Spain reclaims property crown

January 9, 2012 – 5:57 pm

Spain and Tenerife property in demand

Spain has reclaimed its property crown, according to the latest Top of the Props report from TheMoveChannel. Following America’s unexpected victory in November, US property fell in popularity last month, dropping three places in the overseas portal’s chart.

That dip was all Spain needed to soar back to top spot. Buyers seemed to flock to America to avoid Europe’s troubled markets, Spain, Portugal and France charged up the table, pushing America down to fourth. In total, the top three destinations accounted for just over a third of all enquiries on the site in December.

While US enquiries fell by 7.32 per cent, Spain’s popularity dropped by only 0.18 per cent. This steady level of attention, driven by low prices and the country’s reduction in VAT during 2011, reflects the continuing demand for Spanish property from lifestyle buyers.

This proves that holiday home demand can still buck the Eurozone’s downward trend if the prices are right.  Despite Spain’s return to form, investors are still willing to look elsewhere to avoid Europe’s more troubled economies.

Managing Director Dan Johnson comments: “As 2011 ends, the fluctuations in the Top 10 show the changing buyer demands in an uncertain market. Spain has always been a traditional choice for lifestyle buyers, as evidenced by the constant level of interest in the country. In fact, for the majority of last year, Spain was the most sought-after property destination on TheMoveChannel. so its return to the top spot seems an appropriate end to the year.

“Barbados and Morocco are equally attractive lifestyle choices that are free of Eurozone anxiety, but France and Portugal’s strong performance in December is a reassuring sign for more familiar property markets. As the New Year begins, we shall see if the popularity of these European countries will be strong enough to weather the economic climate in 2012.”

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Spain remains top retirement hotspot

December 21, 2011 – 4:19 pm

Spain and Tenerife remain top of the props

For those of you thinking of retiring abroad or relocating in 2012, Standard Life has released its latest retirement hotspots research which shows that Spain is the number one retirement destinations in the world as far as Brits are concerned. Spain is followed by Australia, USA, France and Ireland.

But while retiring abroad is a dream for many people, it does require careful planning and advice, according to John Lawson, head of pension policy at Standard Life.

He said: “Many people think living abroad is cheaper than living in the UK, but this isn’t always the case. Doing your homework in advance of moving, matching your retirement income and expenditure, and making the appropriate decisions around purchasing an annuity or using income drawdown are key considerations. Your retirement income could also be subject to exchange rates and currency fluctuations, as well as local tax laws.”

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Spain’s property reign ended by America

December 12, 2011 – 10:22 am

US overtakes Spain in the property market

The reign of Spain has been ended by America, according to the latest Top of the Props report .

Spanish property used to be the favourite for buyers, with the sunny Costas attracting swarms of house hunters every year. But now there’s a new top dog as the US replaces Spain in the overseas property portal’s rankings, upsetting the market’s established order to become the most popular destination in November.

The US has long played second fiddle to both France and Spain for property buyers but in October, America leapfrogged France to become a surprise runner-up in TheMoveChannel’s chart. Now, an increase of 7.01 percent in enquiries has seen the US surge to number one, with foreclosed homes and bargain house prices eclipsing the opportunities available in Europe.

Spain could only stand and watch as enquiries fell by 2.38 per cent last month, despite its half-price VAT reduction on new homes until the end of the year. France, on the other hand, remained firm in third place, attracting exactly the same number of enquiries in November and October, demonstrating the country’s consistent appeal to investors.

Managing Director Dan Johnson comments: “After climbing three places in as many months, the US continues to attract more and more overseas investors. Florida remains a popular lifestyle choice and with US houses the most affordable they have been in 15 years, the troubled Eurozone just can’t compete with the low price of American real estate. It’s no coincidence that the US is the only country to rise above the four familiar European markets.

As Spain’s reign ends, America’s dominance begins. Indeed, while the industry speculates about the impact of the Euro upon the rest of the world, North America’s rise to first place is exactly the kind of stimulant the US housing market needs

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Holiday, Inspirational, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New brand created by tourist board to encourage Brits to buy a home

November 29, 2011 – 9:13 am

Costa del Sol brand designed to encourage Brits to buy homes.

The Tourist Board of the Costa del Sol has created the new brand ‘Living Costa del Sol’ with the aim of encouraging the British to buy a home and reside in the region for at least six months of the year, an initiative which is directed at clearing some of the surplus of about 30,000 homes.

