Foreign investors accounted for 33% of all commercial property transactions in Australia for the first nine months of 2011, representing the highest percentage since 1994. A recent report also showed that these purchases totalled an impressive AUS$2.15 billion.

Investment from overseas is expected to continue growing, with July to September already seeing 41% of transactions completed by foreigners. One reason for the hike in foreign interest could be Australia’s unexpected rise in unemployment; whilst Australian nationals currently might not have the spending power to invest in commercial properties, foreign investors have the necessary funds.

The report by DTZ stated: “Property fundamentals remain healthy, but concerns about rising unemployment rate and a growth gap between a booming resource sector and non-resource sector are likely to delay investors’ decision making going forward”.

Aside from investment, Australia remains one of the UK’s favourite emigration destinations. Anyone planning a move down under should consider using a currency specialist to move their money abroad as these offer better exchange rates than banks. Contact Smart Currency Exchange for more information.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Australia, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Australia Property Buying Guide’