Investor interest hots up as Caribbean voted top holiday destination this summer

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

Investor interest in Caribbean property is hotting up in line with the tropical temperatures with the news that these idyllic islands have been voted the top holiday destination this summer by British Airways customers.

Beating sunny contenders such as South Africa and perennially popular Florida, the Caribbean emerged as the clear winner with British holidaymakers – not wholly surprising considering that this June was the wettest since records began.

Claire Bentley, British Airways Holidays Managing Director, comments: “The thou ght of relaxing on a stunning beach, in the warm and friendly Caribbean is a real draw as the summer weather continues to be a bit of a let-down.”

As one of the main economic drivers, touristic appeal remains a high priority for many Caribbean nations. The region as a whole saw a positive 3.3% increase in visitor arrivals (23.8 million) in 2011 compared to 2010 according to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

Indeed accessibility continues to be paramount to the tourism success of many islands and those, such as the spice island of Grenada, with direct flights to international destinations including the UK, USA and Canada stand a better chance of not only maintaining but increasing visitor levels in the future.

Ray Withers, Chief Executive of Property Frontiers, exclusive agents marketing the new first-time released hotel suites at Bacolet Bay Beach Resort on the island of Grenada, comments,

“It is very encouraging to see that, even despite the global economic downturn, Caribbean tourism levels continue to rise. Grenada alone welcomed 116,398 overnight guests and some 309,000 cruise ship day visitors in 2011 and with the World Travel & Tourism Council predicting the island to be the fastest growing market in the Caribbean between 2011 and 2021, we believe that Grenada is the best place to invest in the region.

“In terms of property investment opportunities, the vastly undersupplied luxury hotel sector remains one of the most attractive options. Hotel occupancy levels across the Caribbean rose to 61.8% in 2011 and RevPAR reached US$103.57, the highest levels reported since 2008 according to STR Global data. However hotel room supply in the region remains limited with only three new properties opening in 2011, increasing room supply by a mere 0.9% whilst demand in the region rose 3.5%.”

Addressing this discrepancy, Property Frontiers has just released for the first time, the exclusive new Cinnamon Suites at Bacolet Bay Beach Resort. Located on a secluded 300m long white sandy beach on the southern shores of the tropical island paradise of Grenada, 15 minutes from the international airport, 5* Bacolet Bay is already 50% sold out yet due to rising demand for luxury accommodation on the island, the new spacious Cinnamon Suites which enjoy sea views from one of the highest points on the resort, are now available.

The perfect lifestyle investment, Cinnamon Suites at Bacolet Bay Beach Resort are available 30% below independent valuations from $248,500, with a 3 year rental guarantee from 7.2% pa and 1 months personal usage. Completion and the opening of phase 1 is due in the second half of 2013 and the project will include waterfront restaurant, bars, swimming pool, spa, gymnasium, pontoon and walkways, tennis courts and a panoramic reception.

Units with the assured 3 year Buy Back are selling fast so contact Property Frontiers today on + 44 (0) 207 993 8888  visit www.propertyfrontiers.com for more information.

Property Inspector: Why is my house not selling?

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

TheMoveChannel.com´s Property Inspector, taking a closer look at global real estate each month.

It´s June, it´s sunny, people are in a good mood – it´s the perfect time to sell your house. But this month, the Property Inspector examines one of the greatest real estate mysteries of all: failing to sell your home.

The inspector interrogates Matt Cook, Account Manager at Sell My Property an international listings service for private sellers, to get the best tips and tricks for finding a buyer.

Matt, is there a set of key factors that prevents people from selling their house?

There are some key things that people slip up on. The biggest one is probably price. It´s all about knowing the market you´re in, knowing the competition and understanding where you are.

Is it a case of being realistic with your asking price?

It´s very easy to get carried away and think: “This is what I bought my house for.” Sometimes, depending on where you are, especially in the current economic climate, you have to bite the hard truth and shift the price down to sell. For example, there are some fantastic villas in Cyprus and Greece for sale on our network where owners initially started listing their homes for 800,000 euros, but they can´t find an interested buyer. One of our sellers has just slashed his all the way down to 200,000 euros.

Celebrity homes are often in the news with price cuts of several million dollars to try and attract a buyer. But smaller discounts, say a couple of thousand, can make a difference too, right?

