Where else in your travels have you found nice affordable housing under $100k USD for sale? We are pulling the trigger on purchasing a few home bases. Where should be we look?Thank you for any and all suggestions.

Question

Accepted Answer

Honestly, at that level, most of the world is your oyster ... outside of the US and western Canada. Unless things have changed, you should be able to find a small rural place in NB or PQ for under C$100k, possible even in PEI. US is even doable but you need to look south and likely rural. Both are probably not where most nomads would settle but if you need quiet and nature, then there are definitely options.Lots also in the rest of the Americas. Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama are doable in that price range if you don't want luxury on the water. Nicaragua, Belize and Guatemala would be much cheaper. Further south, Argentina will be quite cheap as are Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Chile and Brazil more expensive and Uruguay probably a bit more but things shift a bit.Forget most of the Caribbean as too pricey. Forget most of Asia as you can't legally own the land ... but (outside of Vietnam and tourist places where there is a bubble game being played), you can get a condo for a reasonable price and enjoy part of the year and rent part of the year.Most of Eastern Europe is doable in your budget. Crap, Bansko has flats still for less than US$10k unless things have changed due to COVID. Western Europe is even doable if you're smart and ok with smaller places. We've paid less than that for our homes in France, Sweden and the Netherlands (but the latter 2 are vacation homes, not year round). Think also about when you'll want to be there and if rentable in the other times. Consider security as well since places which are empty when you travel are likely targets for thieves (it's a big problem actually). You may also need to look into potential tax residency impact of ownership or need to file local taxes if you rent out your properties (most countries have a limit before you have to file, if not a resident). Also, factor in furnishing and setting up multiple places - this can cost a lot and you'll want to have your key needs met in each place so you can simply travel from one to the other with a small backpack and "be home" (assuming that's the goal and it's not just about investment). If goal IS investment, forget most places in W Europe (unless renting) since property appreciation vs closing costs (both ways - buy and sell) sucks ... you need to hold for 10+ years here to safely cover your costs, unless in one of the high appreciation areas (eg Netherlands, Nantes and other big cities in France). US is far better for property equity investments ... but also some good potential still in E Europe and, if you like more cutting edge, African countries and other quickly developing countries. Remember legal fees and FX fluctuations when purchasing and best to set up an account in local currency to handle local costs (Revolut is good for this, better than Wise somewhat because you can receive payments in more currencies, which is key if renting).Finally, do one place, see how that works for a year or more, then get another. It takes a lot to set up each place so, unless this is your biz and/or passion,  you'll want to expand slowly. you'll also learn a lot from your first properties which will help you with next ones.For those who think nomads shouldn't own property, BS. It's key to FIRE stability and also risk diversification. I've been a nomad for 30+ years and have bought and sold a number of places so don't think you can only rent as a nomad.

Answer

Home ownership is overrated. Cheap rent highly underrated.

Answer

Why would you want to buy when you want to travel around? Better to just rent nice places that are still very affordable. I'd never buy foreign property, you most likely don't have the protections that you have in your home country. And the local agents and rules will screw you.

Answer

Very doable in many SEA countries, might even be near the beach. I know it's possible in Philippines and Malaysia but most likely you cannot buy unless you're a resident or citizen.

Answer

You can find houses for less than that in nearly every country on Earth. Might want to narrow it down a little 😉🤷‍♂️

Newsletter

Get latest of what's happening in the Digital Nomads community

More questions asked by fellow Digital Nomads:

We didn't find any results