Keep up-to-date with our property news and market information.
-
Nov 2009
Going Swiss
Is London's loss Switzerland's gain? In the wake of the UK Budget, which announced a 50 per cent income rate tax to come in next year, there has been growing interest among high net worth individuals in moving to Switzerland, where tax rates can be much lower. read more
-
Nov 2009
Under the Tuscan sun
Some places just never go out of fashion, and Tuscany is the supreme example. Prices may be falling elsewhere but the appetite among the wealthy to own a small piece of Italy's most illustrious region remains unabated. read more
-
Nov 2009
Regulations needed?
Property investment could soon be regulated for the first time, according to one leading player, Assetz. Its view is based on the Financial Services Authority's publication of the Mortgage Market Review, which proposes to bring in strict affordability tests for buy-to-let mortgages among other measures. read more
-
Oct 2009
Turning positive
Property markets around the world are showing "signs of tentative recovery" according to the latest Global House Price Index from estate agents Knight Frank. read more
-
Oct 2009
Pensionable property
It has been four years since the government abandoned plans to allow Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) to invest in residential property; but commercial property can still be placed in your pension. read more
-
Oct 2009
Irish luck
"Set amidst the rolling hills of the Kilkenny hinterland, under the watchful eye of Mount Leinster, Duninga House Estate boasts breathtaking views over the Barrow River Valley where canal boating, fishing, rafting, gliding and horse riding are part of the daily life." read more
-
Sept 2009
Kicking off the market
When football's World Cup kicks off in South Africa next June, the owners of some of the most luxurious houses on the country's Cape coastline will be enjoying a lucrative windfall. read more
-
Sept 2009
Just the ticket
It's been a grim 12 months for airlines, and the news that RyanAir is pulling its flights from Manchester airport is a disappointment for those who've bought properties on the other end of its routes, largely in southern France. read more
-
Sept 2009
Sterling comeback
Good news for anyone looking to buy in North America or the Caribbean: the pound has recovered some significant ground against the dollar in recent weeks, making property on the other side of the Atlantic a more realistic prospect once again. read more
-
Aug 2009
Keeping to plan
A Manchester legal firm has warned that Britons who bought holiday homes in Spain off-plan and now want to pull out are being pursued in the Spanish courts by developers, even though there was a clause in their contracts which should have allowed them to back out of the deal. read more
-
Aug 2009
Grape expectations
Developments with a vineyard attached have been one of the most interesting innovations in the property world of recent years, and may prove a growing trend as an ageing population with increasingly sophisticated taste looks to buy abroad. read more
-
Aug 2009
Spanish steps
The latest Spanish house price data makes gloomy reading. In the second quarter of 2009, according to official Ministry of Housing data, prices fell by an average of 8.3% against the same period a year ago. read more
-
July 2009
Let the train take the strain
Airlines may be struggling, but buying a property in Switzerland has just become a lot more attractive with the news that Eurostar has introduced seven high speed routes to the country. read more
-
July 2009
Brazilian Magic
At the end of May, FIFA announced the 12 cities in Brazil that will host the 2014 World Cup. As well as causing great excitement to the locals, the tournament is expected by many to shine a spotlight on Brazil's property market, as images are beamed around the world. read more
-
July 2009
So Spa So Good
A championship golf course was – and still is – the killer attraction to sell property on a new resort development. But coming up behind rapidly is the health and beauty spa. read more
-
June 2009
Tax breaks for grabs
Owners of second homes in Europe may be able to benefit from some new tax exemptions – but for one year only. One of the surprise measures in the recent Budget was an extension of tax breaks on furnished holiday lettings in the UK to similar properties in the rest of Europe. read more
-
June 2009
A slice of luxury
Much of the property market may be in the doldrums, but the Fractional Summit in London appeared to show that one part of the market is bucking the trend, with attendance up 80 per cent on last year and the event sold out. read more
-
June 2009
Holiday island homes threat
For years people who bought homes in northern Cyprus have been warned that they were taking a risk, since their property might be re-claimed in future by Greek Cypriots who were forced to leave after Turkish troops invaded the island in 1974. read more
-
May 2009
Low tax please, we're British