Exactly. The way we have the system set up on Sell My Property, you can change the price whenever you want, so if you´re not getting much interest, you can trim it down a little bit, say by 5 per cent, and see what happens. Take it one step at a time.

What about having the quality of house to match your asking price? Are repairs and renovations worthwhile?

If it´s within your budget, it can be worthwhile. Some properties are sold as investment opportunities with renovations still to be done, but if you´re looking to sell to buyers who want a holiday home and it´s within your budget, make those repairs.

What about something as simple as a fresh lick of paint? Can that help?

Absolutely. When you walk down a street, you can see the houses that look like they´ve been looked after. If all it takes is to get someone in to tidy up the front, then by all means do it.

We´ve talked before about bad property photos in listings – images of people with no clothes on, messy rooms, and so on – but what other mistakes do people make with their listings?

You get some descriptions that don´t tell you anything, with vague information and not enough details. As part of our service, we have a full description box of 8,000 characters – that´s more than enough for most sellers to enter clear, concise information about the area they´re in and include the main selling points of the property. If it has a swimming pool, mention it has a swimming pool!

Is there anything else that can be done?

We´ve had one private seller recently who shot two music videos on his property, which show off his garden and his home! That´s interesting – it´s the kind of thing that definitely stands out.

So videos can help advertise your home. Is it about creativity as well?

If you´ve got that edge that makes your house that little more interesting, something that hooks in the buyer, then brilliant. One seller in America made a home cooking video of his kitchen. He literally sat in his kitchen and created a home cooking video. If there´s a stand-out feature of your house, find a way to highlight it. That´s all you need sometimes.

Summer is often considered the peak time for selling property – is that true?

Potentially. On the other hand, if you list your property, say, in the winter, when fewer people are listing, you´ll possibly have less competition and may get more exposure. Timing can be important.

Right. I´ve got a house with a good selling point. I´ve listed it for sale online, I´ve been realistic in my pricing, I´ve thought about when I´m selling, I´ve got a clear description and attractive photos. Is it now just a case of getting exposure?

Yes. It is a numbers game. If no-one´s looking at your property listing, no-one´s going to buy it; if 100 people are looking, there´s a greater chance one of them will be a genuine buyer who is genuinely interested in your property. Anything you can do to increase your exposure and get your clicks is vital and will vastly improve your odds.

Listen to the full investigation.

Notes to Editors

Founded in 1999, TheMoveChannel.com is the leading independent website for international property, with than 400,000 listings in over 100 countries around the world, marketed on behalf of agents, developers and private owners.

The website address is http://www.TheMoveChannel.com and the office address is 24 Jack´s Place, Corbet Place, Spitalfields, London, E1 6NN.

Sell My Property is a “for sale by owner” service that lets owners advertise a house, apartment or any kind of real estate on the world´s only network of specialist websites dedicated to helping them sell. Every month, more than 600,000 international buyers visit Sell My Property’s network around the world, helping sellers to save thousands in estate agents fees.

For more information, contact Matt Cook on 02079527207.

Property Inspector image courtesy of Snowshot.

Caribbean property market spices up with the launch of the new Cinnamon Suites at Bacolet Bay

by Charlotte Ashton Grenada

Having only narrowly escaped Drachmageddon with the election of Greece’s pro-bailout party, on-going instability in Italy and a further downgrade for Spain, more and more investors are looking outside the troubled Eurozone for their next property purchase.

One location heralded by many, including the Sunday Times recently, as a safe haven for investors is the Caribbean. Not simply the perfect combination of white sandy beaches, a tropical climate and relaxed pace of life, the Caribbean, and in particular the “spice island” of Grenada in the West Indies, offers a very attractive emerging property market, one with lucrative returns.

For much of the Caribbean, tourism remains the driving economic force with an estimated 23.8 million visitors in 2011, an increase of 3.3% over 2010 according to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. The small yet idyllic island of Grenada, a protectorate of the UK, alone welcomed 116,398 overnight guests in 2011 (the majority from the USA, Canada and Europe) and an additional 309,574 cruise ship day visitors.

Ray Withers, Chief Executive of Property Frontiers, exclusive agents marketing the new first-time released Cinnamon Suites at Bacolet Bay Beach Resort, comments,

“Unlike some neighbouring Caribbean islands and indeed many other countries around the world, Grenada’s economy is growing with a 1.5% GDP increase expected in 2012 (IMF) and this turn is attracting rising levels of foreign direct investment, especially from China and SE Asia. Furthermore, the World Travel & Tourism Council has predicted Grenada to be the fastest growing market in the Caribbean between 2011 and 2021 making it a very attractive place to invest.”

