Cyrus Mistry (left), who took over for legendary businessman Ratan Tata, offered this with regard to the investment climate there in India:

“The recent emphasis on policy clarity and a renewed thrust to economic reforms by the Government of India is encouraging. With a sustained focus on policy stability and implementation, I believe that India would continue to be an attractive investment destination.”

ata Housing Development Company Limited

Tata Group owns some 100 plus companies worldwide already including legendary auto maker Jaguar, and
It seems safe to assume at least some of this new investment will be earmarked for real estate, given the group’s past interest in the sector. The conglomerate has Tata Realty and Infrastructure Limited and Tata Housing Development Company Ltd., as well as several key investment arms in the real estate space.

Just last month Tata Housing announced the expansion of developments for affordable housing in India via “Smart Value Homes Limited forays into Bengaluru”, and high end real estate ventures have been in the news for Tata of late as well. On the demand side of the real estate equation in India, the New York Times reported last month on a coming construction boom fueled by the lack of appropriate real estate space for International brands like Walmart to expand into there. The point being, there is little quality commercial space in all India for stores to take up business in. New construction would seem a logical investment avenue for any conglomerate.

Tata has almost half a million employees worldwide, and one of the most valuable brands in the world. It remains to be seen what path the new CEO will blaze to extend the empire Ratan Tata created. Manufacturing to services and beyond, $8 billion almost seems like a puny sum when all Tata’s assets are weighed. Still, forward momentum is always positive news.

Marbella for €165,000 45 % off and 95% financing

Spain’s economy, not unlike that of Greece, is pretty much in a shambles. Banks there, left with hundreds of building projects unfinished, and millions of unsold homes on the back burner, have been forced to offer 100 percent financing. These loans, basically for anyone with a job, spell a boom market for any buyer with cash in hand, or even buyers without. Prices are being slashed as bankers try and get out of the business of being commercial property lords too. While some say these 100% mortgages are a repeat of the same mistakes that brought on the housing bust worldwide, most others are lined up to get into the game.

Costa del Sol luxury front beach – bank repos at 70% off

Spain currently has over 1.2 million new homes no one so far has been able to afford. Considering the investment by banks for this segment alone, it’s easy to see how come those left holding the proverbial bag there might consider any type of “creative” negotiation even, just to remain afloat. Still, with almost 10 percent of Spain’s bank loans in arrears one has to wonder at the sanity of selling not only at tremendous discounts, but with ever more lax qualifying standards. While no one is reporting of substandard qualifiers yet, it seems logical to assume some banks might jump at any chance to get our of red ink.

With prices down over 23 percent since 2007, most experts say Spain bankers will have to chop that figure to something over 50% to get out from under. And, if bargains and opportunity come with distressed economics, so too instability and potential disaster cohabit where Spain is concerned. Record unemployment, an ever shrinking economy, protests, all this and more make things very difficult for not only the government and banks there, but for the real people on the street. The EU is, in fact, very worried about the fate of Spain at this moment.

Bargain at new Flamingos Golf Club condo Marbella

All in all though, Spain and the Spanish people have overcome far worse. For the long term investment minded then, snatching up bargains is a reality divergent from the woes of European banks. This article reflects just how severe Europe’s investment players took it on the chin in 2007, so Spain bankers divesting themselves of bad loans, however they can, is just a fact of the whole matter. What does that mean for you, the would be Spain land baron? An opportunity, of course.

For an instance, look at Mar de Canet’s 308 units up for grabs. The New York Times brought to light these bargains, choice vacation digs for basically half price. That article speaks of literal “ghost towns” in Spain, once thriving developmental glee now left waiting for tumbleweeds to blow through. There are more pluses and minuses though, obviously. On the plus side, $140,000 gets you seaside new construction with two-bedrooms, two-bathrooms, 900 square feet, plus a balcony minutes from everything. Rent the condo for over $700 a week in Summer then…

Marbella

The down side of condo bonanzas though, junk properties at developments that never should have been, there’s a lot of that going on too. The best way to come out ahead always being doing your research in person and right, can eliminate the bad taste of a bad investment here. As for the stability of Spain in the short term? It seems like a better than 50-50 chance the country will not kick out foreign investors any time soon.

Check out sites like Bromley Estates and Sotheby’s for pictures and info on some of the developments and deals available in Spain. These agencies even list properties financed at up to 107%, if you ever heard of such a thing.

Lalzit Bay Resort and Spa

Mediterranean climate, picture perfect landscapes, and lure and history of the ancient world, Albania and the rest of the Balkans are all this, and more. But more importantly perhaps, Albanian property as a value investment proposition is becoming a growing trend. According to Albanian Tourism and Culture Minister Aldo Bumci, the country has recently spent some €2 billion improving Albania’s infrastructure.

5 star resort hotel at the resort

Increasing tourism, along with significant economic growth, make Albania one of the few countries in the region with actual growth potential. As an example of a positive real estate market there, Lalzit Bay Resort & Spa, a five star luxury residential development on the Adriatic, is but one of a number of profitable developments.

The gist of value and opportunity on the Adriatic is pretty simple actually. Expanses of under or undeveloped beachfront there, combined with touristic growth and governmental support, make Albania one of the cheapest remaining slices of waterfront real estate in the world. Ravin Maharajah, one of the partners in the development, had this to add:

“Our villa apartments offer a premium, exclusive product to buyers who want the benefits of villa ownership including private gardens and terraces, exclusive services, and more privacy. We are also including additional exclusive services available to villa owners, including membership of the Adriatic Club, priority access to facilities, concierge service for cleaning, home-delivery, airport pick-up and access to private beach areas.”

Beachfront on the Adriatic Sea

Lalzit Bay Resort & Spa has begun construction on private a club amenities already. Your second home getaway, replete with private swimming pools, BBQ area, tennis courts and superb restaurants, can be had (according to the company) for a little as €38,000. For more information on Lalzit Bay, please visit their website. For information on Albania we recommend looking for information via Info Albania (use Google translate).

Please watch the video below showing the development in detail and call 0845 125 8600.

Property deals overseas can be a boom - courtesy Overseas Cafe

The economic downturn has affected markets around the world, stunting markets in some sectors, and causing a boom in others. Price being the determinant, there are many opportunities to capitalize Internationally, if not for domestic realty in the US. LoftyVistas.com is ideally positioned to focus on such opportunities, and according to their press release today, the company has over 2,400 registered sellers.

Lofty Villas competition, Rightmove Overseas lists thousands of properties

Taking a look at the site though, it’s clear to see Loftyvillas has pretty lofty ideas for a Web 1.0 real estate portal. The site is awful, but we can give them the nod on having a nice inventory.

Lofty Villas' listing pages, informative, but not cutting edge.

Looking at a few of the properties listed, it seems obvious that this company has a pretty vast network, or at least an inventory of listings. Their stated mission, via the press release, is to become “the leading online source for international investment properties.” If that is the case, I would suggest some web design, social media help, marketing assistance, and a few others concepts they have neglected. If an OpenPR release is good enough to get RealtyBizNews to visit the site, maybe this was the sole intention of LoftyVillas? Don’t we feel tricked? Not really.

Property Frontiers listing - a bit more refined if not razor's edge listings

For people searching for investment opportunities overseas, Loftyvillas.com is not a bad choice. For a bit more of a cutting edge feel when searching, the reader might want to opt for Property Frontiers (screenshot above), or Property Abroad is another decent choice for user friendly overseas property searches.

For more information about Loftyvillas.com, please consult the website, the original press release, or optionally call: Chandra Rajaraman at – 1 647-339-0926.