Thailand Move Up in Ranking for Global Business Attractiveness

Despite recent political turmoil, Thailand has made great strives in attracting global business investors. The country has a skilled workforce, strong supply chain, dependable infrastructure, and enjoys strong investment support. The Doing Business 2009 study by the World Bank and International Finance Corp. ranked Thailand 13th in "ease of doing business," up from 19th in 2008. (Singapore was ranked #1; the U.S., #3.) The study cites the ease of paying taxes in Thailand, starting a business, trading across borders, and registering property. Thailand also was credited with its efforts to protect investors, improve bankruptcy procedures, and strengthen the legal rights of creditors and borrowers. U.S. investors will benefit from English being the second language. NAR maintains three organizational alliances in Thailand for REALTORS® seeking cooperative business development.

Global Demographics are Shaping Real Estate’s Future

Population growth, urbanization, aging, and migration--all factors affecting land use---are examined in Global Demographics 2009: Shaping Real Estate’s Future, a new publication from the Urban Land Institute. Population and demographic shifts will continue to place enormous pressure on urban areas. Over the next 40 years, the greatest population increases will occur in China, India and the U.S.; conversely, Europe will experience population declines. Mature but still growing economies (U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand) will offer attractive real estate investment and development prospects once the recession subsides. Many developing nations are emerging consumer markets, with a growing number of middle-income households generating enthusiastic consumer demand--boding well for the real estate industry. A summary of the real estate implications of demographic changes is included with each chapter. Read more highlights.

Governments Ease Foreign Ownership Restrictions to Stimulate Investment

With global markets down, governments worldwide are looking at ways to attract investors resulting in changes in foreign and nonresident ownership laws designed to stimulate in-bound investment, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

Caribbean nations, China, and Australia have all recently loosened restrictions and the Philippines is discussing it. India and Turkey made significant changes in recent years with the same objective. Emerging markets are most likely to examine their laws as most western markets have had few, if any, restrictions on foreign ownership.

Read more in a recent Wall Street Journal article. Information on foreign ownership is available for 30+ countries in the Business Practices section at WorldProperties.com.