Expats

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EXPERT OBSERVER
There’s no escaping the monumental consequences we’ve experienced throughout COVID-19. From the devastating impacts on our health, lifestyle, employment, to the border closures preventing us from seeing loved ones.
The current global health crisis is a leveller and does not discriminate, impacting every single one of us. The immediate dialogue around international border closures is the lack of overseas travel, but it’s time to look at what the impact of reduced immigration will have on our housing market, and more specifically, on property investment. 2020 has been full of uncertainty and property investors have every right to be on the edge of their seats, yet the Australian housing market has proven to be remarkably resilient, particularly in the last 12 months.
Whilst immigration is stagnant and vacancies have slightly increased, we are now seeing an unanticipated rise in interstate migration and the emergence of a new trend – the return of the Aussie expat. The return home has already begun for many of the 1,000,000 Australians who live and work overseas, with hundreds flying home each week. Returning expats can now return home even sooner under the Government’s expanding quarantine processing in Darwin, set to process around 1,000 expats a month.
Over 480,000 Australians have already returned home in the last year - majority due to the global pandemic - and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has revealed that there are over 36,000 Australian residents who have registered interest in coming home, with more than 27,000 in the process of returning. This is an unprecedented spike in returning expats. According to the ABS, the 2018- 2019 financial year saw Australia's population increase by 239,600 people due to net overseas migration. The amount of returning expats has already exceeded this.
In addition, experts predict that millions of prospective future Aussies are ‘waiting in the wings’ to relocate here as soon as physically possible - seeking to flee countries that are currently home to escalating health or political risks such as USA, UK, Europe, Hong Kong and China.
As a result of these factors, demographic experts forecast we are due for a ‘migration tsunami’ which will lead to extremely high housing demand. With international borders expected to reopen in late 2021, Australia will see significantly less immigration resulting in slower population growth.
The Australian Government’s recent Federal Budget declares that Australia’s overall population growth is expected to grow 0.2 per cent in 2020-21 and 0.4 per cent in 2021-22, yet with this increase in returning residents and the many migrants who are looking to move to Australia imminently, by 2022 there will likely be an overall net increase in residents settling in Australia.
The return of expats combined with the postponements by those who had planned to leave Australia to work overseas has already kept vacancy rates low.
CoreLogic data from October reveals vacancy rates have dropped in every capital city in Australia, apart from Melbourne in the past month. As more expats looking for somewhere to live after they make it out of hotel quarantine, there is no doubt there will be further pressure on the market - and to further support our housing market, we can look no further than the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) November announcement.
The RBA’s recent slashing of the official cash rate from 0.25 to 0.1 per cent, a historical low, is a welcomed incentive for investors. We can expect to see banks pass this cut directly on to borrowers so investors can breathe a collective sigh of relief with the RBA promising not to hike rates for “at least” three years.
The Commonwealth Bank has also announced its lowest ever fixed rate home loan of 1.99 per cent. Australia’s biggest lender is now offering a new four-year fixed rate for owner occupiers paying principal and interest. This is great news for investors as this will lower the structure of interest rates and provide confidence that Australians can borrow over the long term at historically low rates.
The good news continues for investors with the most recent CoreLogic dataset revealing that house prices across Australia have finally risen overall for the first time since the start of the pandemic, with the national housing market experiencing a 0.4 per cent rise in October.
While we are not out of the woods yet, there is every reason to feel confident about the outlook for property investment. The economic picture isn’t as bleak as initially predicted and we can take comfort in the fact that as our expats return home (and why the bloody hell wouldn’t they?!), demand for residential property will continue to grow.
Investors need to be ready for a ‘migration tsunami’ and snap up solid investment properties while they can. With the on-going changes that we’ve experienced this year, it is essential to do your homework and seek expert advice and property management to ensure you make smart and rewarding financial choices in 2021. 
JAMES NIHILL is the Managing Director at Patrick Leo 
AUSTRALIA’S FORECAST… SUNNY WITH THE CHANCE OF A MIGRATION TSUNAMI: YOURGUIDE TO NAVIGATING THE RETURN OF THE EXPATBy James Nihill, Managing Director – Patrick LeoThere’s no escaping the monumental consequences we’ve experiencedthroughout COVID-19. From the devastating impacts on our health, lifestyle,employment, to the border closures preventing us from seeing loved ones. Thecurrent global health crisis is a leveller and does not discriminate, impacting everysingle one of us.The immediate dialogue around international border closures is the lack of overseastravel, but it’s time to look at what the impact of reduced immigration will have onour housing market, and more specifically, on property investment.2020 has been full of uncertainty and property investors have every right to be onthe edge of their seats, yet the Australian housing market has proven to beremarkably resilient, particularly in the last 12 months. Whilst immigration is stagnantand vacancies have slightly increased, we are now seeing an unanticipated rise ininterstate migration and the emergence of a new trend – the return of the Aussieexpat.The return home has already begun for many of the 1,000,000 Australians who liveand work overseas, with hundreds flying home each week. Returning expats cannow return home even sooner under the Government’s expanding quarantineprocessing in Darwin, set to process around 1,000 expats a month1.Over 480,000 Australians have already returned home in the last year2- majority dueto the global pandemic - and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade hasrevealed that there are over 36,000 Australian residents who have registered interestin coming home, with more than 27,000 in the process of returning.This is an unprecedented spike in returning expats. According to the ABS, the 2018-2019 financial year saw Australia's population increase by 239,600 people due to netoverseas migration. The amount of returning expats has already exceeded this.In addition, experts predict that millions of prospective future Aussies are ‘waiting inthe wings’ to relocate here as soon as physically possible - seeking to flee countriesthat are currently home to escalating health or political risks such as USA, UK, Europe,Hong Kong and China.
 
