Realtors in Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize, Spain, Bulgaria, France and Germany are reporting an increased number of US buyers. Not only are Americans driving the second home market, they are redefining it. The second home boom is fueled by Baby Boomers. The Boomers, Americans who have reached their prime earning years, are known as the richest generation in the history of the world. The wealthiest and largest group in American history is spending more, traveling further and looking to the attractive global real estate markets to invest their wealth.
The move toward international second homes comes as no surprise to the analysts who have tracked boomers for decades. Globalization and the Internet have made it easy for these adventuresome Americans to look beyond the US borders for investment and recreation. Boomers are buying abroad in record numbers, and their purchases reflect a change in the trends of global real estate ownership. Americans are being romanced by international second home hot spots!

According to Peter Francese, demographics editor for Economy.com and the founder of American Demographics magazine, two factors are driving the second home boom:

• Demographics - homeowners aged 55 to 64 are the fastest-growing segment of the US population.
• Wealth – both inherited and made in the 90’s economic boom.

Today, Americans own about 6.5 million second homes, and Francese predicts