In line with growing tourism demand, the Caribbean hotel sector as a whole is thriving with improvements seen in all three key performance metrics in 2011 according to data from STR Global. Occupancy levels rose to 61.8% in 2011 with the average daily rate up 2.6% to US$167.54 and RevPAR up by 5.2% to US$103.57 – the highest year-end occupancy, ADR and RevPAR reported since 2008. However hotel room supply in the Caribbean remains limited with only three new properties opening in 2011, increasing room supply by a mere 0.9% whilst demand in the region rose 3.5%.

And it is this discrepancy between supply and demand that the Cinnamon Suites at Bacolet Bay Beach Resort addresses. As Ray Withers explains,

“The 5* Bacolet Bay Beach Resort, located on a secluded 300m long white sandy beach on the southern shores of the tropical island paradise of Grenada, 15 minutes from the international airport, is already 50% sold out yet due to the rising demand for luxury accommodation on the island, the new spacious Cinnamon Suites which enjoy sea views from one of the highest points on the resort, are now available exclusively through Property Frontiers.”

The perfect lifestyle investment, Cinnamon Suites at Bacolet Bay Beach Resort are available from $248,500, 30% below independent valuations with a 3 year rental guarantee from 7.2% pa and 4 weeks personal usage. In addition the developer’s guaranteed Buy Back option 3 years after completion provides a profitable exit strategy. Completion and the opening of phase 1 is due in the second half of 2013 and the project will include waterfront restaurant, bars, swimming pool, spa, gymnasium, pontoon and walkways, tennis courts and a panoramic reception.

With only a limited number of units available with the assured Buy Back 3 years after completion, contact Property Frontiers today on + 44 (0) 207 993 8888  visit www.propertyfrontiers.com for more information.

 

New tourism strategy in Albania set to bring in the big bucks

by Charlotte Ashton Albania

 A national strategy coordinating tourism activities for the next 10 years is currently being drawn up by Albanian tourism officials looking to capitalise on the nation’s steady economic growth and growing popularity as a must visit destination. 

 
 
Aldo Bumci, Minister of Tourism in Albania revealed that the plan will aim to ensure the sustainable long-term development of tourism in the country, covering strategies for the development of mountain tourism and improving services for example.
 
 
Ravin Maharajah, Partner of Lalzit Bay Resort & Spa, the 5* luxury residential development located on Albania’s hotly tipped Adriatic coastline comments,
 
 
“Tourism is playing a vital role for the Albanian economy. Accounting for around 11% of the nation´s GDP, tourism brought in 1.2 billion euros in profit in 2011 and with tourist numbers rising to more tha million last year it is important that Albania produces a long term plan to capitalise off the back of its growing popularity.
 
 
“Indeed what is encouraging for business investors, holiday makers and property buyers alike is the fact that despite the economic downturn seen across the Eurozone, Albania’s economy is still performing at a steady rate. In fact, it was recently revealed by Finance Minister Ridvan Bode that the influx of foreign direct investments has substantially increased from around 250m euros in 2006 to around 850m euros in 2011 which certainly inspires confidence in the nation.”
 
 
Meanwhile, further aiding the nation’s infrastructure, Albania will be constructing a 22 kilometre two-lane motorway on a new alignment around the town of Fier, situated near the coast in central Albania. Aiming to improve travel times and safety, the motorway will not only connect Albania to its neighbour Greece but will employ an estimated 1,550 workers per year across its three year period.
 
 
Maharajah explains,
 
 
“Over the last few years, the Albanian government has increased spending on infrastructure investment and is fast developing an efficient road network throughout the Balkan nation. It’s investments like these that will continue to help increase visitor numbers.
 
 
“Albania has new roads, a new airport, stunning coastline and superb weather similar to Greece and it won’t be long until we see more and more people visit and purchase holiday properties in this beautiful country.”
 
 
For those thinking about tapping into Albania´s property market, Lalzit Bay Resort and Spa offers a premium, exclusive beachfront product to investors who want the benefits of villa ownership including private gardens and terraces, exclusive services and more privacy as well as a range of facilities including private swimming pools, a BBQ area, tennis courts and superb restaurants for as little as €30,000. 
 
