(Another) Real estate question.

[AlcateL]

Hi all, I recently got my bankroll into a state where I can cash out 130,000 dollars (or more like will have $130,000) Which is about £70,000 for me. I was always going to buy a house close to where I live (Shenfield, Brentwood in Essex - good for commuters) for about £190,000 (120,000 mortgage of course) and rent it out - which I could get about £800 a month for. However my uncle who's a builder in mineappolis believes the rental market in America would be alot better for me to get into - He believes for $280,000 (which is infact less than the price of the property I was looking at here) I could get $1600 a month in rent. (Apparantly these properties are increasing in value by 7% a year as well which is alot for America.

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what I'd be better off doing - my uncle would upkeep the house and charge me the minimum he could of course. The main thought for me is that the rent %age is alot higher in the US dollar for dollar than it is in the UK. However the property market is increasing at a faster rate in the UK as opposed to the US. Equally the UK has a much higher percentage of home owners as opposed to renters than the US (I believe?)

Thanks in advance.
Luke.