Archives for April 2007
April 30th, 2007
The fates of both Marbella developers and the owners of 30,000 homes in legal limbo could be sealed this month as town hall administrators finalise a solution to abuses highlighted by Operation Malaya. Reports suggest they will ask developers to buy greenbelt land to offset “illegal” land, which they had ...
Continue reading Marbella Solution?
April 25th, 2007
Spain is coming under renewed pressure to change its ‘land grab’ laws following adoption of an EU report branding the current position a violation of human rights. The report comes from the Petitions Committee, of which UK MEP Michael Cashman is vice chairman. Co-author of the report, which has now been ...
Continue reading Damning report brings pressure for Spanish property law change
April 24th, 2007
In response to a number of planning complaints from residents in Madrid, Valencia and Almería, a fact-finding mission in these regions was undertaken at the of February - led by the president of the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee, Marcin Libicki, and his Deputy, Michael Cashman, MEP. Based on these investigations ...
Continue reading 'Arrogant' Spanish Planners Criticised
April 23rd, 2007
The emergence of property auctions in over-developed markets in Spain, Cyprus and parts of Eastern Europe indicate the next stage in the evolution of the second homes market. Industry commentators observe that a crash in the UK property market over the last few years has been prevented by around one ...
Continue reading Auctions Take Steam out of Over-heated Markets
April 20th, 2007
“New owners often ask our advice on how to generate high levels of bookings” says Richard Speigal of espanabreaks.com, “and we have come to know very quickly which properties will do well - and which won’t”. The good news is that attracting lots of renters isn’t rocket science. If you follow ...
Continue reading Boost Your Holiday Rental Income
April 18th, 2007
Natwest International has become the first bank to become a member of the Association of International Property Professionals (AIPP). As part of the NatWest International Personal Banking product set, NatWest offers a ‘Spanish Mortgage’ product to its customers wanting to buy a home in Spain. The AIPP, a non-profit organisation, was ...
Continue reading Natwest joins AIPP
April 16th, 2007
THE largest purpose built tourist resort in Europe is to be constructed on unspoilt coastline in Murcia, Spain. Politicians from the region’s ruling Partido Popular party have declassified 11,000 hectares of once protected, virgin coastline to accommodate plans for a huge scale project that will see homes for 60,000 people built. Central ...
Continue reading Councils declassify protected virgin coastline
April 12th, 2007
A growing number of British retirees are hoping for a better standard of living by downsizing and relocating overseas. Over one million Brits are currently receiving their pension abroad, according to the Institute of Public Policy Research, and this is expected to more than triple to 3.3 million by 2050. ...
Continue reading Cost of Living Forces Retirees Overseas
April 11th, 2007
More Britons than ever are buying in Barcelona. Graham Norwood gets the lowdown on how to find a chic retreat - or start a whole new life in the sun. Barcelona is an attractive city for expats “Were I to get the hell out of England today, I’d probably go ...
Continue reading Live the dream in Barcelona – Europe's most vibrant city
April 10th, 2007
Investing in property abroad? Good news - there’s a new watchdog protecting you from the market’s rip-off merchants. We can spend months planning our summer holiday abroad but, incredibly, few of us spend enough time doing our homework when we are shopping around for a foreign home. It’s a ...
Continue reading Chasing out the Cowboys
April 9th, 2007
The holiday home that pays for itself from tourist rentals sounds great in theory — which is why all those people trying to sell you property deploy the argument with such enthusiasm. But matters are not always that straightforward, especially in Spain. Indeed, one of the biggest problems you face ...
Continue reading Conmen on the Costas
April 6th, 2007
Many Britons dream of owning a property in the sun and, for many, Spain offers it all. However, when purchasing property in Spain, it is important to make sure that you work with specialists who are aware of all the necessary rules and regulations, says Banco Halifax Hispania. If you do ...
Continue reading Get your NIE before buying property in Spain
April 5th, 2007
Foreign investment in property in the Balearic Islands has fallen by 25 percent due to high prices, a report claims. Once the favoured destination of Britons and Germans hunting that place in the Spanish sun, now the islands have fallen out of favour, claims a report published on Wednesday in the ...
Continue reading Expats Shy Away From Balearics
April 2nd, 2007
Over one million Brits are currently receiving their pension abroad and this is expected to more than triple to 3.3 million by 2050. At present, three quarters (75,000) of those drawing their state pension abroad have relocated to sunny Spain. With this trend looking set to continue, Bank of Scotland International ...
Continue reading Pay attention to your pension before retiring to the sun
