example: the number of the Chinese buyers of the US homes went down, but they still had bought American homes for a billion of dollars in each quarter of the year. An intelligent US seller would increase his marketing efforts in China in such circumstances – to be ahead of the competition, right?

Happy blog reading,

Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2019 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

Tips on Real Estate Cross Cultural Selling

We’ve talked a lot in this blog about foreign languages in marketing and selling real estate to foreign buyers. The language issue is called the number one in all kinds of reports, guides, articles, etc. on the topic of international real estate sales, and I hope we’ve already discussed the ways to overcome the obstacle (see many previous posts tagged ‘foreign languages’ here).

We’ve talked about the cultural differences of the foreign buyers as well, but probably not enough, that’s why I’d like to put together some more general information. The cultural diversity is considered the number two issue by many professionals in the international real estate field.

Some practical tips on real estate cross cultural marketing and selling:

– First of all you may want to visit your local library, consult with a knowledgeable librarian to help you find one or two books on the cultural diversities in general – with the accent on business and selling to customers of a different culture. This way you’d have a feel of the issue and would learn what is important to take into consideration.

– Then you should decide for yourself exactly – the buyers of what culture or cultures you are going to attract to your properties for sale. This way you’d narrow the field to your own needs.

– Now you are ready to find out more about your chosen culture or cultures of the future international buyers. It’s not that huge task as you may think and it’s also fun to do – especially if you limit yourself to proper sources with the concentrated knowledge of the subject.

I can help you with all you need to know about selling to the Russians (personal experience) and Chinese (in-depth comprehensive research that summarizes many sources):

= How to Sell Real Estate to the Russians (E-Series: How to Beat Your Competition Selling Real Estate to Foreign Buyers, Book 3)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C3DOB4M

= How to Sell Real Estate to the Chinese: Overview (E-Series: How to Beat Your Competition Selling Real Estate to Foreign Buyers, Book 10)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B072JYX43F

Happy blog reading,
Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2019 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

Internet Almighty. Real Estate Foreign Buyers. What Data Can We Trust?

Nowadays everybody searches the internet for anything, including international real estate trends, news and data, of course. Often people make rather important real estate marketing decisions based on the information they collect on the internet.

How trustable are the internet sources? Hmmm… Everybody can post anything… Sometimes they might have their own hidden reasons…

Recently I’ve checked some articles on the topic of the Russian real estate investors’ preferences while buying internationally. Interestingly, some say that they prefer resorts, some say commercial buildings, some say homes and condos… Who are the authors? Real estate bloggers on various realtors’ websites. Guess what? The companies they represent just specialize in that type of real estate they say is #1. Well, I think they do not lie, they only use a limited amount of data.

The new term “fake news” has appeared in politics first, but it could spread to any other field, like lifestyle, for example. You can find controversial postings about the same matters at the same time. Also views have a tendency to change.

Do you remember the old times when coffee had been considered leading to cancer? Now some researchers say coffee is full of antioxidants and coffee drinkers live longer. Taking supplements? In the past calcium was kind of obligatory for women of certain age, now some say it has health risks. Etc.

Anyway, here on our turf we are always interested in exact, correct and up to date info on real estate foreign buyers to make our decision – to market or not to market our property for sale to them?

Tips on researching the real estate foreign buyers’ trends:

– When you search for information, pay attention to the original source only, not letting multiple re-postings fool you to think that this particular view is dominating the field.

– Also look at the author and try to evaluate – is it an independent journalist or a realtor promoting his business?

– And of course, look at the year of a publication, as real estate trends may differ with time.

Happy blog reading,

Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2019 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved

Tips on Real Estate Translations

To continue the previous topic of foreign languages in real estate marketing to foreign buyers: I expect that covering practical questions about translation would be interesting for many property sellers, realtors and developers.

Of course, you are lucky if you master a foreign language of your potential buyers yourself. It’s a fact that some of the foreign buyers prefer a bilingual realtor who speaks his language too, in a foreign country where the buyer is going to purchase a property.

Not all the buyers prefer a realtor of their own national original though – some international buyers think that it’s better to use a realtor in a foreign country who belongs to “the natives” so to speak. It’s a fact too.

Thus, if you do not know the language of the country from which you want to attract the buyers, you have to use translation services in your real estate marketing and communication with the foreigners. (The costs are negligible in comparison with the sales potential!)

I’ve already written a lot on the best ways of getting the most effective real estate marketing in the foreign languages and at the same time saving as much as possible (without losing quality!) on translation.

Here are some links to my articles on the topic:

-How to Choose the Right Translator (Part 1)
https://foreignbuyers.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/choose-right-translator-part-1/

-How to Choose the Right Translator (Part 2)
https://foreignbuyers.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/choose-right-translator-part-2/

-How to save on translation of marketing material and local communication help for foreign buyers (Part 1)
https://foreignbuyers.wordpress.com/2017/07/21/save-translation-marketing-material-local-communication-help-foreign-buyers-1/

-How to save on translation of marketing material and local communication help for foreign buyers (Part 2)
https://foreignbuyers.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/save-translation-marketing-material-local-communication-help-foreign-buyers-2/

-English Russian Translator Olga Kellen (these are my own credentials)
http://www.english-and-russian.com/english-russian-translator.html

Happy blog reading,
Olga Kellen,
The Amazon Author
International Marketing Consultant and English-Russian Translator

Copyright © 2019 by Olga Kellen
All Rights Reserved