International Investors Using BiggerPockets to Succeed!

International Investors Using BiggerPockets to Succeed!

Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes

The coolest part of BiggerPockets is its ability to connect like-minded individuals who share a passion for real estate investing. While it's easy to join your local REIA to connect with those around you, what if you live 6,000 miles away from where you're investing?

That happens to be the case with me and several other BP members living out here in Korea. To help improve our networks, we've started our own meetup in Seoul and have grown it to over 300 members. Along the way, I've met several awesome investors from all over Korea and the rest of the world. 

This weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out with fellow BP member, @Matthew Schroeder who happened to be visiting Korea with his Korean wife.

Matthew's lived overseas for many years, so it was nice to connect with someone who shares a passion for travel and exploring new countries.

We were able to sit and have coffee at the 'car coffee shop' as I call it - a mixed used space that was developed by a Coffee shop, a car dealership and audio equipment manufacturer. Imagine a huge open layout coffeeshop with actual model cars placed around it that customers can sit in and check out. Our conversation ran the gamut of investing in Indianapolis, the 2008 crisis, where gold is headed, and international investing in Asia. It was both philosophical as well as practical.

(Me on the left, Matthew on the right)

We have one more meeting planned with more of the Seoul REI Meetup members on Monday at the Taste of Thailand in Kyungridan (by Itaewon).

Thanks BP for helping investors from all over the world connect, including international real estate investors out here in Korea. 

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Developer · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y

Very cool. That indeed sounds like a success to me. Are you using your contacts to invest in Korea? Or are you investing back in the States?

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  • Developer · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    Very cool. That indeed sounds like a success to me. Are you using your contacts to invest in Korea? Or are you investing back in the States?

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Michael Le:

    Very cool. That indeed sounds like a success to me. Are you using your contacts to invest in Korea? Or are you investing back in the States?

    Hi Michael,

    Thanks for posting ^^

    I have developed contacts and learned a ton about investing in Korea. Through our meetup, I was able to help arrange an investing field trip and we spent the day looking at properties owned by some of our members, along with discussing how the properties were purchased, etc. Very educational. I posted about that on our website under "REI - KOREA."

    I'm not thinking about investing in Korea at the moment but I know a few others that have.

    I've also used my contacts to invest in the US. In addition to an SFR in Jacksonville, Florida, my contacts have connected me with mobile home park investors and that's likely my next investment.

    It's really amazing how quickly networking has allowed me to gain experience and opportunities. Although not everyone you meet online can be trusted, with some due diligence and common sense best business practices, I've found that I've been able to decrease the risk of meeting the wrong contacts. So far so good!

    I'm not really a 'networker' to begin with so these have all be really big WINS in my book ^^

  • Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2012 · 579 posts · 301 votes
    10y

    That's great Daniel!  I'm an introvert so most traditional networking is not my thing either.  I'm a Mobile Home and RV Park investor so would love to connect with you as well.  I wholesale parks to other investors.

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Belinda Lopez:

    That's great Daniel!  I'm an introvert so most traditional networking is not my thing either.  I'm a Mobile Home and RV Park investor so would love to connect with you as well.  I wholesale parks to other investors.

     Thanks for commenting. ^^

    I'm also an introvert by nature but since I started focusing on real estate investing, that's changed a lot. 

    I remember how hard it was for me to even comment on other people's blog posts. Now I'm meeting up with perfect strangers from all around the world and I formed two partnerships online. It's funny how much my life has changed in two years ^^

    Thanks for reaching out & letting me know what you do. Look forward to connecting!

  • Investor · Carmel, IN · Member since 2014 · 332 posts · 245 votes
    10y

    @Daniel Ryu

    Great to see you the other night in Seoul, Korea enjoying Gangnam-style hospitality!  The BP network is indeed quite expansive!

    Korea has some very interesting & creative real estate projects which I think would surprise most Western/American investors.  Many of the new, local retail concepts are really world-class!  And specifically to my heart, Korea has an incredibly developed coffee culture - most Americans would be surprised by that!

    If any of the local Korea BP members have an interest in Indianapolis, please let them know that I would be happy to be a resource for them.  I purchased 5 properties in Indianapolis over the last year, and importantly, I am not trying to sell them anything (i.e. I am not a wholesaler, agent, or turn key provider), so I can try to provide an unbiased opinion.

