Hidden Threats and Greenwashing Abound for Investors in Foreign Real Estate

Unfortunately, even the most savvy investors may face multiple challenges, including unfamiliar legal systems, unreported or underreported environmental impacts, substandard construction, and unprincipled developers who evade accountability in U.S. courts. The recent allegations of fraud and misrepresentation against real estate tycoon Donald Trump and a Baja California, Mexico resort is just one example of how seemingly good investments can go wrong.

Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the Center for Biological Diversity’s conservation director, Peter Galvin, is issuing an open letter to American investors and a formal plea to attorneys general and secretaries of state to issue specific consumer-safety guidelines warning investors of the dangers of investing abroad.