By Ferhan Yildizli, Financial Axis Independent Audit & Consulting Inc
The granting of citizenship to foreigners by investment is a policy that has been implemented in various countries in recent years and, in Turkey, has attracted the interest of many foreign investors.
By Dr Jörg Winkler, Hasberger_Seitz & Partner Rechtsanwälte GmbH
Four EU member states currently sell passports and 13 trade with residency rights through “golden visa schemes”. From 2008 to 2018, the EU welcomed more than 6,000 new citizens and close to 100,000 new residents through golden visa schemes. Spain, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, and the UK have granted the highest numbers of golden visas – more than 10,000 each – to investors and their families. Next in line are Greece, Cyprus, and Malta.
By Prof Robert Anthony, Anthony & Cie
It was a great pleasure when I was asked to present a series of TV broadcasts on TV Art Live Monaco and Luxe TV Italy. The first broadcast ‘The Art of Financial Vision’ was transmitted live via Facebook and Instagram before being rebroadcasted on cable TV in Monaco and sky 862 Italy.
By Raffaela Lödl-Klein and Mario Kapp, KAPP & PARTNER Rechtsanwälte GmbH
The Austrian legal system (General Austrian Civil Code of Law, ABGB) provides for various types of holding rights and “property-like” rights.
By Helmut Seitz and Philipp Walch, Hasberger_Seitz & Partner Rechtsanwälte GmbH
The only three rules to be applicable in appraising real estate for me were always: Location, Location, Location. The interpretation was global: if you have a holiday property with a sea view, the value increases; if your logistic centre has access to railways, waterways, and roads, the value increases. The connection between the intended use of a piece of land and its bricks, steel, and concrete, and where it was situated, was the key figure of a real estate’s value.
By Daniel Waldmann, Pallett Valo LLP
The Ontario Court of Appeal recently confirmed that, when it comes to high-stakes commercial real estate transactions, both buyers and sellers must be prepared to put their money where their mouths are.
By Caroline A. Simonson, Moss & Barnett
The United States is in the midst of an affordable-housing crisis. Supply is falling far short of demand, and rents are reaching historic highs. According to data from Apartment List, nearly half of all renters in the country spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and one in four renters spends at least 50% of his or her income on rent. A recent report by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition found that in 99% of counties, a full-time minimum-wage worker cannot afford a fair market one-bedroom rental. While policymakers explore various ways to address this crisis, the private sector can play a positive role in ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable housing. Let’s explore some programs and opportunities available to real estate developers, owners, and investors that bolster affordable housing.
By Blaž Mrva, MRVA Law LLP
Over the last few years, there have been several commercial real estate transactions involving large companies selling their properties and remaining tenants, especially large retailers who sold their supermarkets. Also, shopping centres in big cities have been sold to real estate funds. Hotels in tourist areas on the Adriatic coast and in Alpine resorts have changed hands, mostly to foreign investors. Hotels were, in most cases, very reasonably priced.
By Albert C. Valencia, Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP
Despite the name, “non-recourse” real estate loans have the potential to increase personal liability due to the so-called “bad-boy provisions” that are included in non-recourse carveout guaranties, often required by lenders to be delivered by the borrower’s principal(s) as a condition to making the loan. Examples of bad-boy acts that would give rise to personal liability of the borrower’s principals could be waste, unpermitted transfers of the property or the interests in the borrower, or the misapplication of funds. These bad-boy provisions serve to make the principal(s) personally liable to the lender in the event of a default by the borrower under the loan and are intended to protect lenders from certain wrongful acts of the borrower that would limit the lender’s ability to be repaid from the borrower’s assets, which assets are often solely the borrower’s ownership interest in the real property securing the loan.
By Tony Nunes and Lishi Huang, Kelly+Partners Chartered Accountants
Foreign residents looking to invest in property in Australia should be aware that in all states, non-residents are subject to additional taxes for buying and holding residential property. It may be possible to structure the investment to minimise the impact of these taxes, however they should be factored into the investment decision.
