Holiday property investment

Property investment in Cyprus is becoming increasingly appealing to investors worldwide, with economic conditions now improving at an impressive rate and the prospective adoption of the Euro drawing record interest from foreign investors. Jeroen Kremers, an executive director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), recently predicted that Cyprus would be using the European single currency by April 2008 and he stressed that it would be a crucial move for the health of the country's economy. Property prices within the country are currently rising at a staggering rate of up 20 per cent annually. As such, investors are finding they can make bigger gains on their property in Cyprus than in France or Spain , while growth rates in Bulgaria can still be unpredictable. Cyprus has long been a favourite among UK tourists and investors and it also has an enviable reputation for attracting "repeat visitors". A growing number of UK residents are looking to the island for a holida...

The government may remove all restrictions on overseas property purchases by next year after moving up its schedule to liberalize foreign currency transactions, officials at the Finance Ministry said yesterday. At the moment, Koreans are banned from purchasing commercial-use property outside the country. Those purchasing property for residential purposes are subject to a ceiling. But after raising the limit last month, the government is poised to lift all restrictions by the end of this year. If the ministry gives the green light on eliminating the restrictions on commercial real estate purchases as well, there would no longer be any restraints on Koreans seeking to buy property abroad. "We can't confirm it yet, but we already said earlier that the restrictions on offshore investment would be eased by 2007 or sometime soon after that," said Hwang Gun-il of the ministry's international finance department. Easing the rules on offshore property investment is th...

Visitors to Ryanair's website can now click on a link that displays thousands of properties in Spain and Portugal. The no-frills airline has inked a deal with property firm Majestic Worldwide that will see it place links to its partner's website on Ryanair.com. Ryanair already has its fingers in several pies outside the air travel industry, recently launching its own range of travel insurance products. But the budget airline apparently felt the time was right to build closer ties to the property sector as second homes in Iberia become increasingly popular among Brits. Under the terms of the partnership, the first 50 Ryanair customers to invest in Majestic's La Condesa de Mijas Golf property in the Costa Del Sol won't have to foot the bill for the first 18 months of mortgage repayments. This should see those quick off the mark save around €20,000 (£13,700) on their properties. Majestic offers a wide variety of properties ranging from studio apartments to luxury villas. A...

There has been a 40 per cent increase in enquiries for investment property abroad in Bulgarian ski resorts since September 2005, as overseas property investors seek to capitalise while prices remain low. Exclusive resorts such as Aspen Golf in Bansko offer affordable Ski property and strong long-term investment potential, according to investment property experts. An off-plan studio or one-bedroom apartment start from €50,000 ( £35,000 ). Over 30 per cent more UK holidaymakers visited Bulgaria in 2005, leading to an influx of travel companies with a majority of them offering guaranteed rental schemes. With a number of no thrills airlines looking to open up more direct routes to Bulgaria, this can only add to the long term growth of property investment. Rental yields through guaranteed schemes are about nine per cent, while property investors letting independently are achieving yields of about 12 per cent. However there are risks involved with buying Bulgarian property. Although Bulgaria...

Moving furniture and shipping your valuables to a property overseas can be not only a time-consuming but also painful procedure. Make sure that you trust the job to a specialist because moving should not add to the burden of buying and all the paperwork that is involved. Of course there are many companies out there that offer removal and shipping services in the EU and internationally but RemovalGroup caught my eye. They offer the services of a dedicated removal co-ordinator who is on hand at any time of the move process. No need for endless hours on the phone trying to find out where your things are plus a long list of useful associated services from cleaning to handyman jobs and most importantly the peace of mind that your things are going to get to their destination in one piece. Removalgroup.com

Property Climbers is a real estate series about ordinary Kiwis trying to climb a rung on the property ladder, hoping to make some money. The producers have tracked the ups and downs of different individuals over six months, as they practise their secrets of property investment. What do they reckon they know that ordinary people don't about which house or block of land to buy? How do they spot the investment goldmines from the dogs? Every step of the way millionaire investor and property consultant, Olly Newland is there with advice and tips for viewers. "Over the years I've done up heaps and heaps of properties", says Olly. "I've done them quickly and cheaply, and I can tell you this, it's the quickest way to make a lot of money in a hurry." Who are the property climbers in this series? There are a few high rolling millionaires taking huge risks wit...

With visitor numbers static in recent years and facing new competiton from former Eastern Bloc countries offering cheap holidays, the recent announcement by the Maltese government that negotiations were at an advanced stage with two low cost airlines has sparked hopes that the island will see a rise in visitor numbers, much to the relief of some in the tourist industry worried about the future of Malta as a holiday destination. Even before the new carriers to the island land the existing airlines have been offering return flights at prices seemingly much lower than in the past to try and hold on to their share of the market. Traditionally the UK has been Malta’s biggest market for incoming tourists, often making up over half of the island’s visitors in any given year, but some on the island see even this market as under threat. And property buyers from the UK have accounted for seventy per cent of Malta property sales to overseas buyers in recent years, settling in Valletta, Sliema, ...