Source: La Nación

What should be taken into account when selecting where to invest: market conditions, prices and potential zones; differences and similarities between the favorite cities of international investors.

 

Pros

Miami. The values of premium real estate overlooking the beach are higher than historical values. Instead, the existing traditional product has been recovered, though it has not reached its record. “There are opportunities but they are selective. It is not easy to find them. One option is to invest in the commercial sector because there is low risk involved and, in general, it could be said that their profitability is 4 points above the American government bond which is approximately 2%, as recommended by Pablo Hoberman, broker, owner of Urbis Real Estate.

Even though property prices have stopped increasing so fast, the incentive is that the population of Florida continues to grow. “In 2016, it became the third most populated state in the USA with more than 1000 people arriving on a daily basis”.

New York. It is a stable market. “In the last decade the prices of apartments have risen by almost 30% and homes almost 60%. This turns Manhattan into one of the safest markets and with the highest returns. Except for crises periods, the tendency will always be upwards”, Federico Pina says, real estate agent at Charles Rutenberg company and member of the Real Estate Board of New York. Experts advise purchasing at Harlem and East Harlem. “It is an ideal niche for Argentine people, the most Spanish-speaking neighborhood in Manhattan”, Pina says.

 

Cons

Miami. The new units experienced a post-crisis construction boom. In the opinion of Mariano Capellino, CEO of Inmsa Real Estate Investments Company, there is oversupply and an irrational increase of prices which reached twice their values in only three years. “The Brickell and Downtown premium market is going through a strong slowdown process and suffering oversupply and inflated prices” he says, understanding that there is an excess of supply for a demand which is still low. “We are undergoing a price correction cycle which will last for at least two more years until the units under construction are totally delivered”.

New York. Premium real estate is over US$15,000 to US$25,000 per square meter.

The average value of properties in Manhattan is US$2,100,000 and the mean value is US$1,100,000. Pina estimates that prices will tend to be stable after the recent slight increase in the interest rates in USA. In addition to the usual closing cost, it should be taken into account that in New York the acquisitions of real estate of US$1 million or more are subject to an additional transfer tax of 1% known as “mansion tax”. The buyer is the one who typically pays this tax before 15 days prior to deed signature or closing. In the last years, they have been discussing the possibility of increasing the non-taxable minimum amount to US$2 million as it has not been updated for 28 years.

 

To take into account

Miami. Florida centralizes 22% of the foreign investment in real estate, Miami being the main destination. This is the state of the country which receives more international capital. A luxury tower in Brickell/Downtown can cost US$ 3500/square meter, but a traditional condominium where Americans reside both in the County of Miami Dade and Broward can cost from US$1200/sq. meter.  Today almost 15,000 apartments are under pre-construction process. The hottest sites are Downtown and Edgewater, in addition to   Miami Beach, Sunny Isles, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale beaches.

 

New York. According to the National Association of Real Estate Agents, 4% of the foreign investments on real property take place in the state of New York. The city of Manhattan is more expensive than Miami and the percentage of investors is relatively low compared to the number of people living there. The most expensive neighborhood is Tribeca followed by Soho. In the first one, the average cost of an apartment is US$ 5.000.000; in Harlem US$ 650.000 approximately. “Apartments of more than US$10 million show lower movement and those ranging between US$1 and US$3 million show more activity”. Dina Sheinman states, agent of Halstead at Park Avenue, New York.