Foreign investors have been a significant part of New York City’s real estate market in recent years, but Donald Trump’s immigration policies are beginning to change that. DNAinfo reports that international buyers are becoming hesitant to purchase property because they’re uncertain they, or their family members, can attain the necessary visas to enter and live in the United States.
In the article, real estate expert Jonathan Miller estimates that foreign buyers “make up between 15 percent of the market, as a baseline — and as high as 85 percent of the buyers in certain new developments around ‘Billionaire’s Row’ in Midtown,” numbers that could fall as the Trump administration attempts to lower immigration. In addition to the controversial travel ban, the administration has sought to limit H-1B visas, which are intended for highly skilled foreign workers.
The story is illustrated with a number of anecdotes, one from Mirador Real Estate’s Paul Magyar, who explains that a New York University student from China recently had to back out of a deal for a three-bedroom in the East Village due to visa issues. Read the article here.