Saturday, January 7, 2012

Real Estate Forecasting for 2012 - Investment Property Sector to SeeGrowth - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)


Professionals Realty Group USA (ProsUSA) President Glenn Melton reports that the recent Chinese government's liberalization of restrictions on investing capital outside of the country will have a positive trickling down affect on real estate brokers and agents' business in the United States.

"The relaxing of Chinese foreign investment policies will create an influx of Chinese investment capital overseas," states Melton. "This will spur investments in the Asia Pacific regions, as well as the United States; especially given the concern that central government intervention to contain overheated domestic housing prices will lead Chinese investors to seek other opportunities abroad."

U.S. Congress is also actively finding new ways to spur international investment in the U.S. A new legislative bill introduced by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) proposes to offer a temporary residency visa to immigrants who spend at least $500,000 on a home in the United States.

So what does this mean for real estate brokers and agents in the U.S.? According to Melton, "The real estate investment sector is rapidly evolving with more investors interested in real estate portfolios than one-off transactions - and we will truly see its fruits in the next 18 to 24 months. Real estate brokers and agents have an opportunity to be ahead of the curve and take a bigger position in the investment real estate space, whether foreign or domestic."

He adds, "Establishing easy and safe access to American real estate now will position real estate professionals for a natural flow of investment business down the line."