Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Tips for Planning a Successful Overseas Inspection Trip
After spending two or three weeks surfing the net, most property investors have chosen their market, and selected a few dozen properties that need to be inspected. An agent may be available to plan a viewing excursion, but don’t count on it.
Before making travel arrangements, make a list of things you need and want to see in the property. Create a ceiling, and a basement price. Do not deviate from these prices, no matter what ‘deals’ the agent may have found after hearing of your travel plans.
Pick a target location, and stick to it. An agent can waste countless hours driving ‘just over here’, taking the investor hours out of their way, to look at an unsuitable property. Time is at a premium. Do not plan to visit restaurants. They may be non existent, or unable to comprehend the meaning of a rush, or the importance of your valuable time.
Send the list to the agent with the properties you are interested in viewing. This will give them a general idea of your wants and needs. Make it clear that you will not view properties that do not meet the criteria.
Email or telephone the agent directly. Do not work through an office. Try to communicate several times. Look for good communication skills, helpful advice, and a friendly manner. Try to find out whether they are familiar with the properties. Ask them how long it takes them to get to the property, how far out of the down town, or tourist, core the property is. Look for any hint that the agent is not serious about the sale, or feels they can sell you anything when you finally arrive.
Take a print copy of desirable properties. Take a video camera, notebook, and itinerary. It is very easy to confuse properties after three or four days of viewing. There will also be properties you’d like to look at again, and compare. It is easy to download video to a computer, and keep unlimited files in your email inbox.
One good way to test the agent’s knowledge of the property is to ask them for pictures taken from a digital camera, or a cell phone. Paying for a cell phone conversation from a foreign country may be expensive. But that ten minute call, and viewing of the property via your cell phone, or the internet, may prevent a disaster.
source http://www.buyproperty4less.com
http://www.sispropertyandtourism.co.uk - http://www.studioimmobiliarespano.it
UK Overseas Property Investors Could Be Winners
New research claims that Britons who bought overseas properties four years ago in property investment hotspots (but without a foreign mortgage) could cash in on significant gains, despite the recent volatility in global property prices…
New research claims that Britons who bought overseas investment properties four years ago in investment hotspots (but without a foreign mortgage) could cash in on significant gains, despite the recent volatility in global property prices.
According to Close Treasury, a division of merchant bank Close Brothers, those who bought an Italian property in Euros in June 2005 would have seen the Sterling value of the property increase by around 65%, four years later.
The calculation includes a 30% rise in property prices over that period, supported by the 27% increase in the value of the Euro compared to Sterling, over the same period.
In another example, those who invested in property in Spain in June 2005 will have seen the Sterling value of their investment increase by 59% four years later, due to a combination of rising investment property prices and a fall in the value of Sterling against the Euro.
Close Treasury’s head of foreign exchange, Mark Taylor, comments: “When British investors calculate the value of an overseas property they bought a few years ago, they not only need to look at how real estate prices have changed, but also what has happened to the exchange rate between Sterling and the local currency.”
He adds: “Even though overseas property prices tend to have fallen in the last year, in many cases the fall in the value of Sterling will have offset this, and many people may still have seen the value of their homes increase in Sterling terms.”
In recent week, Foreign Currency Direct has made a similar point, reporting that some Britons are actually choosing to sell up and make a profit by taking advantage of a weaker pound.
The currency exchange specialist said it had seen a significant increase in the number of British clients selling property abroad and transferring their receipts back to the UK.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