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Australia is sunny with a chance of expat tsunami: James Nihill

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House Rules judge Jamie Durie has again adjusted the asking price of his Hollywood Hills home, following his return to Sydney.
<a href="https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2605-Laurel-Pass_Los-Angeles_CA_90046_M12262-67100" target="_blank">The Laurel Canyon home</a> reappeared on US listing websites this week with a reduced US$2.45 million ($3.5 million) asking price.
Durie will still make a big gain, despite­ the price being first adjusted in January down from its initial US$2,995,000 hopes.
It is one of the priciest homes on the market in the area.
Durie paid US$950,000 for the mid-century modern ranch style home in 2009, soon after he moved to the US to host TV show The Outdoor Room.
The trendy house was designed by Maitlin &amp; Chapman in 1957 and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
It’s no surprise that the outdoor is described­ as a tropical paradise on its Realtor.com listing.
There is a pool, outdoor dining area, shower and a number of deck spaces.
There’s also a recently built modern­ detached studio with its own entrance which acts as a home office.
The home sits just one canyon over from Australia’s radio jock Kyle Sandilands’ abode when he’s stateside.
With his latest TV role as the newest judge on House Rules bringing him back to Sydney, Durie is also busy with his burgeoning interiors design business.
While the reality TV veteran, who hosted The Block on its debut in 2003, has said “Channel 7 has me absolutely glued to the ground, not just (House Rules) but with other stuff too”, he’s still doing gardens — including one big home project on Pittwater.
Durie recently noted that people look for things that last nowadays.
“We’re looking for artisans and crafts people and the stories behind pieces,” he said.
He is just back from Milan’s Salone­ Del Mobile, the world’s most important design event, where he said he was impressed by the Krakvik &amp; D’Orazio presentation of a selection­ of furniture that explored sustainability.
This article was first published in the Saturday Telegraph. 
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Jamie Durie tweaks Hollywood Hills asking price

