What are the main features of globalization, and how does it impact the markets, and businesses, in different countries? What are some of the differences between real estate markets in different countries? Follow along as Dr Weinstein sketches out the issues in this introductory session that establishes important concepts on which the next lectures build.

The increased volume and speed of capital flows across borders is one of the main drivers of globalization. What are the causes, and more importantly, the effects on international real estate?

In this session Dr Weinstein explores some of the macro-economic factors that international investors face in making business decisions, including monetary policies, fiscal policies, exchange rate policies, and interest rate policies.

This presentation delves into the ways in which various legal, regulatory, and customary practices can impact international commercial transactions. Using the United States federal commercial regulations as examples, Dr Weinstein demonstrates how a myriad of factors - from tax laws, to environmental regulations, to reporting requirements - can influence, promote, and sometimes prevent international real estate transactions.

International transactions are more prone to risk, because foreigners usually do not have as thorough an understanding of the markets, policies, and ways of doing business in other countries as they do of their own country. In this session, Dr Weinstein outlines the numerous things that need to be understood when making an investment decision.

The world is a large and varied place. This session explores how specialization assists in gaining market knowledge to overcome risks of the unknown. Specialization can be based on Geography (a continent, region, or countries), markets, or sectors. This session examines the pros and cons of each.

The key to business is relationships, and fostering relationships across borders requires sensitivity and cultural awareness. This includes a range of factors, including how people communicate, how they relate to authority, and even how they understand and act on notions like 'time'. In this session, Dr Weinstein provides examples by examining differences between North America and Asia.

In this session, Dr Weinstein examines the importance of creating a reliable market profile, which summarizes economic conditions, demographic profiles, financial aspects of the national and international market, and trends and forecasts for the investment.

Networking across borders has become easier with the advent of social media, but good sense must prevail when selecting business partners. This session covers effective strategies to develop a network in an international market.

In this final session, Dr Weinstein provides some helpful tips, and discusses important resources, like the Jones Lang Lasalle transparency index, and the UN International Property Markets Scorecard