I have been an IFA for over 20 years in Europe and Asia. I have met hundreds of clients with different portfolio's of assets, different expectations and different views. Throughout the 20 plus years I have experienced a number of property crashes and booms in the UK, Europe and in Asia. It is interesting to note that those clients with exposure to property are the ones that in general, have seen the best overall returns over the longer term and therefore have been in a position to retire earlier! My experience has shown me that:

You have to live somewhere.

We all need somewhere to live. The simple choice is whether to rent or buy. Renting offers none of the potential capital gains that can be made from owning your home. If you are an expat I would still advise purchasing a property simply as a hedge against future movements in the property market. This investment would make up part of your total asset portfolio but not your investment portfolio. It's important to make the distinction between property brought to live in versus investment property. But still buy it! It is still an investment even if you want to keep it for your own use in the medium to long term.

They don't make land anymore.

With growing populations the demand for housing continues to grow. The demographics indicate that land will continue to increase in value. So the upside potential for freehold or long term leasehold land / property as a long term investment look good. This is a generality take a look at my article on what and where to buy for more information.

Leverage your money.

Due to the relatively secure nature of property/land assets, Banks and lending Institutions are willing to offer finance The process is generally painless and it is normally easy to gear an investment at attractive rates of interest. In fact in many cases the banks do not insist on regular repayments of capital being made. Consequently the yields that can be achieved based on the capital invested can be very attractive and in many cases can be in excess of 10%pa. There are also potential tax benefits in financing a property investment.

An income producing asset

A major attraction of a property investment is that you can turn it into an income producing asset by renting it out. This provides for a regular income as well as the potential for capital growth.. For many retirees the rentals can provide a retirement income whilst the capital growth can provide a hedge against future inflation. All of this makes property an attractive medium to long term investment.

Inflation proof and you can touch it!

Historically property has outperformed inflation. It can be said that stock market investments have outperformed property but in many cases this has only been achieved by an substantial increase in the annual volatility of the asset and therefore an increase in risk. Timing of property acquisition is important but may not be as crucial as many other asset classes. Another major benefit of property investment, unlike stock and Bond investments, is that you can actually physically see it, which gives a certain amount of emotional security that you often don