My wife ( ) and I ( ) are interested in buying property in northern TW (not Taipei, mercifully) because we have strong family ties and visit frequently. Mostly, we want a place to store things and to give her aging parents peace of mind, as nobody in the family owns any real estate at all.
The tricky part is I don’t have an ARC as we moved back to the US years ago, and while I have a reasonably decent income, it is entirely paid by a US entity to a US bank account in USD. I’m wondering if she, as a citizen, would be able to get a ~70% mortgage from a local bank based on my overseas income. The loan and home would ideally be in her name as she visits more often than I do. Can anyone offer guidance for this situation?
(The follow-up question would be the best way to set up recurring transfers to Taiwan, now that Citibank is soon to be out of the picture. I’ve heard HSBC Premier may be a viable alternative?)
Pretty sure you can buy a house and put it in your name as long as your country has a reciprocal agreement, which the USA does. Downloadable pdf of reciprocal countries.
As for the banks they really couldn’t care a less where your money comes from, they set the 70 or 80% loan limit in case things go south and they sell off quickly and don’t care much about your initial investment. But they would want to see bank records showing you do receive regular deposits.
What kind of price and size of house were you looking for if I may ask. Also a bit more precise on where you are looking?
Greater Taoyuan, 3 bedroom or 4 if we can swing it. Thanks for the info on the reciprical agreement.
I’m concerned about how to prove my US income to the mortgage lender – there’s no way they’re just going to accept an employment letter from my HR and my paystubs… Right? I imagine there is some highly officious document that needs to be authenticated by eight different agencies…
) and I ( 
) are interested in buying property in northern TW (not Taipei, mercifully) because we have strong family ties and visit frequently. Mostly, we want a place to store things and to give her aging parents peace of mind, as nobody in the family owns any real estate at all.