September 29, 2006
Istanbul set for flights and property boom
According to David Fuller, after announcing that Easy jet will start a thrice a week service to the Turkish city from third quarter of last year, Istanbul may attract more British property buyers than ever before.
Original plans for the route was put on hold due to a delay in the awarding of an operating licence from the Turkish authorities to the low-cost airline. But final plans for the service had been approved and effective August of last year, Istanbul can be reached from the UK for as low as £30.99 with initial flight schedules every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. When September came, the frequency of these flights became daily, a move which could really lead to opening up the property market of Istanbul to British buyers.
Posted on: Turkey
September 28, 2006
Marseilles shakes off its rough image
Marseilles has had a long rough reputation, even heightened by the Gene Hackman 1970 movie, The French Connection. However, this is changing because the city is gaining popularity with tourists especially with a fast train link to Paris. You can reach the French capital in three hours by train and only 28 kilometres from the city is the Marseille-Provence airport.
Calling itself proudly as France’s second city, Marseilles has a 1.23 million population, 57 kilometres of Mediterranean coastline, serene fishing ports and sunshine most of the time. Adding richness to the city is the residents who are second or third-generation immigrants. You can get a glimpse of Marseille’s multi-ethnic background in the city’s primary Sunday morning market, Marche aux Puces, where chickens are killed to order and African-carved sculptures are among the many colorful displays.
From Vieux Port, the city’s focal point, Marseilles is divided into sixteen arrondissements (districts). Everything north of the old port is called Quartier Nord (northern quarter) and everything in the south is the Quartier Sud (southern quarter). Property for sale in Marseilles is now in demand and naturally has been boosted by the intense global interest The city has become an investment hotspot with its very huge buy-to-let market so its easy to make profit from an acquired French property. Property prices there average 3,230 euros per square metre for a house and 2,849 euros per square metre for an apartment (April 2006, source: FNAIM).
Posted on: France
September 27, 2006
Properties by the piste
There was a time when only the rich and famous could afford to own a property in a ski resort. However, these days you need to look a little further in the field than the traditional ski spots in France and Italy for a bargain.
Located in the Pirin mountains about 160 kilometres from Sofia is Bansko. With more than 900 metres above sea-level, Bansko is the most modern ski centre with 64 kilometres of runs in Bulgaria. Among all the Bulgarian ski resorts, it has the best snow record and the longest ski season from the months of December to April and has earned a huge amount of investment over the past few years.
Posted on: Bulgaria
September 26, 2006
Winter break in the Florida sunshine: Visa considerations
Vacationers who wish to stay in their Florida property from October to March each year will have visa restrictions to consider. As non US residents, overseas property owners won’t be able to visit their homes in Florida in the summer. “The Visa Waiver scheme allows British residents visits of up to 90 days without the need of having to apply for a visa”, says Gordon Robinson of Florida Gold International Real Estate. “Generally you can have two visits per 365 days, but make sure you do not exceed this as you could be refused entry the next time you arrive in the US”.
The maximum period a foreign national is allowed to stay in the country is six months. To be permitted to stay that long, a foreigner must apply to the local US Embassy for a B-2 visa and convince the attending consular officer that the nature of the trip to Florida is temporary. The foreign national must be able to prove that he or she has full-time residence outside of the States. So whatever the reason is for purchasing Florida real estate, the foreigner will be limited to spending only half of any one calendar year in it, assuming the foreign national is not emigrating to the States permanently.
Posted on: Florida
How to obtain French planning permission
If you are eyeing a ruin that could be your dream home after a bit of restoration, then you will most likely need planning permission. Here are ten key planning points set by David Fuller:
1. Any work that will change the exterior look of your property in France or its use, needs planning permission (Certificate d’urbanism). You have to obtain a Certificate d’urbanism (CU) prior to applying for the Permis de construire (full planning permission) which will be required before you can actually start work on a building especially for an extensive restoration. For minimal work, less than 20 square metres, where there is no change to the property’s exterior or use, your notaire can arrange suitable permission at the time of purchase. Also, you don’t need a CU for open air swimming pools.
Posted on: France
September 19, 2006
Excellent investment opportunities’ in the Algarve
News reports have reported that the Western Algarve is very much proper and very much ripe for the picking when it comes to strong rental demand as those people and foreigners investing abroad should take this into consideration.
