2023 is the time to recover the economy in Cambodia and the world. The number of new cases of COVID-19 has been decreasing since late 2022, as 46 million vaccine doses have been administered in the country. As of 31 March 2023, the total vaccination rate was 87.38%.
The Royal Government of Cambodia keeps developing new and renovating the infrastructure in Cambodia’s main economic poles, such as 38-road (or 38 roads) in Siem Reap, 34-road (or 34 roads) and the new Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville expressway in Sihanoukville. This infrastructure construction aims to reduce logistic costs in Cambodia.
Most Cambodian and Foreigners see great opportunities in investing in land. Many real estate experts, including Oknha Mann Chandy, Head of Country IQI Cambodia and Managing Director of Premium Housing Group, mentioned, “Investing in Land provides high return among 8% to 15% per year”.
However, this growth is not reflected in the economy’s fundamentals but in peoples’ and investors’ psychology and expectations. Recently, Premium Housing Group has been developing land lots by providing Buy Back Guarantee for 4 years with a 12% yearly appreciation rate. Land investment is the most favourable investment by Cambodians, said Chandy.
Here is why and how foreigners can invest in Cambodia’s land.
Lately, locals and foreigners have preferred to buy under-market value land, among other properties, as mentioned above. According to the 2022 Cambodia Real Estate Survey report by Realestate.com.kh, land investment is the highest rate at 22.7%, followed by Condo/Apartment (22%), Villa (18%), Shophouse (17.8%), Link House (15.25%) and Commercial (4.1%).
Besides, Cambodians prefer to buy land, about 35.3% of all property types. So, it’s the most convenient Exit Strategy for foreigners’ investment liquidity.
In the Cambodia real estate market, the most common payment currency is US dollars (USD), while the Chinese Yuan is also acceptable by the National Bank of Cambodia but still not favorable to locals.
Even though there’s Khmer Riel currency, local investors prefer to tag the price in USD for this investment. Thus, it’s shown that there’s no currency restriction in our market. On average, 1 USD is equal to 4,050 Khmer Riel.
There are 4 main ways for foreigners to own land in Cambodia, as the law does not allow foreigners to own land in their name yet:
- Foreigners can register a company in Cambodia to get ownership of the title.
- Foreigners can nominate a Cambodian they trust to hold the land title in their name.
- Foreigners can marry a Cambodian or obtain Khmer nationality.
- Foreigners can invest in land through a Trustees company registered with the Ministry of Economic and Finance.
I would like to take this opportunity to mention the different types of property titles in Cambodia. Hard Title and LMAP are registered with the national authority and have QR codes. They are recognized nationally. In contrast, Soft-title is recognized only by local authorities and is not registered in the national system.
These 3 titles are only for Cambodians. Foreigners can only hold Strata-title for Condos and Apartments from the 1st floor and not over 70% of ownership in one building under their name.
A trustee is a new investment instrument in the market that is increasing in popularity since it is safer than a nomination. Through trust companies, more and more investors are attracted to Cambodia.
Premium Housing Group, led by Oknha Chandy, is also developing a land lot with safety, trust, and low entry capital compared to Condominiums. The land project is located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh City, approximately 50km away.
The location is along National Road Number 1, where there will be a second Expressway to the border of Cambodia-Vietnam, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port and industrial area, special economic zone. The land is subdivided into 2 sizes of 10m by 30m and 20m by 30m, with a special Buy Back Guarantee in 4 years and a 12% land appreciation rate.
Contact our team or me at IQI Cambodia for a free consultation on Land Investment.
This article was written by NHEM Tetmakara.
Proofread and fact-checked by Bing Chat.
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