Property Abroad

Dealing With Estate Agents if You Want to Buy Property Abroad

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 10:33 am

You may think that the overseas property market, as an investment concept, has died a death – but you’d be wrong, because there are bargains to be bagged, there are properties that make a good long-term investment purchase, and there are even locations suitable for those who want to make a solid investment that will provide them with rental returns.

What’s more, if you’re a first time buyer in your home nation and you’re struggling to find a mortgage to allow you to purchase, or you have a lump sum investment in the bank that’s earning you less interest than you’d ideally want, the overseas property market can be a solution to either of these issues potentially. You could buy abroad with your deposit and watch it grow until the mortgage market in the UK is healthier, or you could put your lump sum into a tangible asset such as real estate that will hopefully give you better returns than a bank.

So, if you are venturing overseas to look for real estate, here are some top tips for dealing with estate agents if you do want to buy property abroad. Our top tips should help you to make the right choice for your own buying objectives, and steer you well clear of the rogue agents who are self serving, whilst giving you strategies to cope with genuine agents who want to make a sale.

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Buying or Selling Property Abroad in a Downturn

Thursday, June 04, 2009 at 8:56 am

Whether you’ve got the bit between your teeth and you’re determined to get out of the UK and find a new home abroad, or you want to cash in on the strong euro/weak pound ratio and flog off your property in Provence for maximum gains, we’ve got 10 top tips to help you whether you’re buying or selling a property abroad in this current global downturn.

For buyers we have salient advice about making sure you do your homework and have your finances properly aligned so that you can jump in for the kill when you see that ideal bargain. And for sellers we have positive tips that will stop you panicking if you need to exit the market and help you still get the best out of your home abroad, no matter what your circumstances.

So, whether you want to buy a holiday hacienda, you’re looking for a retirement retreat or you need a brand new home to live in abroad, we will advise you. And if you’re selling out to profit, you need to get out of the market or you’re just bored of you’re ideal lifestyle overseas in the sun (!), trust us to give you the tips you need.

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Ten Tips for Buying Bank Repossessed Property in Australia

Friday, May 29, 2009 at 1:06 pm

The property market in Australia has almost mirrored the one in the UK in terms of its fortunes which have flowed and which are now ebbing away for some people. As a result, just like in the UK, Australia is witnessing a massive rise in the number of homes being repossessed at the moment.

The government has put pressure on lending institutions to apply a little more leniency to cases where homeowners have repaid well in the past and are only now encountering financial difficulties, however, that hasn’t stopped there being a strong increase in the numbers of homes being repossessed.

For those on the receiving end of eviction notices, the rise in this rate is a terrible and awful fact. For those hoping to get on the property ladder Down Under, who are moving to live in Australia, or who recognise the investment potential in many Australian cities, here are ten tips for buying bank repossessed property in Australia – because it can truly be a great way of getting in to the market.

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Billion Pound Dubai Property Scandal, Who’s to Blame?

Monday, May 25, 2009 at 2:55 pm

Conservative estimates put the amount of money hanging in the balance in Dubai’s property scandal at around one billion pounds. This is the figure that investors have already allegedly committed to property schemes and ventures that have yet to come to fruition, with one fifth of this sum already having been paid out to potentially less than scrupulous developers.

But in terms of the billion pound Dubai property scandal, who is actually to blame? Was it the greedy speculators who bought and flipped and pushed the value of property through the roof, was it the over ambitious developers, or perhaps we should actually be blaming the government for failing to put adequate controls in place to prevent the boom and subsequent bust?

In this report into the billion pound property scandal we look at who’s to blame in the latest disaster story emerging from Dubai…

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Positive Prospects for Property in France

Monday, May 18, 2009 at 1:41 pm

Unlike in Spain, the property market crash in France has been far more tempered and gentle! Whilst there have been sales by vendors forced to sell at almost any cost, the majority of the market has seen an easing rather than an almighty crash, and the bottom has certainly not dropped out of the real estate market in France.

