Globe.casa Guides

Everything you should know before buying a home in another country.

Country-by-country buying guides, market briefings and editorial reporting — written with local agents, updated for 2026.

Buying a home in Portugal — the 2026 walkthrough

Country guide · Portugal

Buying a home in Portugal — the 2026 walkthrough

How the process actually works from offer to escritura, what the new tax rules mean, and where non-residents get tripped up.

8 min read

Buying a home in Japan as a foreigner

Country guide · Japan

Buying a home in Japan as a foreigner

Japan is one of the most open real estate markets in the world for foreign buyers — but the process, financing, and the machiya question all deserve care.

9 min read

Buying property in Mexico — the fideicomiso, explained

Country guide · Mexico

Buying property in Mexico — the fideicomiso, explained

Coastal Mexico is inside the restricted zone. Here's how the bank-trust structure actually works, and what it costs to hold a home in Tulum or Sayulita long-term.

7 min read

Buying a riad in Marrakech — the honest guide

Country guide · Morocco

Buying a riad in Marrakech — the honest guide

Foreigners can buy freehold in Morocco with almost no restrictions. The catch is the medina: title, access, and renovation are their own world.

7 min read

Buying a home in South Africa

Country guide · South Africa

Buying a home in South Africa

South Africa is one of the easiest countries in Africa for foreign buyers — freehold, sterling paperwork, and Cape Town prices that still surprise Europeans.

6 min read

The Portuguese Golden Visa in 2026 — what's left

Legal & tax · Portugal

The Portuguese Golden Visa in 2026 — what's left

Real estate is out. Investment funds are in. Here's a plain-English map of what still qualifies for the residence-by-investment programme after the 2023 reform.

5 min read

What a Kyoto machiya really costs to own

Editorial · Japan

What a Kyoto machiya really costs to own

The listing price is only the beginning. A honest breakdown of restoration, tax, maintenance and the hidden neighbourhood dues for a machiya townhouse.

6 min read

Off-grid in Iceland — the rules nobody explains

Editorial · Iceland

Off-grid in Iceland — the rules nobody explains

Buying a summer cabin outside Reykjavík is easy on paper. Living in it year-round runs into planning zones, heating economics, and the sheer weight of Icelandic winter.

5 min read

Sydney's harbourside market in 2026

Market · Australia

Sydney's harbourside market in 2026

FIRB rules tightened again this year. What foreign buyers can still purchase in Sydney, and where the actual value is for the money.

5 min read

Manhattan: condo vs co-op for international buyers

Editorial · United States

Manhattan: condo vs co-op for international buyers

The single most important question a foreign buyer faces in New York — and why most experienced international agents will steer you to a condo.

4 min read