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As a real estate agent, you are constantly comparing apples to oranges to help your clients make the right decisions about real estate. Buy, sell or hold — and at what price?
Due to several world leaders saying that their countries were not for sale recently, it got me thinking. What if you could just buy a country, as if they were actual real estate properties? Rather than square foot, location and beds and baths, I started using metrics like population, GDP, landmass, and population growth trends.
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After looking at the data, some of these “properties” look like fix and flip investments, while others seem like long-term holds.
Just for fun, let’s take a look at some of the world’s “real estate” from a global perspective. I picked a handful of countries that are in the news currently. The scope and scale of these properties vary wildly, and the outcome was surprising to me.
United States of America: The prime urban condo
- GDP: $29.17 trillion (2025)
- Population: ~341 million
- Landmass: 9.15 million km²
- Status: Buy
The U.S. is a luxury high-rise in the heart of downtown — stable, high-demand and constantly appreciating. With the world’s largest economy and strong population growth, it’s a proven performer. Yes, the HOA fees (read: politics and debt) are high, but it remains a top-tier property. You buy the U.S. not just for current value but long-term strength.
China: The massive mixed-use development
- GDP: $18.27 trillion
- Population: ~1.42 billion
- Landmass: 9.6 million km²
- Status: Hold (Watch closely)
Think of China as a sprawling, fast-growing complex on the edge of a booming city. The potential is undeniable, but construction cracks are showing — demographics are shifting, and debt is a growing concern. Keep this one on your radar, but don’t overleverage.
India – The fixer-upper with sky-high potential
- GDP: $3.89 trillion (nominal), rising fast
- Population: ~1.46 billion (now No. 1 globally)
- Landmass: 3.29 million km²
- Status: Strong buy
India is that undervalued neighborhood that suddenly gets a subway line. Rapid population growth, a tech-savvy workforce and democratic stability make India an incredible long-term play. Infrastructure and governance challenges persist, but the potential upside is massive.
Russia – The historic mansion in disrepair
- GDP: $2.18 trillion (nominal)
- Population: ~144 million (shrinking)
- Landmass: 16.38 million km²
- Status: Sell
Fun fact: Russia owns more land than any other “property” in the world. Your “bigger is always better” clients should tour this property. But it’s isolated, poorly maintained and geopolitically complicated. Sanctions, declining demographics and overdependence on energy exports make this a tough hold. It’s a majestic structure — but one that may be crumbling from within.
Canada – The beautiful suburban estate
- GDP: $2.21 trillion
- Population: ~40 million
- Landmass: 9.98 million km²
- Status: Buy
Canada is that pristine, well-kept estate in a quiet, safe neighborhood. It’s not flashy, but it’s attractive — politically stable, resource-rich and increasingly popular thanks to immigration. The growth isn’t explosive, but it’s steady. Think of it as the Toyota of global properties: clean, future-focused and reliable.
Greenland – The undeveloped acreage
- GDP: $3.24 billion (not ranked globally)
- Population: ~56,000
- Landmass: 2.16 million km²
- Status: Speculative buy
Greenland is that enormous plot of land on the edge of town that no one knows what to do with — yet. As climate change alters global trade routes and reveals untapped natural resources, Greenland could become a geopolitical hotspot. But for now, it’s a cold, lonely gamble.
Overall takeaways that shocked me
GDP: Showing the U.S. as the vastly dominant economic “property.” Greenland, as you would guess, is not even visible.
Population: The demographic weight of India and China is intense. Similarly, the insignificant population of Russia compared to China is incredible.
Landmass: Highlighting Russia’s and Canada’s vast size. Shocked to see that India was actually larger than Greenland.
Make a move: In truth, it’s not a complete picture, kind of like MLS listings that only had four pictures back in the day. But, if you had to choose based only on this data:
- Buy: India for growth, Canada for stability, U.S. for long-term power
- Hold: China, watch for shifting trends
- Sell: Russia, high risk and low upside
- Speculate: Greenland, for visionary investors only
The number game
My team members and I love to turn data into insight — whether we’re helping real estate professionals spot the next mover in their database or imagining the world’s nations as investment properties. It’s all about seeing patterns, predicting trends and making smarter decisions.
What’s happening with the world right now is engaging and impactful, and that is what analyzing data is all about. Because when you understand what’s happening beneath the surface of your database, you’re better positioned to launch the right conversation at exactly the right time.
Chris Drayer is co-founder of Revaluate, which segments consumers for marketers by propensity to move.