It was reported by the Prestige Group that the average hotel and apartment occupancy in the Western Algarve back in 2005 was 77.6 percent and with approximately 3,000 hours of sunshine the whole year through, this is definitely surprising and quite amazing.
An estimate if 15 million tourists visit the Western Algarve year after year and the figure is expected to double at around 45 million when the year 20202 comes around.
Posted on: Portugal
France: Country Guide (for property buyers)
With its wealth of history and culture, France has always appealed to the Brits as a place to purchase properties for rental income or as a second home. It offers a vast array of choices available in different price ranges from hidden away country cottages to luxury apartments on the coast and chalets on ski resorts. These places are easy to access with several budget airlines. These reasons and more make France a serious option for property investors.
France’s temperate climate is one of the factors that make it appealing to property seekers. Except in the mountain areas and the far north east of the country, the winters are quite mild in France.
Posted on: France
September 18, 2006
Portugal: Destination Hot Spots
Some ninety percent of all Portuguese property sales to foreign buyers is accounted to Algarve, primarily due to its perfect year-long climate of over 3,000 hours of sunshine and a long stretch of golden, sandy beaches. The average Summer temperature is at 30°C and Winter temperature is at 12°C. The Algarve is also known for its opportunities in sports with about thirty golf courses around the coast. Its very different to the area east of Faro where the development is more slow.
The coastline is mostly lined by tidal marshlands, close to the Spanish border. The area is part of the Rio Formosa National Park and the marshlands are guarded by ilhas or long sand flats. The small resorts along the coast have maintained much of their character. The houses in the main have modest designs but larger properties are surfacing. Two of Algarve’s most exclusive, luxurious and spacious developments are Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago. Townhouses with two bedrooms are sold at 675,000 euros and detached villas for three times that amount.
Posted on: Portugal
Portugal: About Portugal
Portugal is a favorite of golfers, retirees and those who love the sun. If you enjoy a game of golf then a dinner of delicious seafood with fine wine or a glass of port set in a dramatic background, then Portugal is the place to be.
The country generally has a pleasant climate with mild winter and warm summers. The Algarve is famous for its year round climate with cool summer breeze, keeping everything pleasurable.
Portugal is easily accessible. Budget airlines such as bmibaby and Easy Jet cater flights to Faro on the Algarve. There are many cheap flight options and air travel from UK to Lisbon takes about three hours. The fastest route to take if you prefer a long drive from England is the Plymouth-Santander or Portsmouth-Bilbao ferries to northern Spain and then on to Portugal.
Posted on: Portugal
Overseas property in winter resorts: Bulgaria
It seems that ski investment properties in Bulgaria are to be the investment choice de jour due mostly to mass media marketing of the country. Bulgaria has been promoting itself as an emerging market. It also boasts of its winter sports tourism.
Property prices on the slopes of Bulgaria are relatively lower than in other European countries like France or Switzerland in spite of the fact that they have increased considerably in the past few months. “As Bulgaria is still an emerging market, entry prices are still very low,” claims Mark Collard from Jigsaw Properties. “As Bulgaria will soon be a full member of the EU, this will ensure that money continues to be invested in infrastructure and provides more stability and security for the investor.”
Posted on: Bulgaria
Recent Posts
- Living and Working in Florida
- Living and Working in Florida: The Floridian Lifestyle
- Golf Property on Course for World Domination
- Exploring Provence and the French Riviera
- Do French regions matter? Climate Change
News archive
- November 2007 (25)
- October 2007 (64)
- September 2007 (38)
- August 2007 (46)
- July 2007 (4)
- June 2007 (3)
- May 2007 (3)
- April 2007 (1)
- March 2007 (16)
- February 2007 (12)
- January 2007 (2)
- December 2006 (4)
- November 2006 (9)
- October 2006 (7)
- September 2006 (18)
- August 2006 (5)
- July 2006 (4)
- May 2006 (2)
- March 2006 (2)
- February 2006 (2)
- November 2005 (1)
- October 2005 (7)
- September 2005 (7)
- August 2005 (2)
- July 2005 (4)
- June 2005 (2)
- May 2005 (2)
- April 2005 (1)
- March 2005 (1)
- February 2005 (3)
- January 2005 (4)