The President of the organisation, Elias Bendodo, presented the brand at the World Travel Market tourism fair being held in London this week. He also told reporters that it is their intention that this initiative will also be used in promotional activities to be carried out in Germany, France and the Nordic countries.

According to Bendodo, ‘Living Costa del Sol’ was developed in collaboration with developers, insurance companies and financial institutions, and aims to attract new British residents, reduce the amount of unsold finished homes, located primarily in the west of the Spanish mainland, and boost Spain’s economic recovery.

The President of the Malaga organisation also assured that the developers are “fascinated with the idea”, and stressed the importance of having legal guarantees, for working with insurance companies in the countries to which the brand is focused, reported El Mundo.

Source: Kyero.com

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Revenue and customs looking for rental cheats abroad

November 7, 2011 – 9:53 am

HM Revenue and Customs officers looking for rental cheats in Tenerife,Spain and France

A team of HM Revenue and Customs inspectors is looking at people with second homes in France, Spain and other holiday destinations to see if they are cheating the taxman. The inspectors have been told to claw back £560million in lost revenue by 2015. The 200-strong team will be scrutinising advertisements placed by second home owners in magazines and on the internet. They will be looking for undeclared holiday rents and leased office space. They are also checking overseas land registers to identify taxpayers with properties abroad. Tenerife will probably be a destination which the inspectors major on.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

British buyers still love Spain and Tenerife

October 6, 2011 – 9:25 am

The Brits love affair with Tenerife and Spanish property continues

British buyers have long had a love affair with property in Spain but now it seems it is other overseas buyers who are helping the real estate market to recover.

Despite a downturn in the number of British buyers specialist Murcia estate agent, Mercers, has just experienced its best summer sales period for five years with buyers coming from Norway, Sweden, Spain, France, and Ireland.

Murcia is attracting a diverse international audience who are lured by four key factors, the Paramount branded Theme Park that is being built, golf, improved accessibility and, above all, price.

‘We know that Spain is far from being out of the woods in terms of its property crisis but you can’t generalise the nation as a whole. The region of Murcia is certainly poised in pole position for recovery. Price is the driving force that puts Murcia as the top searched for Spanish destination as confirmed by leading property portals,’ said Chris Mercer, director of Mazarron based Mercers.

Source: PropertyWire.com

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Expat children enjoy a better quality of life says survey

September 20, 2011 – 8:11 am

Expats children in tenerife have better quality of life. states survey

It has been revealed that expat children enjoy the good life and are likely to be benefiting from better education, higher safety levels and improved health and well-being as a result of their parents decision to live overseas. Expat parents report their children are more likely to be learning new languages (84%), playing more sports (47%) and spending more time with their family (53%) while on the whole, enjoying their new life abroad (85%). Living overseas appears to have a positive impact on the lifestyles of expat families; however, the UK fared less well among parents who had relocated. Overall the UK found itself bottom of the league table of the 14 countries that formed the survey sample of 30+ respondents at country-level. The UK is the worst performing country for both the childcare and the health and well-being categories when expat parents were asked to compare it to their home countries. In addition, it appears that the UK is also among the most expensive places to raise a child, ranking bottom (14th) for both the general costs of raising children and more specifically for the costs of childcare.

Expat children in the UK also appear to have the least active lifestyle since relocating. Only 24% of parents say their children spend more time outdoors since their move and expat parents in the UK are also least likely to say their children play more sport or spend less time watching TV, ranking last (14th) on each of these measures.

However, despite these relatively poor scores, 84% of parents reported that their children are enjoying their life in the UK, scoring the country 8th out of 14 in terms of how much children enjoy their life in their new country. This may relate to the fact that the UK scores top for expat entertainment in Expat Explorer’s Expat Experience 2010 report, which suggested that children can take advantage of many attractions and excursions which will help them settle in and enjoy life in their new country.

Belgium tops this year’s charts as the best location to raise children, thanks to the highly regarded childcare system and standard of education. 81% of expats based here agreed they had seen an improved standard of education in comparison to their home country while 68% thought the quality of childcare had improved. However, Belgium-based expat parents also benefit from some of the cheapest childcare, with (65%) now paying less for childcare than in their home country.

The rest of mainland Europe was not far behind Belgium’s lead, with Spain (2nd) France (3rd) and Germany (5th) all featuring within the top five of the Offshore Offspring league table. In contrast, the USA and UK hold the bottom spaces in the league table, ranking 13th and 14th respectively.

Safety of children improves with relocation. Of course the children who relocate to Tenerife have it all, sun, sea, British TV  and Playstations!

