Irish walk away could be great news for other expat investors in Tenerife?

Irish walk away from Tenerife may mean more bargains for oher expats.

Irish purchasers walking away from Tenerife could mean more bargains for other expats.

A growing number of Irish property investors are walking away from their overseas property investments, following the slump in global property prices over the past two years, reports Overseas Property Mall.

Irish investors were among the most active overseas property buyers in the world during the boom years, but many have fallen into negative equity, particularly those who invested off-plan, following the collapse in property values in places like Spain and the USA.

“Now these projects are nearing completion and the final staged payments are becoming due, property owners are realising they have already paid two or three times what their investment is now worth, without even adding in this final payment”, Overseas Property Mall report.

Irish investors have also been hampered by problems in their own domestic property market with the average price of a home in Ireland have depreciated by around 24% since the peak of the market in 2007, according to Fitch rating agency. Although many international investors, not just the Irish, have had their fingers burnt by the recent collapse in property values, the fact is that many of them bought property at or near the top of the cyclical upturn.

“Following recent stern price corrections, property values in many countries are now much closer to bottoming out. Some markets are already showing tentative signs of improvement, with transactions and prices increasing once more. Now is the time to invest astutely in property, not shun away from it.” So if this trend continues then other ex pats may pick up more bargains as many Irish have heavily invested in Tenerife and the Canary Islands in recent times.

Buyers looking at Spain once more

Buyers looking to return to Sapin and Tenerife

Buyers looking to return to Spain and Tenerife

Spain was last at the top in June and it returned victorious in August, claiming first place in  a monthly snapshot of the most popular countries, July’s winner, the USA,  was second. Despite being the subject of more bad publicity than virtually any other country during the credit crunch, buyers are starting to look to Spain once again.

Favouring traditionally popular destinations, international buyers are looking once more to markets such as Spain and France and Brits are proving that the love affair with Spain is far from over.

International mortgage firm Conti revealed that interest in Spanish properties accounted for 22 per cent of the total information requests so far this year, second only to France and up from 14 per cent in 2008.

Assessing the prospects for British buyers in Spain, the company said, “Buyers are in a strong position due to the number of homes available, low interest rates and the opportunity to negotiate price reductions from motivated vendors. “Sensible investments carried out on a long-term basis have a good chance of bringing in healthy returns.”

Prospective buyers are now chasing long term gains and as it had been hit so hard by the global recession, prices could remain low and offer good bargain potential for years to come. Cash buyers have been tipped as the ones most likely to be able to pick up a real bargain in the country as they don’t have to worry about mortgage financing, can bargain hard with struggling developers and can move the transaction quickly along.

The TINSA survey, which prides itself on being ‘Spain’s most reliable guide to property values,’ has found that the decline in prices has stabilized.

Spanish cities are tipped for a brighter future over the next few years, with the Assures Financieros Internacionales (AFI), suggesting that property prices in cities may rise to previous levels during 2010.

Once the glut of unsold properties in Spain is shifted, this will help to aid the recovery and push the market back up in 2010. This of course will also help the market in Tenerife too.