The International Property Journal

An essential resource for global property professionals

The International Property Journal is an independent, authoritative source of news and information for agents, investors and industry executives working in global property markets. Beyond the daily headlines and analysis, we offer research, expert insight, contacts, tools and networking opportunities to serve our core audience of more than 500,000 industry professionals active in buying and selling property internationally.

The Business

More than ever property is a global business. From vacation home developments in Costa Rica to Irish investment funds buying mixed-use towers in Thailand, buyers and sellers are connecting across borders, creating new opportunities. The amount of capital moving around the globe to buy property more than tripled from 2003 to 2007, from $208 billion to $725 billion, according to DTZ Research.

This trend is affecting every aspect of the global property industry. More than 25 percent of Realtors in the United States worked with at least one international client in 2007, according to the National Association of Realtors. In markets as diverse as London and Latvia, Miami and Mauritius, Buenos Aires and Bansko, foreign buyers make up anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of the high-end market.

Several factors continue to fuel the business, including growing institutional investor activity. More than 250 funds are active in global property markets, managing more than $81 billion in capital, according to Urban Land Institute data. To investors small and large, overseas property is increasingly seen as a relatively conservative way to balance their portfolios, a hedge against economic events in their own countries.

At the same time, second-home culture continues to take root in countries around the world. Buyers from the United Kingdom alone spent £20 billion on vacation homes in 2006. HomeAway, the U.S.-based site specializing in second home rentals, now handles more than 425,000 listings. “The boom in second home ownership over the past decade will be as nothing compared with the growth we will see over the next decade,” property company Knight Frank predicted in 2008.

At the International Property Journal, our goal is to evolve with the industry, growing our menu of news, research, expert insight and networking features to provide a reliable resource and home base for the global market.

Who We Are

Janet Choynowski, Publisher: Janet is the founder and chief executive of Immobel, the world’s leading provider of translation, global marketing and networking services to the international property industry since 1999. Janet is a frequent speaker at industry events on the subject of international real estate and marketing. Immobel’s clients include MRIS, the MLS of Greater Washington D.C., and the largest MLS in the United States, the Long Island Board of Realtors; the largest board of Realtors in the United States, CRS, Certified Residential Specialists; and the French association of property professionals, FNAIM.

Kevin Brass, Editor: Through booms and busts, Kevin has chronicled the international property industry for the International Herald Tribune and New York Times. His popular International Herald Tribune blog, “Raising the Roof,” was named one of the Top 20 real estate blogs in the world by NuWire Investor. A frequent speaker at industry events, Kevin’s features and analysis have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Tribune, San Diego Magazine and Hispanic Business. In 2008 GlobalEdge named Kevin one of the 100 most powerful property journalists in the world.