Spanish property owner discovers value of rental market

Friday, July 31st, 2009
An increasing number of Spanish property owners are realising the benefits of placing their second homes on the rental market.

Arancha Ibarra told Bloomberg that she elected to put her two-bedroom Spanish property up for rental after realising her second home could earn her an extra 750 euros (£640) each month.

In doing so, Ms Ibarra joined the ranks of an estimated 1.5 million Spanish property owners who have put their holiday homes on the rental market to earn some extra income instead of leaving them unoccupied when not in use.

Fernando Encinar, co-founder and head of research at Idealista.com, tells the news source: "We haven’t seen this number of properties for rent since the 1950s."

Ms Ibarra’s Spanish property is located in the ever-popular capital of Madrid and offers tenants and tourists alike 70 square metres of air-conditioned city living, the news agency reports.

The Times recently recommended the Mallorcan capital of Palma as an excellent investment for anyone seeking a touch of island life with their Spanish property dream home.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Spanish property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19291209-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Nutcracker Suite for Florida property lovers?

Friday, July 31st, 2009
Twinkle-toed Florida property hunters may find late August is the perfect time to go in search of their dream home.

Dance enthusiasts and Florida property hunters alike are set to be bedazzled by ballet’s hottest talents as the Annual International Ballet Festival of Miami, presented by the Miami Hispanic Ballet, pirouettes into town, according to whatsonwhen.com.

A world-class array of ballet classics and modern dance innovations, all created under the watchful eye of choreographer Pedro Pablo Pena, will be performed at venues across the city, the website reports.

The festival may prove perfect for ballet fans eager to watch someone else do the leg work at the end of a long day Florida property hunting.

The festival commences on August 28th and continues throughout September, providing plenty of opportunities for Florida property-seeking ballet fans to be swept away by the Nutcracker Suite or take part in one of the company’s famous ballet workshops.

Mr Pena has been presented with the key to the city in recognition of his festival achievement, with September 26th designated ‘El Dia de Pedro Pablo Pena’ each year in Miami-Dade County.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Florida property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19291215-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Topless sunbathing best kept for French property?

Thursday, July 30th, 2009
France may historically have taken a liberal attitude towards baring all on the beach, but a new survey has suggested British tourists may want to keep topless sunbathing to the confines of their French property.

The French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) has uncovered a sea-change in attitudes towards topless sunbathing, with 33 per cent of French women questioned agreeing that baring all on the beach is now a social no-no.

A reported 23 per cent of those surveyed even went so far as to say they would be ‘perturbed’ if confronted by the sight of a topless tourist catching some rays.

However, French property and all-over tan lovers alike will be relieved to know that 57 per cent of the women interviewed agreed that stripping off in the privacy of your own French property garden is entirely acceptable.

A recent study by TravelAdvisor found that Brits on holiday in French property and other sunshine locations spend an average of two hours and 53 minutes per day topping up their tans.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of French property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19289057-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Couple catch Italy property renovation bug

Thursday, July 30th, 2009
An Italy property renovation project designed to create a dream home has turned into a new way of life for one couple.

Dan Blagg from Dover, Delaware, US and his Italian partner Francesco Bianchini moved to a hilltop town in Umbria in 2003 with the intention of creating their perfect Italy property, only to discover they wanted to keep going once it was finished, the New Yorker reports.

The couple then sold their farmhouse-style Italy property, east of Todi, for a profit, moving on to a two-floor ruin with an original Roman wall in the same town.

Mr Blagg tells the newspaper: ‘We were blown away by the space and the original features that were virtually untouched.’

It turned out to be an excellent Italy property investment for the couple, who bought it at a rate of approximately 900 euros (£768) per square metre, compared to the current value of such property which is around 2,345 (£2,000) per square metre.

Todi - meaning ‘a fortified place’ - is a medieval town that is still surrounded by original Roman and Etruscan walls.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Italy property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19289061-ADNFCR

Tags: ,
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Portugal property showcased at exhibition

Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Brits seeking their own Portugal property place in the sun may want to attend an exhibition advising them on all aspects of their potential purchase.

A Place In The Sun Live, based on the popular Channel 4 programme, will showcase thousands of holiday hideaways at the NEC in Birmingham from October 2nd-4th, with a special Portugal Pavilion for those particularly interested in Portugal property.

A Place in the Sun editor Richard Way tells homesgofast.com: "The balmy year-round climate, unspoilt beaches and world-class golf have maintained the Algarve’s popularity as a favourite second home destination with Brits.

‘And interest is now spreading to the Silver Coast, north of Lisbon, where a number of eco-friendly low-density developments overlooking the sweeping Atlantic beaches and close to cosy traditional towns are proving popular.’

Over 40 possible holiday home countries will be featured, including Italy property, French property and Spanish property, with prices to suit every budget, ranging from £20,000 to over £1 million.

