As you know, I run the rule over hundreds of real estate projects every year. In my personal capacity I am an extremely active real estate investor. Before I buy, I always appoint a trusted local attorney and rigorously follow my “12 Steps.”

We’ve compiled a Real Estate Trend Alert Members Report on these 12 steps. These are the critical things you need to know—and then do—before you make a real estate investment overseas.

Download your report here.

I strongly urge you to study these 12 Steps closely. Before considering any purchase you should re-read this report. This is valuable information gleaned from collective decades of experience. Colleagues spend most of their days filtering out projects that are defective in any of these 12 Steps. That’s why you only hear about 1% – 2% of the projects we look into.

It’s important for you as a real estate investor to arm yourself with the information to perform this analysis yourself.

Download your report here.

Ronan explains some of the reasons why Fortaleza, Brazil, is one of the hottest international real estate investment spots in the world right now. Then, he tells us why international real estate is a must in any investor’s portfolio.

Listen to Ronan’s presentation here.

Many of you are fearful about the medium term prospects for the dollar. This is one of the reasons investing in real estate in Brazil is so attractive. Real estate here is denominated in the Brazilian currency—the real. Brazil has energy, food, manufacturing, water and a young middle class population. Exactly what an emerging economy needs.

The real/dollar exchange rate has fluctuated wildly in the past couple of years. Exchange rate fluctuations have a direct impact on your investment.

The units I have recommended and have purchased myself will be perfect for short-term rental. They will generate real-denominated income. I like the idea of a future real-denominated income stream.

Today, we need to consider how we mange payments during the construction period. To remind you: A typical condo purchase in Brazil involves monthly payments of 1% during a three-year build period. Once you take possession of your unit you typically have the option (although this can vary from deal to deal) to continue to pay 1% per month plus interest on the outstanding balance.

What options do we have that will hedge this exchange rate exposure? Let’s assume the unit you are buying costs 200,000 reais ($106,000 at today’s exchange rate).

The real isn’t forward traded so you can’t hedge using a standard forward contract. We need to be more creative.

Read the full article here.

“Ronan, I’m looking for opportunities that throw off a strong rental yield. Different countries have different buying, selling, property and income taxes. How can I compare…?”

This is one of the questions I get asked most frequently when I meet Real Estate Trend Alert members in person. True, things can be confusing. But the answer is straight forward: You run the numbers.

Last year on one of our scouting trips to Fortaleza (having visited a project perfect for short-term rental) bedlam broke out on the bus. We were all trying to calculate a projected yield on the back of an envelope or in our heads. We could only settle the matter and analyze the scenarios by running the numbers.

Read the full article here.