 
For more information on owning a stunning apartment or villa in one of the best performing growth markets in South Eastern Europe, please contact Lalzit Bay on +44 845 125 8600 or visit www.lalzitbay.com.
 

It’s not all pain in Spain! The Real Estate Agency experiences 58% increase in Spanish property requests

by Charlotte Ashton Spain

It seems that it’s not all doom and gloom for real estate agencies operating in Spain as The Real Estate Agency, the Spanish division of Fastighetsbyrån, Sweden’s leading real estate firm experienced a 58% increase in requests in Q1 2012 compared to Q4 2011 with June looking set to be the second best month for 2012 so far.

 

Daniel Nilsson, Regional Manager of The Real Estate Agency comments,

 

“We at The Real Estate Agency have experienced excellent success of late after a huge increase in requests back in Q4 2010 converted into sales helping increase our transactions by 34% and our revenues by 42% YTD compared to 2011. With this in mind, we must point out that while we have pushed our efforts to target UK buyers, Swedes are still our biggest market with 78.5% of our leads from March this year deriving from Sweden.

 

“Indeed, strong European nations such as Sweden are really beginning to push hard into the Spanish real estate market. Given Sweden’s healthy economy and strong krona, Swedes are extremely realistic about the current economic climate in Spain and recognise that they can buy at a good price. Swedish buyers in Spain have risen by a massive 138% according to recently released figures by Fastighetsbyrån so it is important we continue our efforts in this market.”

 

Further success for The Real Estate Agency in Spain comes from the resale segment. In 2011, the agency sold almost 1 in 4 of all resale properties in Spain to Swedes with Nilsson commenting:

 

“While we had tremendous success in the resale arena last year, this year, if the Swedish market is the same, our share of the total Spanish resale market in Sweden will be around 40%. Our success in this area highlights that Swedes are happy to tap into the somewhat neglected resale market which affords more variety than the new build sector.”

 

Meanwhile, one of the core aspects that sets The Real Estate Agency apart from others and key to its success is its ‘back to basics’ approach – placing great emphasis on face to face selling, The Real Estate Agency ensure that their personal approach, one that has been forfeited for solely online communication by many other real estate agents, is at the heart of everything they do giving clients as much information as possible every step of the way.

 

Nilsson further comments,

 

“We believe that this approach is essential to our success! While we invest heavily on marketing and web activity we do ensure that we also invest in personal interaction, attending all the expos in Sweden and the UK so we can meet potential buyers face to face. Our Swedish market responds very well to a personal approach and we believe that the traditional method of face to face selling can still go a long way in today’s marketplace.”

 

For more information please visit www.therealestateagency.com.

 

Images

http://www.therealestateagency.es/en/Press/

 

More information:

 

Daniel Nilsson, Regional Manager, The Real Estate Agency

 

Tel: +34 617 343 846

 

Email: daniel.nilsson@therealestateagency.es

 

Johan Vesterberg, PR Manager, Fastighetsbyrån

 

Tel: +46 8-54 54 55 28, +46 708-20 44 34

 

Email: johan.vesterberg@fastighetsbyran.se

 

The Real Estate Agency is the Spanish division of Fastighetsbyrån, Sweden’s leading real estate agency and a fully owned subsidiary of Swedbank, Sweden’s largest bank. With more than 240 offices and 1,400 employees in Sweden, the company sold 37,000 properties yielding a revenue of SEK 1,400,000,000 (£ 132,000,000) in 2011. In Spain we are represented with own branches in Albir/Altea, Alicante/Gran Alacant, Fuengirola, Marbella, Nerja, and Torrevieja.

 

Great British staycation set to boost seaside rental market this summer

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

The UK tourism industry is tipped to receive a staggering £1.5 billion boost this year as more people than ever decide not to travel abroad for their summer holiday, spelling good news not only for a recession hit economy but also seaside property markets.

The number of people planning a “staycation” – holidaying in your home country – has risen by 6% from last year to 41%, according to a recent Travelodge survey of 5,000 British adults with Cornwall, dubbed the ´English Riviera´, and neighbouring Devon the most popular destinations.

Despite the glorious English summer failing to make an appearance yet again this year, British holidaymakers haven´t been put off. Patriotic to their roots, millions showed the love of their land during the Queen´s Jubilee weekend earlier this month and there is no doubt that the impending Olympic Games in London are causing many to stay on home soil, keen to not miss a minute of the excitement.