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Spain still a frim favourite for property

September 7, 2011 – 10:55 am

Property in Spain and Tenerife still a favourite with buyers

The three most popular international real estate markets are still the old favourites – Spain, France and the USA, according to the latest Top of the Props report .

In troubled times, many investors return to the things they know best and that certainly seems to be the case with overseas property buyers, with the top 3 countries sharing nearly a third of all property searches on TheMoveChannel.com.

Director Dan Johnson said: “The Spanish market is awash with great deals at the moment as Spanish banks continue to try and shift property cheaply. This phenomenon is unlikely to change soon, as there is plenty of supply, while the failure of some banks in the recent stress tests, means they’ll be keener than ever to divest the repossessed stock from their balance sheets. 

“France is an altogether different market, with a much higher concentration of lifestyle buyers purchasing holiday homes because they love the country and want to spend time there – it’s not such a price-sensitive market, though buyers are still pushing for good deals.”

Other notable movers and shakers this month are Portugal, which moved above Italy in terms of popularity for the first time and Thailand, which jumped up 12 places to number 9 and moved into the top 10 for the first time.

Of course, the Canary Islands especially Tenerife has some real bargains at present, why not check out the local estate agents and grab a property at prices paid  years ago.

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Spain still a top destination for holidaymakers

September 3, 2011 – 9:12 am
Spain remains one of the top destinations for holidaymakers around the
world, as tourist numbers and property enquiries both increased this
summer.
Figures released by the Frontier Tourist Movement reveal that Spain has
received 7.4 per cent more international tourists this year compared to the
same time in 2010, proving that the country’s beaches and culture are still
attracting visitors.
Around 32.3 million international tourists visited Spain between January
and July of this year, with July alone welcoming 7.5 million tourists. Up
to July 2011, Spanish airports received nearly 36.5 million passengers. The
busiest budget airline was Ryanair, which experienced a 25% increase in air
traffic to Spain.

Unsurprisingly, visitors from the UK led the way with 7.4 million
passengers (35.8 per cent), while Germany and Italy followed with 4.2m (20
per cent) and 2.2m (10.7 per cent).

The biggest rise to Spanish shores came from Swedish visitors (40.8 per
cent), who are purchasing an increasing amount of property in Spain. France
and the Netherlands also saw their number of tourists grow. Estate agent
Spanish Hot Properties comments: “Of all the tourists who chose to holiday
in the Costa del Sol, around 72% said they were attracted mainly by the
prospect of sun and sand which will come as no shock considering the
region’s exceptional climate.”

Spain continued to attract foreign interest in August too, Robin Brayne, Commercial Director of the overseas property portal, comments: “Once again, Spain is head and shoulders above the rest of Europe. People remain attracted by the country’s sunny coast and relaxed lifestyle, and further interest has been fuelled by the glut of repossessed & distressed properties being sold on by Spanish banks, offering homes at
superb value.”

Of course the Canary Islands, perticularly Tenerife remain popular for sales and purchase of propertyand holidays. As Spanish tourism soars this summer, the property market is looking increasingly sunny.

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Tax rules reforms by UK treasury

August 13, 2011 – 10:22 am

New UK treasury rules affect property owners in Tenerife.

New UK treasury reforms could see retirees who live and own property abroad able to spend up to a third of their time back home each year without paying any tax.

The new laws, to be implemented in April 2012 if they are passed, wll allow British retirees living abroad to be back in the UK for 119 days of the year before they are liable for any local taxes. This will come as positive news for many expats who live and own properties in European destinations such as France or Spain, but still spend a significant part of the year back in the UK seeing friends and family or for medical issues.

Under current regulations, expat retirees are only able to spend up to 90 days in the UK per year before they are deemed ‘resident’ and charged tax. Not only will this number of days be extended in the new laws, it will also allow those who have been home for under 90 days in the last 2 tax years able to retrospectively ‘claim back’ their extra days – in other words, they will be able to spend 182 days total in the UK next year before they are charged tax.

Chief executive of tax and investment planning firm Blevins Franks, David Franks, said the reforms would be a welcome relief for both British expats living abroad, and foreigners who own property in the UK and spend significant time there. “The new rules are a major advance in providing certainty for individuals who have homes in the UK and visit there frequently, so we hope they will be implemented”, he said. “They are still at the draft stage at the moment, but they have been welcomed by tax practitioners and so we do not expect any major changes.”

Hopefully, those expats in Tenerife will  be able to take advantage of the new rules when necessary.

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)