There are pockets where prices have dropped further than the national average trend, suggesting that these were areas oversold and perhaps inflated by the likes of British buyers in the past. But generally speaking, the average drop off in prices stands at ‘only’ 2.5% over the past year.

This is positive news for those who already own homes in France, and there has been more positive news thanks to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that advises that the overall economic slowdown in France is beginning to ease.

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More Bad News for Spanish Property Market

Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:53 am

As if the scandals, demolitions, arrests and repossessions weren’t enough, more bad news for the Spanish property market was published this week in the New York Times.

It appears that the Spanish government have basically shot themselves in the foot if they were hoping that they could kick start some sort of positive promotion of the nation’s real estate landscape in the press!

They have published some findings and statistics relating to who actually buys property in the nation, and as a result, there is nothing positive that anyone can actually say!

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How to Improve Your Property Abroad to Sell

Thursday, May 07, 2009 at 11:05 am

In the current economic climate, doing anything you possibly can to make your property more attractive and more appealing to buyers makes a lot of sense. Naturally the one thing you can do is make sure that your property is presented in the best light – to that end, what improvements do you think your home abroad needs in order for it to appeal to the majority of buyers?

A new survey has been conducted that examines which home improvements add the most value to a property. In this article we’ll take a look at the top five improvements you can make to your home in order to get it sold.

Of course, it’s always a balance between the outlay you will make to get the improvement done, and the value it will return you – but in the current economic climate, it is also about getting your property to stand out so that it does ultimately sell, even if that means you have to invest a certain amount in your property to make it sell.

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New Visa Rules for Property Owners in Dubai Aren’t Good Enough

Tuesday, May 05, 2009 at 10:40 am

Dubai has issued new rules related to the issuance of visas to homeowners in the emirate, but many feel that they are not flexible enough, they are too restrictive and they are not good enough to kick start the real estate market’s positive movement once again.

The rules relate to which homeowners can have multiple entry visas into the emirate based on the fact that they have freehold rights to their property. They have been long awaited and certainly expected, but most homeowners, property developers and real estate agents all agree that the rules fall very short of what was expected.

The government in Dubai has taken its time to offer this solution to property buyers, and in the meantime, during Dubai’s boom years, most people bought homes confident that their permission to reside in the emirate was assured. Now that the visa rules have been issued, most are saying that they fall very far short of what was expected, others are saying that quite simply, the new visa rules for property owners in Dubai aren’t good enough.

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New Zealand Property Prices Back to “Fair Value”

Friday, April 24, 2009 at 8:58 am

According to the Westpac Bank, prices for property in New Zealand have now fallen to a fair value, based on rents, interest rates and other costs. This is the first time that real estate in New Zealand has been below a reasonable price that investors should pay since 2006.

Westpac Bank economists are predicting a 5% drop in New Zealand real estate values for 2009 too, and flat line movement for the market in 2010.

The Reserve Bank forecast however is a little gloomier, with predictions of a 20% drop in New Zealand house prices from their peak in late 2007, to a bottom sometime at the end of 2010. But with prices having fallen nationally around 8% since the peak, they have almost lost half of their predicted depreciation already.

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How to Buy and Sell New Zealand Property

Monday, April 20, 2009 at 8:45 am

Even in spite of the global financial turmoil that’s affecting property markets everywhere, every property market also faces a further slowdown during the winter months - and the market in New Zealand is no exception.

The only difference is that, as we in the Northern Hemisphere head towards spring and summer, usually times of increasing interest in the real estate sector, Kiwis are getting ready for their winter, and the end of daylight saving time in April usually heralds the end of the New Zealand real estate buying season.

As with most property markets in the world, sales are more sluggish during winter - and lending restrictions and rising unemployment due to the credit crisis are also expected to have an effect this winter too. In this article we look at how to sell a property in New Zealand if you want to get out of the market, and we look at ways that expat buyers can get on to the property ladder in New Zealand too.

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Property Abroad: Advice and Ideas For The Overseas Property Buyer