PRINCETON, N.J., Feb. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Australian property investor donates property to charity, bringing a special Christmas to thousands of underprivileged families. Amazed at such kindness, the story makes headlines throughout America.
A Christmas 2,000 Kids Were Not Expecting
February 7th, 2013
Princeton, New Jersey - Occasionally, when flicking through the pages of the national newspaper or your favorite social media sites, one may come across a real 'feel good story'; an act of selflessness, courage or a simple action which reminds us of the great people that surround us everywhere.
This is one such story which the team at US Invest simply felt they had to share with their readers. Read on as we attempt to re-tell the story of such a selfless act of kindness from one Australian Property Investor.
Vikki Mount first set out to grow her US Investment property portfolio in 2011. Like most International investors, she needed a vehicle to create both stable and profitable investment portfolio and began the long path of education in an industry which is becoming more and more popular with international investors. With a basic knowledge of investment principles and the assistance of US Real Estate experts US Invest, a company that specialises in American Real Estate opportunities for Australians, Vikki began to identify investment hotspots across America. She decided upon Atlanta as the destination to purchase her first home with the help of the team at US Invest, purchased her first investment property early in 2012. The home itself was a typical US investment property, yielding a decent return and providing a place to call home for one Atlanta based family. This was Vikki's first investment in Atlanta and she was happy to now be the proud owner of her first International property investment. With sights set high and the aim to grow a larger portfolio in the coming years, Vikki followed strict protocol, making sure all aspects of the investment were in line.
In August 2012, tragedy struck. The house caught fire, burning completely to the ground. Overnight, Vikki went from being the owner of a newly refurbished home, to the owner of a charred pile of rubble, beyond salvage in its current state. Thankfully, there was some positive light to be taken from the incident. The family was not in the home at the time and all occupants were safe and accounted for. Also, all neighboring homes remained unharmed.
Fortunately, Vikki had taken precautions to deal with such an incident and worked closely with her investment supplier, who made every attempt to reduce the stress to Vikki of such a tragic incident. Vikki had home insurance, property management and adequate legal assistance -everything required to ensure a safe, yet profitable single-family home investment. This was an unfortunate occurrence which, can happen to any home owner at any time, yet it was fortunate that Vikki had the right help at hand and wasn't alone dealing with such an ordeal all the way from her home country, Australia.
The incident was a first for the team at US Invest too. When interviewed after the incident, Chief Investment Advisor Lachlan McPherson says: "We make sure all our clients take out insurance policies, yet to date, none have had to exercise their policy as a result of such a tragic incident." Reacting quickly to the unfortunate situation, the US Invest operations team stepped in, ensuring Vikki's policy was activated and damages recovered as soon as possible. Thanks to an excellent insurance policy and swift execution, Vikki was quickly compensated for the home's true assessed value. -nearly double what she paid for the home in the first place! In a little over three months since purchasing the home, Vikki banked a healthy profit over the short life of this investment.
It was at this point, Vikki was left with some decisions to be made: Re-build the existing home using the money recovered from insurance, or sell the land and put the profits toward her next US property purchase?
Here's where the story gets interesting: Rather than adding to the already great profit on her investment from the insurance claim and selling the land herself, Vikki wanted to go one step further. She wanted to share a part of what had turned out to be her good fortune, with those really in need. It was at this point, Vikki came across Angels With Faith Ministries, a 100% charity organization funded by the donations of people just like Vikki.
With the festive season only a month away, Vikki showed true Christmas spirit and donated her land to Angels With Faith Ministries. Angels With Faith Ministries were able to sell the land, and as a result, use that money to provide a much needed Christmas celebration to more than 2000 underprivileged children and their families. These were families which were unlikely to receive Christmas presents, enjoy a family meal or even, in some cases have the clothes to keep warm on a cold winter's night. Vikki changed all of that by passing on her good fortune to help those in need. She could have taken the profit, she could have built a new home, but instead, became the Angel that this particular charity and thousands of families were desperately in need of, providing a Christmas they will remember forever.
David Koremba, Operations Manager at US Invest who assisted Vikki in organizing the charity donation quotes: "Thank you Vikki for your kind actions and thank you to all those involved in making such an inspiring story a reality for those greatest in need."
Like many cities across America, Atlanta was heavily affected by the Global Financial Crisis. Home values dropped way below their previous values, even below their cost of construction which is why Vikki was able to receive an insurance payment for far more than what she actually paid for her home. Whilst Americans and International investors are taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity, for many families, life in Atlanta is still difficult and will be for quite some time. Through the help of people such as Vikki and the fast actions of all involved, many Atlanta based children and their families received a Christmas present greater than they ever could have wished for.
By Lachlan McPherson
About US Invest
Lachlan McPherson is the chief investment officer for US Invest - a US based team of Australian property investors who help other Australians find and invest in American real estate opportunities.
For more information visit their website: usinvest.com.au
Contact:
US Invest
Lachlan McPherson
1800 339 200
SOURCE US Invest
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