Property Agents For Expats: How They Can Help You Get Settled In A New Country

May 24th, 2010 by Paul Williams

It happens more and more that people from developed countries decide to retire in a developing country. People from Germany are for example often opting for retirement in Paraguay or Turkey. These aspiring expats usually visit their future home country to look for an apartment or house to buy before they actually emigrate. This is when they absolutely need the services of property agents for expats.

One of the very first reasons for using such an estate agent that comes to mind is the language barrier. If you are only able to speak English or German and you wish to retire in a Spanish speaking country, you absolutely need somebody at your side that are able to speak both your language and Spanish. The majority of estate agents operating in the expat market can do exactly that. They are therefore able to act as interpreters in your new home country as well.

When arriving in a foreign city for the first time, you have no clue where your hotel is never mind which parts of the city are good to live in and which parts are crime-ridden. You therefore need the services of someone who knows the city by heart and who can advise you about the best residential areas which will also give you the highest growth on your investment in future.

Once you find a property which you and your family like, you need to find out if the asking price is realistic or whether it has been loaded with a special ‘foreigner levy’. We have all heard frightening stories about foreigners paying double the market value of a property simply because they chose to do everything on their own. If you have an honest property agent assisting you, he will warn you about asking prices that are too high.

Foreign countries sometimes have very eccentric laws when it comes to real estate and foreign citizens. As a non-citizen you might have very little legal protection if you become the victim of a scam. You could well end up losing your money this way. If you had someone at your side who knows the local legal system and is aware of local scams, you are therefore much less likely to end up in this situation.

As someone who is not familiar with local development plans, you might end up buying a property next to a future industrial zone which will soon engulf your suburb in toxic fumes. This is one more reason why you need to use a knowledgeable property agent that can speak your language.

Property agents for expats are thus a vital link in the real estate chain for expats. Without them there would be many an expat that either pay too much for a property or end up being conned out of their money.

For more information and resources about Singapore Expat Living in Singapore, make sure you visit SingaporeExpatPropertyExperts.com.sg!