The land of the free and the home of the brave is also the best place for real estate investors to bring their money, according to the annual survey on global markets from the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE).
“The investment opportunity is the United States, itself,” said James A. Fetgatter, CEO of AFIRE. “The real estate fundamentals are sound; the economy continues to remain strong; there are opportunities across all sectors of the real estate spectrum and in both gateway and secondary cities. The recent legislation bringing welcome relief from certain FIRPTA [Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980] taxes should provide additional incentives for foreign investment into the U.S. In an environment that is regarded both as the safest and most secure in the world, with a strong currency and the best opportunity for capital appreciation, the U.S. is the safest harbor.”
According to the latest AFIRE survey, 60 percent of respondents said the U.S. offered the most stable and secure environment for real estate investments, far outpacing second-place Germany at 19 percent. Nearly half of respondents identified the U.S. for providing the best opportunity for capital appreciation—Brazil was a very distant second, at 17 percentwhile 85 percent of respondents expressed year-over-year confidence in the viability of the U.S. real estate market;
By property types, U.S. multifamily and industrial opportunities tied for first place as the preferred investment target, with retail in third place, office properties in fourth and lodging in fifth.
On a global city perspective, New York retained its number one position as the preferred location for real estate investment, followed by London in second, Los Angeles in third, Berlin in fourth and San Francisco in fifth. As for the real estate investors eager to take a chance in emerging markets, Brazil was the top choice, followed by China in second, Mexico and Chile in a tie for third and India and Peru in a tie for fifth place.
