It’s a bit xenophobic to think that only the US will protect your private property.
True there are lousy countries to buy RE, but that doesn’t mean all foreign countries are a significant risk of nationalization, as your comment implies. With a few minor exceptions, like Texas, US RE as a whole is a lousy investment right now even for capitol preservation.
RE is dropping nationwide, as is the dollar, how on earth can you possibly make the case that US RE investment preserves capitol!? One commercial example: I suggest you avoids investing in Argentinian oil fields, but Canada fields have some great prospects. Do you think Canada is about to grab private holdings? It all depends on location, just like in the US.
The big money I know are keeping their homes and prime vacation holdings, like Park City, Keys, Hawaii, but have dumped INVESTMENT properties over the last several years. The places I know they have dumped are NC coast, Keys (again investment, not personal), Long Island, Boulder, and Vermont. BTW, these are the same people who were selling their equities and buying RE in 2000.
My point is simply that investment grade opportunities in US RE right now are mostly dead for now, with a few exceptions for the experienced foreclosure vultures. The only people I know that are hoping for investment properties (not owner-occupied SFH) in the US, such as San Diego, are the monied-middle, who have enough cash to purchase a second or third home, but don’t have the real money and contacts to go global.
If you know of big money buying in the US, I would love to know. It’s a great harbinger. I’ll do the same if I hear anything–no specifics of course.