    Good luck in your investing endeavors!

    Best,

    Matthew

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y

    @Matthew Schroeder

    Great meeting with you Matthew and that's an extremely generous offer to our members.

    I've put the word out - I hope you don't get flooded with requests for help!

    Investors helping other investors - regardless of where you're living.

    Gotta love BP

    See you tonight in Kyungridan!

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y

    Good Morning, BP Investors in the US and Good Evening to the BP-ers closer to where I live.

    While most of you are just starting your day, out here in Korea we're just winding down ours. (Of course, we're in your future, so if you have any questions about what will happen tomorrow, just ask! ^^)

    I just wanted to update with one last photo - as I mentioned in this thread we were fortunate enough to have fellow BP investor, @Matthew Schroeder visiting from the US. 

    We decided on Thai food for the night in the trendy new area of Seoul - Kyungridan. What was once a seedy area that most Korean avoided (and was primarily US military and expats) has now become one of the hotspots in Seoul, with tons of new restaurants and bars popping up. In the area, you can see residential being converted to commercial to capitalize on this new found economic development and having seen the 'change' happen firsthand, its truly remarkable how far the area has come (and how much the land prices have risen!)

    We had a few beers and enjoyed some great Thai food. I had forgotten that our US guest would be visiting Thailand soon in the future.. (I probably could have chosen his last dinner in Korea a little more carefully ^^)

    Taste of Thailand - Kyungridan

    We had a collection of Seoul REI Members as well as a local restauranteur / celebrity that Matthew new from his college days.

    Our conversation centered around:

    * How to use banks to transfer money back and forth between the two countries

    * Setting up an LLC while living outside the country

    * The best entity structure for non US citizens when investing in the US

    * The local Korean markets and the highly leveraged "Junse" strategy of investing (see my BP Members blog for more articles on that)

    * Gold as an asset and different types of gold-based account (bottom line on this - Make sure your bank actually has the gold!)

    * The "Hong Kong-style" of real estate investing (hint: no one's selling anytime soon)

    * The worst neighborhood in Indianapolis

    * Denver and Jacksonville appreciating and markets

    * Why we share information with others on markets

    * A bit on food culture and the restaurant business in Korea

    * And even a little on the stock market and trading metals, small caps, and a brief mention of LEAP Options

    We had in our group, members who had lived in or are from:

    - Korea

    - California

    - New York

    - Thailand

    - England

    - Hong Kong

    - Vietnam

    It's such a unique pleasure to be out here in Korea and be able to meet with such a wide and diversified group of investors.

    If you're wondering whether it's worth it to get out there and meet up with other investors, I can tell you from experience, if you're not, you're really missing out. 

    Not only are you exposed to new ideas and markets from hearing from a diverse group, you're also able to gain the wisdom that comes from hearing other people's real life experiences.

    And of course, make some new friends in the process!

  • Sterling WhitePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 554 posts · 153 votes
    10y

    This is awesome @Daniel Ryuglad bp is a gateway to building long-lasting relationships. I met @Matthew Schroederin Indy about a year ago! Great guy I would say!

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Sterling White:

    This is awesome @Daniel Ryuglad bp is a gateway to building long-lasting relationships. I met @Matthew Schroederin Indy about a year ago! Great guy I would say!

    He is. Thanks for posting. 

    Hope Indy is treating you well ^^

  • Sterling WhitePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 554 posts · 153 votes
    10y

    @Daniel Ryuits starting to get dark a little sooner and winter season is coming! Thanks for your kind words

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2015 · 394 posts · 116 votes
    10y

    Yeah, I second @Sterling White, this is super cool. I too met @Matthew Schroeder not too long ago at a local Meetup here in Indy (actually, Matt, you missed the last one :P); really awesome guy. Unfortunately, Sterling is correct about the current weather situation. For my Indy folk,

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Alain Perez-Majul:

    Yeah, I second @Sterling White, this is super cool. I too met @Matthew Schroeder not too long ago at a local Meetup here in Indy (actually, Matt, you missed the last one :P); really awesome guy. Unfortunately, Sterling is correct about the current weather situation. For my Indy folk,

    It's coming here in Korea too. ^^

    Though I don't think we'll have it quite as bad!

