US real estate

With the American housing market in crisis, the Canadian dollar at near parity, and foreclosures at an all-time high in some of the southern states, Real estate is becoming a very attractive venture for Canadians. I hadn't really thought about US real estate at this point in my portfolio, but it certainly appears as if this is the time to be acting.

There are quite a few risks to consider when going into real estate in the US. At this point, I am probably just posting this as a reminder to myself to look at some these risks in further detail. There are different rules for estate taxes. There is currency risk. There are higher property taxes for non-residents. There are a slew of things to consider.

On the other hand, if you had owned an ocean-side property, in say Florida this past winter, you would be smiling as you would have been able to take a mini-vacation at a very reasonable cost. US real estate may not be everyone's cup-of-tea, but under the current circumstances, this may be the chance to take advantage of the weak American economy.