A housing fair has been organised in the San Jose area of California next weekend. The event is due to take place next Saturday between 10:00 and 17:00 local time at the National Hispanic University, Mercury News has reported. A number of different groups will be targeted at the fair, including first-time home buyers, real estate investors, as well as those interested in consumer protection issues. Such...
Housing market
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has opened a new chapter in the Czech Republic's capital of Prague, it has been reported, showing the development of the overseas property market in the country. According to Overseas Property Professional (OPP), around 74 members have joined the new branch, the majority of whom are British or other expatriate professionals. The primary aims of the...
As the 2006 hurricane season begins for the east coast of the United States, Florida property owners have learnt that they will have to pay one per cent of value of their home insurance to cover an insurance deficit of $1.5 billion. The assessment will replenish the local Hurricane Insurance Catastrophe Fund, which will be out of pocket when tax-free bonds are sold to cover the cost of repairs from the...
Consumers hoping to find UK property to rent out could benefit from new guidelines that will be given to property valuers. Members of the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have decided clarification of the current 'Red Book' guidelines is needed if a new build property's true value is not to be distorted. RICS valuers need to provide an objective estimate of...
Nationwide has described recent house price growth in the UK as "sluggish", reporting an average price increase of just 0.2 per cent in May. This compares with a similarly slight 0.1 per cent price rise in April but a much healthier 1.1 per cent in March. It leaves the annual rate of growth at 4.7 per cent for the year to May compared to 5.3 per cent at the end of March. Although house prices are still...
The 2006 Worldwide Property Show has got underway in Dubai at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Visitors to the show will be able to look at a wide range of overseas property, whether looking for a holiday home or an investment opportunity. A number of expatriates living in Dubai have already invested in the area, but they too may be looking to expand their portfolios in what is becoming a true property hotspot. The...
Asteco, the largest property services company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has appointed a new head of its investment agency for the Middle East region. Simon Gray is from the UK originally, but also brings management experience from positions in the Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong property markets. His role as head of investment will involve the management of assets for VIP clients in all property...
Sunny Spain currently accounts for more than a quarter of all the second homes owned outside the UK. The latest Official Social Trends Report states that 27 per cent of British second overseas properties are located in Spain, with demand fuelled by cheap flights and Euro mortgages, according to Banco Halifax Hispania, Spain's division of the lender Halifax. New airports and routes to the country mean that...