Houses in Locales That Have
An International Appeal
by Sheree R. Curry
From The Wall Street Journal Online
October 12, 2007
Florida, California and Texas topped a 2007 list from the National Association of Realtors about state destinations that attract the most international home buyers. Here are homes in three states that made the top 10.
Place/Price: Arcadia, Fla./$449,900
Taxes*: $1,836
The Property: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3,067 square feet
Description: This home on 5.89 acres has a large den and has a formal living
room with a fireplace. There is an exercise room and a bonus room that could be
an office. It has a swimming pool.
Notable: Florida sold homes to 26% of the international home buyers, just ahead
of California with 16%. Most of Florida's international buyers hail from Mexico,
the United Kingdom and Canada, reveals the NAR
study.
Place/Price: Plano, Texas/$924,000
Taxes*: $20,000
The Property: 5 bedrooms, 5 baths, 4,946 square feet
Description: This home on a corner lot has 25-foot ceilings, faux Venetian
plaster in the dining room and faux-leather walls in the study. A wet bar has
an encased aquarium. A pool has fountains and a waterfall.
Notable: Texas was the top U.S. state for Mexican home buyers. Many of them
purchased for work-related reasons and then would either rent the homes out or
use them as vacation homes, says the NAR's International Home Buying Activity
Study.
Place/Price: Tucson, Ariz./$3.99 million
Taxes*: $13,070
The Property: 5 bedrooms, 6½ baths, 7,536 square feet
Description: This 2002 Mediterranean-style stucco home with an elevator has
mountain views. A stone fireplace is 25 feet from the floor to ceiling in the
living room. Bedrooms with balconies overlook a two-story dining area.
Notable: About 6% of Arizona's home-buying activity came from foreign
transactions. The West had the largest percentage of Asian buyers (44%) and those
from Oceania (45%). The typical foreign buyer spends 4.2 months in their U.S.
property.
* Taxes are current owner's payment of builder's estimate
Sources: realtor.org, macmartinrealty.com, thebuilderswife.com, longrealty.com
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