Travel agents Thomson and First Choice recently claimed that short-haul holidays to Portugal property are as popular as ever with sun-seeking Brits, despite the economic downturn.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Portugal property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19289067-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Thomson: Brits won’t give up Portugal property holiday

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Sunshine holidays, including those to Portugal property, are not being sacrificed by Brits counting the recession-time pennies, it has been claimed.

Travel agents Thomson and First Choice state that short-haul holidays to Portugal property are as popular as ever with sun-seeking Brits, as are staple long-haul holidays to US destinations such as Florida property vacations.

A spokesperson for the company commented: "Our own research in November […] showed a staggering 88 per cent […] would cut back in other ‘luxuries’ such as eating out and home improvement, rather than cutting back on their holidays.

"Fifty nine per cent said that even if they had to cut back on spending, their main annual holiday would be the last thing they would give up."

The British love affair with the guaranteed sunshine offered by Portugal property is further reinforced by a 2008 PricewatwerhouseCoopers survey, where the majority of consumers ranked holidays and short breaks as their top two spending priorities.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Portugal property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19286779-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Italy property touched by the hand of God?

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Anyone seeking a heavenly Italy property investment may want to consider renovating an old church, it has been claimed.

Churches are in high demand by those seeking Italy property, according to estate agents GK Italian Property, with the finest examples often hidden away in lesser-know rural communities, making them ripe for investment.

The firm’s Gemma Knowles tells the Telegraph: "Even the tiniest hamlets have a chapel […] In Tuscany, the most expensive area, unrenovated stand-alone churches cost from £450,000 while those that are part of an estate or another property will cost from £1 million.

"[However], in regions such as Puglia or Abruzzo it’s possible to find unrenovated churches from as little as £130,000."

She adds that providing a church has been deconsecrated, Italy property hunters will have little difficulty securing the planning permission needed to begin performing their religious conversion.

Puglia is located on the southern ‘heel’ of Italy and is famous for providing the majority of the country’s olive oil, wine and pasta.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Italy property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19286784-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Florida property market on the up?

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Florida property has continued to perform strongly in June, the latest figures have shown, with prices rising for the tenth consecutive month.

Newly-published statistics from the Florida Association of Realtors also showed that sales of Florida property are showing improved year-on-year comparisons, which will come as good news to those who have recently invested in a Florida property.

Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, told Tampa Bay Online: "The turnaround in the housing market appears finally to be here and indeed may be gaining some speed."

The monthly figures showed a 13.8 per cent rise in the amount of Florida property sold in June this year compared to May, according to the website.

Meanwhile, sales of Florida property rose 28 per cent in June compared to last year’s levels, with 15,850 homes being snapped up by Florida property investors, as opposed to 12,339 units in the same month in 2008.

Holidays to the US, including those to Florida property, are the third most popular choice among UK-based tourists, according to recent figures from the Office of National Statistics.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Florida property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19286793-ADNFCR

Tags: ,
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

Italy property beside the sea a stable investment?

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Italy property owners do love to be beside the seaside, according to a new report by an Italian estate agent conglomerate.

Anyone investing in Italy property in Calabria and Basilicata in the last couple of years will have found the value of their holiday homes untroubled by the recent trend for property market slumps in some areas, according to italymag.co.uk.

Seaside home prices in the two southern region s were shown by the Tecnocasa report to have held steady despite slight falls in market value in some regions of the north and central of the country.

British buyers investing in holiday homes in the beachfront resort of Soverato on the Ionian Sea were singled out by the report as having made a wise choice of Italy property purchase.

Recent research by John Lewis and Waitrose has shown that UK employers are being more flexible than ever on holiday dates, giving Italy property-loving Brits even more opportunities to dig out their buckets and spades.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of Italy property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19286800-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off

French property owners in the money?

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Owners of French property may be entitled to a tax rebate which could see them claim back thousands of pounds, it has been reported.

Holiday home owners who have invested in French property, or in other locations across Europe, have until July 31st to claim a tax rebate if they have rented out their property for less than the cost of the mortgage, meaning casual renters may be in the money.

Tax director of chartered accounts firm Langdowns DFK Graeme Lovell tells the Times: ‘The value of this relief can be very significant.

‘If you have a property worth £150,000 and a third of that qualifies for capital allowances, you could make a claim of more than £50,000.’

Furnished holiday lettings relief could apply to UK-based French property owners who may have preferred to rent out their property for only part of the year, rather than as a consistent letting investment, the newspaper reports.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs states that French property rented out as a holiday home is treated in the same way as a trade for loss purposes, resulting in the tax break.

Visit Rightmove Overseas for the best selection of French property. Stop dreaming, start searching!ADNFCR-1848-ID-19284740-ADNFCR

Tags:
Posted in Articles | Comments Off