Real Estate

Exchange Rate Crisis? What Exchange Rate Crisis?

Story Published on June 13, 2008 ⋅  Email this Story ⋅  Print this Story ⋅ Post a comment ⋅

The gloom and doom of global currency exchange rates is hardly missable, with news headlines and current rates being splashed about everywhere telling us that we’re in global crisis, that we’re experiencing a real crunch, that the dollar is weak and the Euro is running amuck. International businesses and traders have a real battle on their hands just trying to identify what the best deal, the best rate and the best conversion rate is, and at present it seems a perpetual challenge just to stay up to date with the fluctuating currencies.

Today, because we live and work in a society which is global, exchange rates are of far more importance than they used to be, or at least, as far as most people are concerned. Today, anyone at all can shop online and find that items are being sold in different countries in different countries and at different rates. I am sure I’m not along in making sure that, when I’m buying something online, I change the currency if this is possible, to get a better deal. Some companies have static currency conversions, and if these are not updated regularly, then often very good deals can be had. I recently saved nearly fifty pounds simply by switching currencies when buying some software online!

If you’re in the property market, and in particular looking at investing overseas, this problem with sliding exchange rates becomes extremely challenging. One day the deal looks good, but within a couple of weeks you’re starting to look at the same deal and realise that, as a direct result of the exchange rate, you’ve just lost several hundred pounds, dollars or Euros, and possibly even more than this. Even investing in a fairly modest 100,000 property, a change in exchange rates between pound sterling and Euros of just a few pence can make several thousand Euros difference. If you’re quick, then this can be good news, but usually you have enough to worry about without pouring over all the bank rates and exchange rates and currency conversions.

However, every cloud has a silver lining as they say, and in this case, there are a few companies that are still able to offer consumers deals which fly in the face of such bad news. Imagine being able to find a company that can promise to lock in the exchange rate that we had three months ago? Incredibly, I have come across just such a company, and I’m sure there are others out there too. At the moment, using my favourite online currency convertor, the Euro is rated at 1.26 to the pound sterling. Yet, I have found a company offering investors the chance to buy Spanish property at a rate of 1.40 to the pound sterling! Do they even know what’s happening in the world out there? Do they care?

An exchange rate difference of 1.40 to the pound sterling represents more than an 11% difference when compared to the current exchange rate offered by banks and other financial institutions. If you’re investing in a 100,000 property, and 11% difference is clearly a not inconsiderable sum of over 11,000! Now who wouldn’t be interested in getting on to that particular bandwagon?

Obviously when purchasing property overseas it is important to bear in mind the currency exchange rate, and it is always recommended that once you start to look seriously at the prospect of purchasing property abroad you agree an exchange rate with all parties and have this included in the written terms so that you don’t fall foul of any unpleasant shocks that hit the financial world later down the path. A major change in an exchange rate can result in costing you many thousands of pounds extra, so this is sound advice. Further sound advice would be to take advantage of a company who is hopelessly optimistic enough to offer an exchange rate that refuses to move on from the sunny times at the beginning of the year, and is still offering a rate that is considerably higher than anything offered by the banks. Such an opportunity makes moving abroad more like going on holiday!

If the prospect of purchasing a property oversees at a ludicrously helpful exchange rate wasn’t enough, you could also bear in mind the other benefits and advantages that this implies. Clearly we’re all realistic enough to realise that property rates fluctuate, and there is never any guarantee of prices holding, and in the short term they may even dip. This is okay for those who are looking for long term investments, but if you’re looking for a relatively quick sale, you may find the market less than predictable. What is predictable however is that you have a margin for error, or at least a safety margin. By purchasing a house at a highly optimistic rate, even if prices dipped by a few percent, you’re protected by an enormous 11% buffer! There’s nothing to stop you from selling the property on later at the normal rate – just don’t tell anyone the enormous difference between the exchange rate you paid and the one you’re selling at!

If you’re considering investing in property abroad for the first time, you may already have some idea of the differences between buying at home, and buying in a different country. With various regulations and requirements that take a good deal of getting used to, you may find that the budget you had in mind will be stretched a little further than you anticipated once the cost of lawyers, solicitors and other paperwork comes into play. By fixing an exchange rate well below that of the normal going rate, you help to give yourself enough slack to easily absorb the extra costs that may be incurred. All in all, it’s an offer well worth you taking further if you’re serious about investing.

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