And so with nearly half of Britons due to take their holidays in the UK this summer, property experts are predicting a bumper season for vacation home rentals. One such expert is Nick Spence, Director of established holiday home company, Green Parks Holidays Ltd, which operates the West Beach Resort in North Devon; Nick comments,

“There has always been great demand for holiday homes in the South West but this year, due to the staycation phenomenon, we are expecting even higher occupancy levels. As a new resort, we had forecast 65% occupancy for West Beach Resort, just 50m from Westward Ho! beach in 2012 but after being fully booked for the Jubilee weekend and reservations coming in thick and fast for the summer holidays, I expect our average occupancy levels to reach 85% or more this year.

“Our luxury 2 bedroom apartments with direct sea views rent for up to £1,100 per week in high season with tenants typically being couples, families with young children, golfers looking to test their handicaps on the oldest links course in the country, Royal North Devon golf course or surfers keen to access to the world class surf and North Devon Surf Club just minutes away in Westward Ho!”

In addition to a thriving rental market, purchasing a seaside property such as an apartment at West Beach Devon offers strong capital gains potential. According to data from the Halifax, seaside towns in England and Wales have seen property prices double since 2002 with Devon ranked one of the top 10 richest counties in the UK with a net property worth of £121.3 billion (PrimeLocation.com).

Nick Spence continues:

“With better weather, some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK, Blue Flag award winning beaches and a whole host of activities for all the family, it is no wonder than demand remains high for second homes in Devon. For many investors a turn-key property such as West Beach Devon presents the ideal opportunity to own a luxury apartment in a prime location which is ready to rent out to a proven and established market. Plus where else can you own a home with a direct sea view for under £200,000?!”  

The luxury apartments of West Beach Devon have been designed to create home comfort living just yards from the beach. Complete with under-floor heating, modern fitted kitchen and bathroom, WiFi, flat screen TVs and DVD players the 2 bedroom apartments can be purchased from £189,950.

For more information on the luxury apartments in Westward Ho! contact West Beach Devon on 0844 414 2670 or visit www.westbeachsales.com.

Solar panel installations rise as Brits hone in on the sunny side of investing

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

Solar panel installations are on the increase once again according to The Solar Trade Association (STA) with British home owners and investors honing in on the sunny side of investing and generate attractive returns from their rooftops.

This latest increase is most welcome after a decline, sparked by the UK government reducing the rates on the Feed-in-Tariffs (FiT) for solar photo voltaic (PV) installations which rewards people for solar panel home installation, effectively froze growth across the renewable energy sector last month.

However, although the new revision will see household payments cut from 21p per kWh to 16p, and the length of payments reduced from 25 to 20 years, it seems the government’s announcement to delay the next wave of cuts to solar FiT incentives until August 1st 2012 has encouraged growth with 1,788 solar installations completed in the week ending June 3rd according to provisional figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Marcus Vassiliou, Sales Manager of alternative investment company, EcoInvestments comments,

“Investors may be have been put off investing in UK solar, aware that feed-in tariffs have already been reduced, perhaps worried that they had missed the boat. Now, however, technology has progressed, enabling the price of reliable PV panels to come down to a level where investors can still obtain serious returns. We have sourced a limited number of existing systems in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset where the sunshine is greatest and the maximum amount of electricity is produced thus creating the highest yields so we are encouraging solar panel fans to invest before the new tariff kicks in in August.”

Across the globe, solar energy is going through an extraordinary stage of development looking set to become a significant source of energy for the future. Total investments into solar energy skyrocketed last year jumping 52% to £95bn according to a Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2012 report, which utilised data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, surpassing wind power – usually the biggest single target for renewable investment.

With a limited time to buy into the higher FiT rate, EcoInvestments are offering an average 14.77% annual NET income through the UK Government’s Feed-in Tariff (FiT) from an investment of just £8,000 + 5% VAT.

While income is paid quarterly, increasing in line with inflation (currently 3.5%) as well as being backed by the UK government for 25 years, this totally hands free, passive investment located only in the UK’s sunniest locations offers a return on investment of 269.25%.

Act now before 21st July 2012 to ensure that the solar panels are installed and connected to the grid to get the higher rate FiT.

