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Buy Property Abroad: Guam

by Alison Ward

If you are to buy property abroad there is a need to follow a methodical and systematic process, carried out with careful analysis, planning and execution. But, most homeowners are often overpowered by their emotions rather than their rational considerations, which in turn allow them to make impulsive purchasing decisions. Sadly, these impulsive actions often lead to serious ramifications. The inability to follow real estate purchasing methods may end up with results like the property having no habitation license, refusal of utilities, inability for resale, poor house construction which may result to accidents and at times having the house demolished.

The mistakes that one make when he or she buy property abroad could result to legal troubles, stress and uncertainty that could stretch in the future results that any prospective homeowner would not like to experience. Purchase a property abroad hastily and you would surely lament your decisions in the near future. In order to avoid this from happening, getting things right can mean taking things one step at a time and doing a lot of research. If you're able to get these things right, you'll certainly enjoy your overseas home without worrying about legal troubles in the future.

It certainly is tempting to look for property investments while you're in a holiday, and it certainly makes sense to buy a property in a place you know and fond of as opposed to purchasing a property in an unknown territory. However, you should consider that holidays are not the right time to do your property scouting as you're not virtually on you rational mind during these periods, meaning you have to set the right time to truly indulge in property-hunting visit. You should also consider looking at a range of locations and real estate investments in order to make comparisons. A noteworthy location and property investments that you might want to try are the homes for sale in Guam.

The costs of homes for sale in Guam are comparatively lower than in other countries, though the biggest cost could be accounted to the real estate agent, between 4% to 10% of the value of the property which would be paid by the seller, while the buyer would shoulder all the other fees including the title insurance, recording fees and the escrow fee. There are no constraints in terms of foreign property ownership; however, Guam laws allow foreigners to own only one owner-occupied property under their personal names if they are not citizens of the USA or if they do not have any plans of acquiring permanent residency in this US territory.

Assuming that you have found your dream house in one of the homes for sale in Guam, the next thing that you would have to go through is to check whether there are associated problems with the property that you would like to buy. The first thing that you should consider doing is to have a survey or inspection undertaken to know the physical condition of the house, whether it is safe to live in and whether there are structural problems like subsidence or roof issues that could be burdensome for you. Once there are no issues, there is some form a title, written records of who owns what, and series of contracts that have to be signed, which falls into two stages: preliminary contract stating the owner's commitment to sell the property and the buyer's commitment to purchase it accompanied with some form of deposit, and second, the completion of closing contract that would seal the deal. With all these, it would be necessary for you to have your personal legal representative and not the one suggested by the selling agent to ensure that your interests are well represented, the property bound are clearly outlined and there would be no ownership disputes later.

If you would purchase a property, let's say in Tamuning, with investment primarily in mind, it is essential that you focus on the financial elements of your future purchase. If your objective is to get an income through rentals, it is advisable to search the local rental market so that you could establish the return that you should expect. It is also suggested to do a consumer research to properly measure the rate of rental occupancy in the location of your prospective property and compare it with nearby locations including costs such as utility bills, taxes, and housekeeping to know whether you would really earn in the future if you make such purchase. Overall, there are certain drawbacks associated to purchasing an overseas property; however, you should not use such drawbacks as a reason not to purchase a property as owning your own little piece overseas could definitely transform your life into a more meaningful one.

If you are to buy property abroad, let's say you've chosen one of the homes for sale in Guam specifically in Tamuning, it is important that you follow a systematic real estate purchasing method in order for you to get the best deal out of your money. Remember not to buy a property hastily as this could lead to stress, uncertainty and legal troubles that you would have to deal with for a long period of time.

Published August 16th, 2010

Filed in Real Estate