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Do you live overseas and own a house in Australia? If so, you may have less than five months to act before you’re stuck with a large tax bill on the sale of that property.
<h3>Proposed tax changes</h3>
In May 2017, the Australian Government proposed changes to the existing capital gains tax (‘CGT’) laws. These changes will affect tax non-residents who hold property in Australia that have previously lived in as their main residence.
Under the current laws, an Australian property that is your main residence can be sold with potentially no Australian tax to pay (or at least a significantly reduced amount of tax to pay to reflect the ‘main residence’ period you lived there). However, under the proposed changes, if you are a non-resident (for Australian tax purposes) at the date of sale, you will no longer be able to claim the ‘main residence exemption’. This means that the entire gain you make on selling the property could be subject to tax, with no reduction for the period you actually lived in the property.
Although these proposed changes were announced nearly two years ago, they are still not law. It appears that one of the reasons for this is because the changes are quite draconian given non-residents could be taxed on the entire gain made on the property sale (irrespective of whether the property was their main residence for a significant period of time).
Further, if legislated, the changes are proposed to apply retrospectively from 9 May 2017. Despite this, there is a proposed transitional period for properties purchased before 9 May 2017 and sold by 30 June 2019 (whereby the current rules will still apply, meaning they could potentially still obtain the ‘main residence exemption’).
For many people, this means they may have less than five months to decide whether to sell their property or be faced with a large tax bill.
<h3>What should you do between now and 30 June 2019?</h3>
The uncertainty surrounding whether these changes will become law can make accurate decision making very difficult.
Should you sell your property now? Is it the right time to sell? What happens if the changes don’t become law?
Whilst the answers to many of the questions is outside your control, if you answer these four questions below, the decision-making process should become a lot clearer.
<ul>
<li>1) Will I actually be affected?</li>
</ul>
Ask yourself “will these changes even affect me?”
These changes will only apply where you are a tax non-resident at the date of sale. If you intend to re-establish your tax residency in Australia, the changes may not apply to you.
For example, you may currently be overseas on secondment and intend to return to Australia in the future. If you don’t plan on selling your property before returning to Australia, then you should not be affected by the changes.
Alternatively, if you plan to move overseas permanently and sell your property whilst you are a tax non-resident, then you would be affected and may need to act fast.
<ul>
<li>2) Will I have a large tax bill?</li>
</ul>
Even if you are affected by the proposed changes, you may not have a large tax bill on your hands.
To determine this, calculate what your tax liability would be (if any) under the current law and then again applying the proposed changes. If these calculations do not give rise to a material tax difference, you mightn’t have anything to worry about with the proposed changes.
For example, if you bought your house two years ago there may have been little growth in the value of the property since that time, meaning there may be little tax to pay on sale.
Alternatively, if you bought your house 30 years ago and lived there for 25 years prior to moving overseas, you could be up for a large tax bill on the difference in the property’s value between when you acquired it and when you sold it. In these circumstances, the decision to sell your property before 30 June 2019 becomes more relevant.
<ul>
<li>3) Should I sell before 30 June?</li>
</ul>
As an investor, you should assess whether it is appropriate for you to sell your property before 30 June 2019. This decision should not be made hastily (especially in light of Australia’s current property market).
According to CoreLogic, Australia is currently facing its weakest property market since 2008. As a result, if you were to sell your property during the coming months, you may not achieve the sale price you’re after. Are you better off holding the property long term and selling it when the market recovers? In some instances, a lower sale price may even outweigh any tax saving you would make by selling before 30 June 2019.
However, if you don’t sell your property, consider any potential holding costs. These could include land tax and an annual vacancy fee if your property is not residentially occupied or rented out for more than 183 days in a year.
Also ask yourself “how does my property fit within my investment portfolio?”. If your property has a strong rental yield you mightn’t be in a rush to sell. On the flip side, would the sale of your property enable you to invest in other assets with a higher return?
<ul>
<li>4) Will I be able to sell before 30 June?</li>
</ul>
Even if you decide to sell before 30 June, is it possible?
The Australian property market has experienced a recent decrease in auction clearance rates to 43.6% in the last quarter of 20181. These market conditions could cause delays in the sale of your property and mean you can’t actually sell before 30 June 2019.
If you need to undertake renovations to spruce your property up before selling, this could contribute to additional delays. This means you may need to move fast if you want to sell before 30 June.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
Although the potential changes may seem daunting, if you work through the 4 steps above, you may find out you’ve got nothing to worry about. Alternatively, if you do have a potentially large tax problem, by acting fast and tailoring a solution to your personal circumstances, you may be able to manage (or eliminate) the problem.
NICOLE JOANNOU is a consultant for William Buck, a firm of Chartered Accountants and advisors with offices across Australia and New Zealand. 
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Sell your Australian property now, or risk a big tax bill: Nicole Joannou

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EXPERT OBSERVATION
There is a bit of economic gloom around with reports of the residential market slowing down and house prices starting to come off and decrease in our major capital cities.
Nobody uses the word “crash” but many commentators hint at a housing market crisis. The retail sector continues its own steep decline and add to this that the Australian dollar has fallen to its lowest level since 2016 and is forecast to continue to fall even lower.
While these conditions make banking and finance types jittery and also make great Page One headlines in newspapers – they also present a perfect opportunity for the next wave of investors in Australian property: Aussie ex-pats.
It is easy to forget about Aussie ex-pats as they are literally not here, and are spread across the globe but mostly concentrated in the United Kingdom and United States of America.
Studies show that there are more than 346,000 Australian ex-pats around the world and most left our shores for their careers with 43% of expatriates citing 'better employment opportunities', 36% 'professional development' and 32% gave 'higher income' as a reason for emigrating.
While the ex-pats pursue successful and fulfilling careers overseas, they become older and start to settle down and inevitably start to either think about or plan when they will return to Australia. For some this is driven by having children and wanting them to have an Australian education and for others it is about ageing family or simply just wanting to come home.
The combination of a slowing residential market and low Australian dollar suddenly makes locking in investment properties back at home much cheaper and more appealing. Put simply, the falling Australian dollar and softening house prices could mean Aussie expat investors could snap up two properties instead of one – or go for a larger house instead of an apartment.
But it isn’t all smooth sailing when parking their hard-earned cash back on home turf and expats will need to do their homework and also seek professional advice as the processes they need to navigate can be a minefield.
Some expats can find the lending process a little arduous – especially if they don’t already own property in Australia.
Banks typically class expats as a non-standard borrower and may require a higher deposit and more stringent proof of income requirements.
It is also critical for expats thinking of building a portfolio of Australian investment properties to consider their individual tax position and whether they are an Australian resident for tax purposes.
Amid the economic gloom our own Aussie expats could be a beacon of light and add significantly to investment sales in coming years.
James Nihill is the Managing Director of Patrick Leo
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Aussie Expats the next wave of investors: James Nihill