For more information on solar panel investments contact EcoInvestments today on +44 (0) 20 3012 0306 or visit www.ecoinvestments.co.uk.

Don’t Lose Web Traffic And Sales To A Penguin! What property companies need to know about the new Google update

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

The property industry is a hard place to do business these days, with fewer buyers who are better informed and fearful of the future; getting your business visible online is more important than ever.

Everyone knows that Google Search is THE trusted go-to source for driving a steady flow of potential clients to view properties and services showcased on your website but as internet market expert, Adam Samuel, who has over 10 years of experience, comments,

“Google is a fickle friend. On one hand it can give you top rankings, bringing you business success but on the other, it can take! Fail to comply with its terms of service and you can potentially lose 90% of your traffic overnight with no quick-fix solution (Trust me I know!).

“As you may or may not be aware, Google recently made major changes to the way they rank websites, generating a lot of confusion around how to rank your property website in the future and maintain current rankings.”

First There Was Panda – Low Quality Sites Lose Rankings

The Panda updates began in February 2011 and aimed to lower the rankings of “low quality” sites. Google’s algorithm looked at numerous factors to determine if it was ‘spammy’ and ejected sites it felt were over manipulated.

Then Came The Penguin – It´s Black And White

The latest update, Penguin, started at the end of April 2012 with Google allegedly heavily penalising sites that clearly violate their terms of service by plummeting their rankings.

Adam Samuel explains,

“Google Terms of Service is a vast document so this ‘violation’ could potentially encompass numerous possibilities, however I believe sites that have too many links that point back to their site with the same/similar commercial anchor text have been affected. This was common practice in the past when building links to a site so it’s a case of carefully redoing much of the previous work and updating your future online marketing approach.”

What do developers and property agents need to do today?

Real estate is a sector that commonly falls foul of Google updates because ranking high in Google for popular property keywords can prove very lucrative. If you haven’t seen any changes in traffic over the past months since the Penguin update then this is testament to a good online marketing strategy.

Responding to and future proofing for Google’s algorithmic changes is a full time business and this time Google is fundamentally ranking sites, which deserve to be there. They naturally attract links, because they are popular, up to date, attract comment and engage with their visitors.

Adam Samuel advises,
“A step you can take today would be to look at who links to your site and anything that looks unnatural probably is, so email the site in question and ask them to remove your links.”

Increasing traffic

Google’s algorithm may remain a mystery but you can be sure it will continue to roll out new changes in its quest to rank only high quality useful websites.

Adam concludes,

“Your site maybe fine today with plenty of traffic, but the future could be very different. My advice would be to keep on top of Google updates and constantly tweak your online strategy accordingly. DON’T implement huge changes overnight, read around the topic or consult with a professional who can keep you well informed and suggest changes tailored to your individual site.

“Reliance on solely Google for online traffic is a dangerous strategy, so seek out other sources of traffic. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest are valuable tools for generating traffic if you know how to use them… but simply creating a Facebook page won’t work. Like any other department of your business; sales, customer services or accounting, online marketing needs a dedicated person to keep it working.”

For more information on what the Google Penguin means to you and your website you can contact Adam Samuel and the online marketing experts at AB Property Marketing on 0845 054 7524 or visit www.abpropertymarketing.co.uk.

At a Glance: Turkey

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

Property buyers prefer to eat Turkey in Mugla, according the latest At a Glance infographic from TheMoveChannel.com. The infographic, based upon activity on the overseas property portal from the last 12 months, shows that the region of the country awakens investors´ appetite, attracting over one-third of enquiries since June 2011.

 

The second most popular province was Istanbul, which received 26.77 per cent of Turkish property enquiries, but while the area around the capital is popular with investors, the coastal areas in the South West are the most in-demand, with Antalya and Aydin attracting 18.55 per cent and 17.21 per cent respectively.

 

The same is true of buyer search activity on TheMoveChannel.com, with the cities of Mugla and Istanbul accounting for over 25 per cent of searches by location. The Mugla province continues to dominate here too, accounting for five out of the 10 most searched-for places thanks to resorts such as Fethiye and Hisaronu.

 

Indeed, tourism drives a lot of buyer behaviour, with airport hub Dalaman as popular with buyers as the vacation hotspots Altinkum, Antalya and Didim. The chart shows an overwhelming preference for these areas, colouring the South West coast red and leaving most of Turkey completely untouched; an indication not just of buyer demand but the striking lack of sellers in the East of the country looking to sell property to overseas investors, particularly those from the UK.

