by Russell M. Stewart
The gloom and doom of global currency exchange rates is hardly missable, with news headlines and current rates being splashed about everywhere telling us that we’re in global crisis, that we’re experiencing a real crunch, that the dollar is weak and the Euro is running amuck. International businesses and traders have a real battle on their hands just trying to identify what the best deal, the best rate and the best conversion rate is, and at present it seems a perpetual challenge just to stay up to date with the fluctuating currencies.
Our global society now means that we no longer have to consider buying products locally, or even in our own currency. Buying online gives us the opportunity to not only shop around for the best deal, but also for the best currency. Many online traders don’t have their conversion rates from one exchange to another linked to an independent conversion tracker. In these cases, you can often find that by switching currencies, you can get a better deal. I saved fifty pounds by simply buying in the country’s local currency than by buying in my own from an online retailer - it’s not hard to save quite a significant sum.
Buying property, particularly overseas, can be a very great challenge at the best of times, but when you have to juggle the difficulties of getting your head round the exchange rates as well, it becomes a whole different ball game. A deal or price that seems good one day, and allows you to balance the books perfectly well, could look set to fall through just a few weeks further on as a direct result of the exchange rate. Remember, an exchange rate change of just a few pence to the Euro, or vice versa, could end up being the equivalent difference of several thousand pounds in the net price of the property you’re after. Moving quickly isn’t always possible when investing abroad, and so problems like these can be a real headache.
The reason I’m writing this is to point out that the sky may look bleak and grey as far as overseas investment is concerned, but there are silver linings around, and I think I have just found one which looks more like gold! I came across an overseas property investment company that appears to have got stuck back at the beginning of this year when rates were good, but either hasn’t noticed that rates have slumped since then, or simply don’t care Either way - it’s rich pickings for you if you’re into investment overseas. The current rate is 1.26 to the pound, yet the company I’ve seen is offering 1.40 to the pound - an 11% difference! To come across this kind of rate in today’s financial market is well worth a second look in my opinion.
To put this kind of benefit into perspective, let’s say you were looking to buy a very reasonable 150,000 property over in Spain, but were looking at an exchange rate of 1.26 to the pound - which is normal. By taking advantage of the 11% difference in rates that this company is offering, you could make a saving of over 16,500! I defy anyone who’s considering overseas property investment to turn their nose up at such a chance!
If you’re already experienced in the concept of overseas property investment, or you have done your preliminary research into the possibility, you’ll be aware that it is highly recommended to set an exchange rate to begin with, that is agreed by all parties, so that any calculations can be worked out and don’t start sliding all over the place later on, with inevitably nasty surprises. Locating a company that’s not only willing to do this right from the world go, but to actually back date the exchange rate for you all the way back in time to before the currencies started sliding down the drain in the dank gutters of darkness is well worth considering. Having a currency exchange rate over 11% lower than the actual rate makes the whole concept of moving into warmer climates even warmer!
If the prospect of purchasing a property oversees at a ludicrously helpful exchange rate wasn’t enough, you could also bear in mind the other benefits and advantages that this implies. Clearly we’re all realistic enough to realise that property rates fluctuate, and there is never any guarantee of prices holding, and in the short term they may even dip. This is okay for those who are looking for long term investments, but if you’re looking for a relatively quick sale, you may find the market less than predictable. What is predictable however is that you have a margin for error, or at least a safety margin. By purchasing a house at a highly optimistic rate, even if prices dipped by a few percent, you’re protected by an enormous 11% buffer! There’s nothing to stop you from selling the property on later at the normal rate - just don’t tell anyone the enormous difference between the exchange rate you paid and the one you’re selling at!
Investing in property overseas is never entirely plain sailing for the first time buyer, since very often the ways and rules of buying property, particularly for foreigners, can vary quite a bit from those you may be familiar with back home. There can sometimes be extra costs involved such as lawyers’ fees and applications. A good company or agent should help you through all these requirements easily, but if you start off with a budget in mind, these fees can tip you a little further than you’d have hoped. Taking advantage of a really low rate such as this once I have come across helps you stretch your budget much further, and can help to make the whole process very much easier.
About the Author:
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