FX.co ★ Real estate for bitcoins: from luxury villas to apartments in skyscrapers

One of the earliest recorded cases of real estate sales for bitcoins was recorded in Canada in 2013 when the cost of 1 BTC was $45. The subject of the transaction was a house with a land plot. It is known that the seller received C$405 thousand in the cryptocurrency equivalent and invested them in the development of his own online projects.

In the same year, an unknown buyer purchased 1.4 acres of land with 42 facilities for 2,739 BTC, or $1.6 million, on Lake Tahoe (California, the USA). It is interesting that the idea to pay with the cryptocurrency belonged to the buyer, that's why he preferred to remain anonymous.

In February 2014, on the island of Bali (Indonesia), a luxury villa was sold for 800 bitcoins, which at that time was equal to $500 thousand. The buyer's name remained unknown, and the seller was German developer Ronny Thome who sold half of the bitcoins obtained and kept the rest. "It's like gambling, but cryptocurrency can be an attractive target for investment," he said after the deal was concluded.

At the end of 2014 in Caesarea, Israel, an elite villa with ten rooms, a private garden of palm trees and an outdoor pool with a Jacuzzi was sold for 5,000 bitcoins. It is noteworthy that in the area where the villa is located, many local celebrities live, as well as influential people.

In 2015, it became possible to rent an office in the center of London for bitcoins, thanks to the fact that the Re/Max operator of office real estate began to accept virtual currency as a payment for the use of its facilities. This was the first case of renting commercial premises for bitcoins not only in the British capital but all over the world.

In August 2017, a resident of Miami sold his mansion in Coral Gables for 1,600 BTC, which at the time of the transaction amounted to $6.5 million. Realtors of South Florida believe that the use of cryptocurrency opens up new opportunities for buyers and investors from around the world, including countries in Asia, South America, and other regions.

In September last year, the British Knox Group, based on the Isle of Man, launched in Dubai (UAE) the construction of a housing and commercial complex consisting of two high-rise buildings and a shopping center. The company plans to complete the construction of facilities by September 2019. According to representatives of the company, a number of apartments have already been put up for sale for bitcoins. In particular, the studio apartment will cost $133 thousand, which is equivalent to approximately 19 BTC at the current rate.

Currently, a team of real estate agents, Magnum Real Estate, accepts bitcoins as a payment for an apartment in the East Village in Manhattan. "We believe that New York is an ideal platform for diversifying investment trust portfolios in real estate, and bitcoin can only strengthen these positions," they said.