The US real estate market has become a hotspot for real estate investment activities in the world, attracting millions of dollars from foreign investors. Total foreign investment into the US real estate market in 2013 stood at $37.8 billion. This is set to increase as investors from countries like Canada and China are increasingly placing more funds into the US real estate market, which is presently worth over $11 trillion. Foreign investors have been attracted to the high returns on investment in the US property market as a result of the stability that has returned to the economy.
According to the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, household formation in the U.S is growing at a rate of one million households per year; a level only witnessed before the 2008 mortgage crisis.
This is predicted to increase as an improving labour market could drive up wages, triggering further increase in homeownership.
While investing in real estate has traditionally been the exclusive preserve of the wealthy, through crowdfunding, even average investors can now participate.
The losses in investment suffered by families in the wake of the financial crisis coupled with the accumulating credit card and student loans debt (both placed at about $2 trillion by households in the economy) has placed many in a very precarious situation financially.
Consequently, the present increase in disposable income and general improvement in the economy is an opportunity for households to rebuild their investment portfolios and secure their financial future.