A sign that hard-up governments across Europe are eager to rake in cash however they can, the authorities in the Canary Islands are cracking down on owners who rent out their properties illegally by issuing hefty fines. The law governing holiday rentals in the Canaries, which includes Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, states that if [...]
If you’re moving to New Zealand soon and plan to start house-hunting, don’t be alarmed if you come across strange dwellings dug into the sides of mounds or end up with a wizard as a neighbour. Chances are you’ve stumbled on to a set for The Hobbit movies. New Zealand is bracing itself for a [...]
Fans of fine dining who are hunting for somewhere special to buy in Italy will welcome the launch of a new resort at a former 11th-Century monastery in Tuscany, which includes restaurants belonging to celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s portfolio of top notch eateries. On offer at the converted monastery at Castel Monastero, situated 20 [...]
Expats in Paris who hanker after the odd British home comfort had their prayers answered last month when a household UK high street chain reopened a store on France’s most famous street, having shut down 10 years ago. Shoppers on the Champs-Elysée can now pop into Marks and Spencer’s to pick up some new [...]
Anyone contemplating a property purchase in Cyprus should act now, following the government’s decision to cut transfer tax on all purchases made in the next six months, starting from December 2, 2011. The change in law means that all property transactions that previously were subject to VAT, ie new-builds, are now completely exempt from transfer [...]
It’s Barbados that gets all the attention this time of year, being a favourite Christmas break destination of celebrities, but interest in another small group of Caribbean islands has recently hotted up enough for one real estate company to invite visitors on guided tours there. The Turks and Caicos Islands have traditionally been a discrete [...]
Excitement is building in Bansko, Bulgaria’s leading ski resort that has a large contingent of British property-owners, as it prepares to host World Cup skiing events early in 2012. On 18th and 19th February, the world’s best alpine skiers will compete in the men’s Giant Slalom and Slalom races, while a week later the ladies [...]
The Australian Government is hosting an event in London early next year aimed at matching British workers with an occupation that’s in demand down under with a suitable Australian employer. The event, called Skills Australia Needs and organised by Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), will take place on 25th and 26th February and [...]
A few years ago, in the height of Orlando’s property boom, mortgages and properties were flying off the shelves. Today, however, it is a slightly different story, as research shows that so far this year, only one in ten sales of condos in Orlando were purchased with a mortgage - the remaining nine were cash [...]
Swimming with sharks is just one of a range of activities that will be on offer at a new aquarium set to boost the appeal of the popular region of Antalya, on Turkey’s southern coast. Once complete, the Antalya Aquarium in the Arapsuyu Olbia Canyon, will be the second largest aquarium in Europe and the [...]