 

As a result, the areas where demand exists clearly stand out on the infographic. Istanbul in the North looks especially bright, generating lots of interest due to high housing demand, prime office supply and an active student accommodation sector. Compared to the capital, the chart´s other red areas show the second main market for international buyers: holiday homes.

 

The infographic also analyses search behaviour on Google over the last 12 months. While “property in Turkey” is consistently the most commonly-used phrase to find Turkish real estate online, it is interesting to note that – for the first time in TheMoveChannel.com´s At a Glance series – “villas for sale” occur in more property searches than “houses for sale”, marking out Turkey as a different real estate market from many other countries.

 

Editor Ivan Radford comments: “Turkey´s infographic provides an extreme contrast to the other, more traditional, lifestyle destinations we have depicted so far: the overseas market appears centred on a handful of key areas, almost entirely located in the one corner of the country.

 

“But while the gaping white space may seem a damning portrait of one of the world´s fastest-growing economies, the infographic perhaps reveals something else: a market ready for change. Turkey´s updated investment laws, announced last month, have opened up the country´s real estate to a whole new audience of buyers in 89 countries across the Middle East and Asia. In a year´s time, who knows how much more of that map will be glowing red?”

 

Click here to see the full infographic.

 

Notes to Editors

 

Founded in 1999, TheMoveChannel.com is the leading independent website for international property, with than 400,000 listings in over 100 countries around the world, marketed on behalf of agents, developers and private owners.

 

The website address is http://www.themovechannel.com and the office address is 24 Jack´s Place, Corbet Place, Spitalfields, London, E1 6NN.

 

Contact Dan Johnson on 0207 952 7650 for further information.

72% of landlords more confident about UK B2L according to expert online lettings agency

by Charlotte Ashton United Kingdom

A Private Rental Sector Health Check for April 2012 from market leading lettings agency Upad has revealed that almost 72% of landlords are more confident about the UK buy-to-let market in April than in the previous month of March.

Asking 498 landlords whether they were more or less confident nearly 72% said that their heightened assurance in the market was attributed to factors such as rising tenant demand, increasing rents and the Olympics.

James Davis, CEO of online lettings agent Upad comments,

“We aren’t surprised that landlords are more confident. A recent report from RICS has revealed that rents increased further in the three months to April, as tenant demand continues to outstrip supply. With rents remaining on an upward course landlords are confident that they can grab a piece of the action highlighted by The Young Index, published by the Young Group who have discovered that nearly half of property investors questioned were considering buying additional properties across the UK in 2012 thanks to a buoyant rental market.

At Upad, our research allows us to gain great insight into the optimism of landlords in 2012 and our results further back up the positive view regarding the UK rental market.”

Of course, each landlord questioned in Upad’s survey had their own reasons for being confident in 2012. One landlord explained that continued tenant demand was a big factor for being confident stating: “Upon asking tenants how they’re finding things, the general response I receive is that they must make a quick decision or they will lose out on a property. They no longer have the luxury of viewing a number of different properties so ensuring my properties are well presented the first time round is very important.”

 

Meanwhile, other landlords pointed towards the loyalty of tenants as reasons for their increased assurance with one landlord explaining: “I believe the rental market is strong in 2012. My tenants seem to want to stay put for longer – many ask to stay another year sometimes more and they didn’t seem to mind a 3% rise in rent – they didn’t argue!”

 

Interestingly, confidence among others seems to have been boosted by the impending Olympic Games. One landlord based in North London remarks: “Being based in Islington and City borders the rental market is strong, even at this time of year. While many people come to work and live in London anyway, the Games has really boosted rental demand this year.”

With confidence in the UK buy-to-let market growing, landlords looking for an innovative new way to do business should look no further than the UK´s market leading online lettings agency, Upad. As one of the UKs largest and fastest growing letting agencies Upad specialise in helping professional tenants rent properties from landlords directly by allowing landlords to manage their own viewings.

Last year alone, 107,000 tenants asked Upad for help finding a home.

Upad’s  tenant-finding services start from just £99 + VAT per property with an even cheaper rate for rooms. For more information please contact lettings experts Upad, on 0333 240 1220 or visit www.upad.co.uk.