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Skilled professionals are increasingly likely to have an equally skilled partner at home. This makes it harder for companies to fill overseas positions when the move affects two professional careers.
Multinational corporations are starting to recognise and try to understand the complexities of managing talent globally. But we wondered whether they are considering the “right” scope of complexities. As an example of these complexities, and contrary to popular belief, the expatriate spouse – not the expatriate – remains the number one influence on the success of overseas postings.
Three major, interrelated elements create this largely unrecognised complexity.
The family context
An overseas assignment can be an enriching experience for the whole family, but making it a success is a different story. Career paths are no longer choices for a single breadwinner, but compromises between couples or within families.
This means there are a number of stakeholders to consider when an overseas assignment is on offer. The dynamics between the various immediate family members play a major role in whether the assignment is a success.
Research often reports organisational support for spouses as either inadequate or misaligned. One reason for this is that organisations do not have a good enough understanding of expatriate spouse experiences and attitudes to relocation.
Most recently, research has identified that there are four different types of spouses – some more resilient and ready for an international relocation than others. This is to say that spouses and their personal and professional career endeavours may differ greatly. And the lack of knowledge about this makes it difficult to manage.
The reason for any inadequacy or misalignment of organisational support might well stem, then, from not fully understanding the journey of the other family members who are likely invested but involuntarily affected by the way the assignment is managed.
This type of reasoning similarly applies to families with a female breadwinner, families with or without children, those who identify as LGBTIQ, single parents and families going through a divorce, among other scenarios. The chart below illustrates the range of family contexts.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232212/original/file-20180816-2915-sgy80t.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
Corporate support for people on overseas assignments needs to consider the diversity of possible family contexts. Author provided
Philosophically, it is about managing the family as a dynamic and complex network of actors. That is in addition to the complexities inherent in any particular individual employee or family member.
The assignment context
We are seeing an increase in the types of international assignments, including short-term, long-term, rotational, flex-assignments and so forth. You can add to this the propatriate (a professional expatriate committed to their parent company), the glopatriate (a globetrotting expatriate committed to a global career beyond their parent company), the inpatriate (a relocation from the subsidiary into HQ) and the self-initiated expatriate (a non-organisational form of expatriation) among others. We now have many assignment types – some of which have not existed or been recognised as such, say, ten years ago.
The assignment type matters to the multinational corporation. It is the context for the length, purpose and expatriate and family allowances of the assignment.
The location context
Globalisation continues to create opportunities across borders. These in turn are linked to international assignment opportunities.
Today, countries like China, Brazil, India, Argentina, Mexico, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Angola, Nigeria and Iraq present some of the greatest challenges for international assignees, their partners and children.
But what do we really know about these countries? And to what extent are dual-career families ready (or supported) to relocate to these places and be successful – as a family or as individuals?
Another difficult challenge to manage is the fact that some assignment locations are considered more dangerous than others. Some research suggests this keeps potential expatriates and their families from considering the assignment in the first place.
Managing challenges of diversity is key
In short, the increased diversity of assignments – in all ways – presents policy and compliance challenges for talent management departments. Creating the right tools to enable multinational corporations to understand and respond swiftly to these challenges is key to competing and winning with a global talent strategy.
Global mobility specialists must fully understand past, present and potential trends to then acquire the agility needed to manage talent in today’s world – across diverse demographic, assignment and family contexts.

In the end however, if the expatriate and their family are not convinced this will be a good experience, no amount of deliberation or support will make it a success. The real key to success is to ensure the expatriates and their families understand their “window of opportunity” for such a life-changing move.
Miriam Moeller, Senior Lecturer, International Business, The University of Queensland
Jemaine Tsoi, PhD Researcher, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-secrets-to-managing-overseas-postings-for-modern-families-start-with-the-spouse-100893" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Starting with the spouse is the secret to managing overseas postings for modern families

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 <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2016/12/18/property_buyer_logo.jpg" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
Property has always been a keen investment for Australians, even among those staying abroad.
The Christmas break is often a time when Australian expatriates buy properties back in Australia to eventually occupy as their home when their overseas assignments end.
But those overseas trying to channel their hard-earned money here for investment and handy returns need to be wary. Or you will invariably pay a premium for the purchase if you’ve skipped proper research.
That's why many use a buyer's agent.
Download our with five tips for Australian expats thinking of buying a home this summer.
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