    Thanks for your support and stay warm!!

  • Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2015 · 394 posts · 116 votes
    10y

    @Daniel Ryu

    Likewise, Daniel! Whenever you get a chance to stop by our neck of the woods, let us know :)

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Alain Perez-Majul:

    @Daniel Ryu

    Likewise, Daniel! Whenever you get a chance to stop by our neck of the woods, let us know :)

    Wow.. thanks for the invite! I'd love to visit someday. Not sure when, but meeting up with fellow BP-ers and learning about local markets is always a lot of fun.

    I appreciate that!

  • Rental Property Investor · Greenwood, IN · Member since 2014 · 22 posts · 8 votes
    10y

    Hi Daniel,

    Although I think my hometown of Indianapolis is a great market for REI, I've noticed quite a bit of international interest in Indy lately and I'm really curious as to their perspective on Indianapolis versus anywhere else in the world they could invest. What makes us so special? And why now?

  • Mike D'ArrigoPro Member
    Turn key provider · San Jose, CA · Member since 2010 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    10y

    @Scott DeMichelethat's an easy one. I work with international investors and what they like about Indianapolis is affordability and cash flow. You can't touch anything in Australia and Canada for the price of a good property in Indy/

  • Sterling WhitePro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 554 posts · 153 votes
    10y

    @Mike D'Arrigosummed it up pretty well @Scott DeMichele. Purchase price to rent ratio is attractive in this market for international investors for cash flow purposes 

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Scott DeMichele:

    Hi Daniel,

    Although I think my hometown of Indianapolis is a great market for REI, I've noticed quite a bit of international interest in Indy lately and I'm really curious as to their perspective on Indianapolis versus anywhere else in the world they could invest. What makes us so special? And why now?

    I didn't know about the international interest. I forget how I met Matthew but it wasn't specifically to learn about the Indy market. Glad to hear that it seems to be doing well esp since international investors seem to be more drawn to bigger cities like LA, NY, etc. 

    Thanks for the comment.

  • Member since 2016 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    10y

    Hi @Daniel Ryu and @Mike D'Arrigo  I was researching on international investors on BP and came across several of your posts on that topic. They were very useful, thank you for sharing!

    I  am a Singaporean, currently living in Pittsburgh though I am are not sure how long I will be staying in the USA. So I am hoping to structure my RE investments in USA as though I am a foreigner to ensure that everything is already setup correctly in case I do decide to return to SG one day.

    I am most concerned about what kind of entities (LLC here or in SG?) a foreigner investor need to setup to hold their investments and what are the tax considerations to be aware of.

    If you don't mind, could you please share your experience on the above or do you have any resources that you could recommend me to find out more? Could you also share more on what you are doing for online money transfers?I do plan to speak to an international attorney at some point but would like to do some research myself before that. 

    Thank you so much for your help. 

    @Mike D'Arrigo

  • Investor · King of Prussia, PA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 339 votes
    10y

    @Daniel Ryu Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Sounds like great things are ahead.

  • Bulawayo, Zimbabwe · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 253 votes
    10y

    Great stuff @Daniel Ryu. Real estate is universal

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y

    @Chui O.

    Hi... Hope your doing well in Pittsburgh. I've heard some good things about that area.

    I'm no entity expert, but here are my notes from a seminar I attended on the subject: http://seoulreimeetup.com/korea/2016/5/6/type-of-e...

    I hope that helps.

    @Ayodeji Kuponiyi @Bhekizwe M.

    Thanks guys for the support! I wish you all the best in your own careers as well ^^

  • Member since 2016 · 11 posts · 1 vote
    10y

    @Daniel Ryu, Thank you so much! Those are wonderful information to get me started!

  • Investor · Suwanee, GA · Member since 2014 · 579 posts · 347 votes
    10y

    @Chui O.

    Awesome! Feel free to reach out anytime ^^

  • PA · Member since 2010 · 339 posts · 168 votes
    10y

    @Daniel Ryu Exciting thread--I will be in South Korea in June. I will definitely look around while I am there. 

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