Americans increase purchases of real estate abroad

Americans' demand for overseas real estate and residency has surged during President Donald Trump's second term, with investment migration becoming "essential insurance" amid unpredictable developments in the US.

Australia is one of the most popular destinations and real estate agents here have seen a significant increase in the number of US-based clients trying to find housing options.

Political and economic instability is prompting many Americans to follow the lead of wealthy people from mainland China and Hong Kong in buying property and residency abroad, according to the SCMP.

The UK, Australia and Portugal are popular destinations and real estate agents there have seen a significant increase in the number of US-based clients trying to find housing options.

Official data is scarce, but immigration consultants and real estate agents say the trend has picked up following Donald Trump's re-election as US President.

“Many Americans are realizing that relying on a single passport poses risks they are no longer comfortable with,” said Basil Mohr-Elzeki, head of North America at Henley & Partners, a London-based advisory firm specializing in permanent residency and citizenship by investment.

The number of American clients calling the firm’s service increased by more than 1,000% in 2024 compared to 2019. Overall, American citizens accounted for about 25% of all applications the consultancy handled last year – nearly as many as the next four client nationality groups combined.

“That shift in thinking has not faded,” says Mohr-Elzeki. “In fact, in 2025, demand for alternative residence and citizenship will continue to grow strongly. Henley & Partners has more American clients than ever seeking second passports or residency abroad, with high-net-worth families seeing investment migration as an essential insurance policy against economic and political instability in the US.”

The trend is also evident in Portugal, according to Lisbon-based real estate brokerage Maia International Properties. “Since the November 2024 US presidential election, we have seen a sharp increase in American interest in Portuguese real estate,” said director Luiz Felipe Maia. “Before the election, we received 30 to 50 inquiries per month from US buyers, but that number has doubled.”

The company is currently working with 15 potential buyers from the US, who are expected to visit the Portuguese capital next month to view available properties.

“California is our primary target, but the other areas that are interesting to us are Seattle [and] Arizona,” he said. Florida, which Trump won by a double-digit margin, has not yielded any investigations, Maia said.

The growing American demand for Portuguese real estate can even be seen in airline schedules, as flagship carrier TAP Air Portugal has added routes from Los Angeles to Lisbon and from Boston to Porto.

“It’s like after the Hong Kong [Chinese] wave in 2019,” Maia said, referring to the period of social unrest in the city when demand for Portuguese property from Hong Kong (Chinese) people spiked. “It still feels the same.”

In Australia, Sydney-based real estate agent Ken Jacobs said "more and more Americans are looking into luxury real estate in Australia since President Trump was re-elected because Canberra has restrictions on foreign real estate investment, so most Americans hunting for real estate there want to "relocate permanently".

According to Qi Chen, CEO and founder of Australian housing portal OpenLot.com.au, the company has seen “a wave of new users from the US” since the election.

He said the site had seen a 42% increase in active users from the US searching for new home and land packages in Australia between January and February. Visits to the site from US users increased by 91%.

“Even foreign buyers like Americans can buy new homes, new apartments and house and land packages under Australia’s strict foreign investment laws. Foreigners are not allowed to buy second-hand properties, but new properties are fair game.”

The UK has also seen a "clear wave of buyers from the US looking to buy or rent property", according to David Johnson, chief executive of property consultancy Inhous.

In the last three months of 2024, the Home Office received more than 1,700 applications for British citizenship from Americans, the highest quarterly figure in more than two decades. In the whole of 2024, it received 6,100 applications from the United States, an increase of more than 25 percent compared to 2023.

“American interest in second passports has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic, while the number of Chinese nationals in key expatriate hubs like Malaysia has tripled since China’s borders reopened in 2023,” said Kashif Ansari, co-founder and group CEO of real estate listing portal Juwai IQI. “There are currently about 12 million Chinese from the mainland and Hong Kong, and 5 million native-born Americans, living abroad.”

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nguoi-my-gia-tang-mua-bat-dong-san-o-nuoc-ngoai-bat-mi-3-diem-den-yeu-thich-307766.html