🚀 Baby Boomers & The Second Home Boom – Are You Ready?
Marketing & Branding
25 September, 2025
You MUST be proactive as an agent when helping your clients buy or sell real estate beyond your local market—even internationally. Many clients would rather work with you, a trusted agent, than someone they’ve never met.
🚨 Stop losing global referrals and opportunities! 🚨
By mastering this, you can easily close 3 to 5 extra referrals per year, adding significant income to your business. GMA provides a step-by-step roadmap to guide you through the process.
🔹 What do you have to lose? Start expanding your global real estate sales today! 🌍💼
DID YOU KNOW?
While precise figures on the total number of Americans and Canadians who have purchased real estate abroad are not readily available, existing data indicates a significant trend among high-net-worth individuals from these countries investing in international properties.
American Buyers:
- A survey by Coldwell Banker revealed that 67% of affluent American respondents already own properties outside the U.S., and 92% were actively considering overseas real estate investments in 2022.
Canadian Buyers:
- Canadians have been prominent foreign buyers in the U.S. real estate market. From April 2023 to March 2024, Canadian investors spent $5.9 billion on U.S. properties, making them one of the top international buyers during that period.
These insights underscore the notable interest among Americans and Canadians, particularly wealthier individuals, in acquiring real estate abroad.
Few investors understand the importance of an integrated structure for managing global assets. US-based professionals often lack the expertise, leaving many investors unprepared.
The Solution: A Global Asset Management Structure
A properly structured approach helps you:
- Avoid inheritance law conflicts – Ensure seamless property transfer to heirs.
- Optimize tax efficiency – Prevent foreign rental income from being classified as personal income.
- Limit liability – Protect yourself from lawsuits related to foreign properties.
- Simplify management – Streamline administration and pay yourself a tax-free salary.
Challenges with International Real Estate
1. Inheritance Issues
Common law countries recognize wills, but civil law nations—especially in Europe and Latin America—follow rigid inheritance rules. Trusts are often not recognized, requiring alternative planning.
2. Tax Obligations
US and Canadian taxpayers owe income tax on global rental income, requiring extensive record-keeping and reducing reinvestment potential.
3. Personal Liability
Owning foreign property in your name exposes all global assets to legal risks.
A 3-in-1 Solution
A structured approach addresses these issues by:
- Separating ownership – Use LLCs to hold properties and bypass probate.
- Accumulating income tax-free – Retain rental income within an umbrella LLC.
- Paying yourself a salary – Cover expenses while optimizing taxation.
Implementation Steps
- Use LLCs – Title foreign properties under local LLCs.
- Create an Asset Protection Trust (APT) – Locate it in a tax-friendly jurisdiction.
- Form an Umbrella LLC – Owned by the APT to hold property LLCs.
- Reinvest Tax-Free – Use retained income to acquire more assets.
- Pay Yourself – APT hires you to manage properties, covering business expenses.
Key Benefits
- Minimized taxes – Rental income isn’t subject to personal tax.
- Faster wealth growth – Pre-tax reinvestment accelerates returns.
- Simplified inheritance – Properties transfer smoothly to heirs.
- Reduced liability – LLC structure isolates risks.
Considerations
- IRS Scrutiny – Legal but complex, requiring specialized expertise.
- Gift Tax Risks – Large transfers may trigger tax implications.
- Professional Guidance Needed – APTs and LLCs require expert setup.
Next Steps
Consult international asset management experts to structure your real estate portfolio effectively.
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