The Budget is done and dusted and we're all going to be a lot poorer as taxes go up to repay an estimated £175bn of government borrowing next year. read more
-
May 2009
Seismic hazards
The recent earthquake in Abruzzo, which killed more than 200 people, has highlighted one risk that comes from buying property overseas in some of Europe's less familiar locations. read more
-
May 2009
The show must go on
Alongside the property boom of the last 10 years or so, there was another boom: that in property exhibitions. read more
-
Apr 2009
Mauritius on a budget
Another silver lining from the recession: property in the lush Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has become a lot more affordable, and no longer the preserve of the seriously wealthy. read more
-
Apr 2009
Architecture dream team
What's the value of owning a property by a named architect? One developer has been putting this question to the test on Portugal's Silver Coast, where the Bom Sucesso golf and design resort near Obidos features the work of no less than 23 prominent architects. read more
-
Apr 2009
Under inspection
The financial crisis has seen some developers turning increasingly to inspection trips as a means to shift slow-moving properties. Polaris World is one company which is offering trips for just £99 to view its resorts in Murcia, Spain, including flights and two nights stay in a five-star hotel. read more
-
Mar 2009
Croatia cuts the red tape
It has just got a whole lot easier to buy in Croatia, the country from the former Yugoslavia that inherited all the beautiful Adriatic coastline, and has been dubbed "the new Riviera". read more
-
Mar 2009
Foreign exchange mortgages
The risks of taking out a mortgage in a foreign currency have been sharply highlighted by the economic downturn in eastern Europe, where many locals have borrowed money to buy their home in Swiss francs and other currencies. read more
-
Mar 2009
Bulgarian nightmare
Bulgarian Dreams, one of the best-known companies selling property in Bulgaria, has gone out of business, leaving dozens of furious buyers who are trying to get their money back. read more
-
Feb 2009
The pros and cons of leasebacks
At a time of uncertainty, a scheme that enables you to buy a holiday home with a close-to 20% saving on the asking price, and meaningful rent guarantees thrown in, looks extremely attractive on the surface. read more
-
Feb 2009
Bargains abound in the undiscovered regions
It was recently described in the South China Morning Post as "Tuscany without the English" and has been recently highlighted as a hot-spot for cost-conscious visitors to Italy this year. read more
-
Feb 2009
There is good news on exchange rate front
Sterling has taken a real battering in recent months, most notably against the US dollar and the euro, making properties in the countries that use those currencies much less affordable than they were six months ago. read more
-
Jan 2009
Waterside developments set to lure investors
With the 2009 London Boat Show taking place this month (9-18 January) at Excel in Docklands, there will be plenty of sailors out in force to look at the latest yachts and cruisers to come off the launch slipway. read more
-
Jan 2009
Global property price survey shows mixed results
Believe it or not, house prices in some parts of the world are still going up - or they were at the latest count, anyway. read more
-
Jan 2009
Investors should look to East Germany
UK investors have piled into the German capital Berlin over the last few years, but it seems they might have done better to look at other cities in the former East Germany. read more
-
Dec 2008
Ski resort properties holding their price
One category of property has held its value fairly well so far: ski apartments and chalets, especially in the most popular areas of the Alps. read more
-
Dec 2008
There are still good ways to buy abroad
AS if the credit crunch and the impending recession weren't enough, the downside for Brits wanting to buy overseas has been compounded by the plummeting value of the pound. read more
-
Nov 2008
Flight axing boosts hopes for those seeking solitude
Ryanair's decision to pull out of Valencia has dealt another blow to the Spanish region still suffering from the negative publicity surrounding the 'land grab' saga, and has highlighted the importance for overseas buyers of choosing the right location. read more
-
Nov 2008
Spanish owners see hope in land grab saga
In Spain, the land grab scandal may have died down somewhat, but there's a new threat to thousands of British home owners in the form of the Coast Law, which could lead to the seizure and demolition of properties deemed to have been built too near the coast. read more
-
Sept 2008
International survey reveals buyers are still looking for overseas property but with caution
The UK's leading property search portal for prime properties, Primelocation.com has recently undertaken an international property survey which shows that 58% are still looking to buy a property overseas despite the current economic downturn. read more