Home Reports have been introduced in Scotland, allowing potential home buyers to get additional information on their purchases. James Sherwood-Rogers, Managing Director of Landmark Legal and Financial comments: “The introduction of Home Reports in Scotland will hopefully make the process of buying a house faster and more transparent. However, homebuyers need to be aware that much of this report is based...

Thousands of anti-government protesters have been leaving Bangkok’s two airports and allowed the first flights since taking over the facilities last week. Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) has been closed to passengers for over a week, though the protesters began allowing empty planes to leave recently. The first flight back into Thailand’s major international airport flew in from Phuket. The reopening of the...

Construction recently began on the Quattro Business Park in Krakow. This new development, undertaken by Krakow-based developer Grupa Buma, will have four 14-story tall buildings with some 48,000 square meters of office space. There will also be a 200 person conference center, restaurants, small retail shops and medical facilities.   The Quattro Business Park is the largest office project currently under...

The Egyptian tourism rate has slowed somewhat in the second half of 2008, according to analysts. The global credit crunch and economic slowdown is taking its toll on one of Africa’s best economies, but growth is still expected to be strong in the coming year.   Egypt has weathered the financial crisis better than many countries so far, but it is still expected to experience a further slowing of its...

The Chinese property market has stalled and is one reason that economic growth in the world’s most populous country has slowed. However, some analysts believe that the government is making good policy changes and the market will start to recover in 2009.   The World Bank has lowered its 2009 growth forecast for China because of a depressed real estate market and slowing exports. Property prices have...

Portugal’s Praia D’el Rey golf course is becoming an eco-friendly destination for golfers. Ranked 13th in Europe by Golf World magazine, the golf course at the award-winning Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort on Portugal’s Silver Coast is the first course in the region to start implementing ISO 14001, the environmental certification program now recognized all over the world. The 9th of December...

After a decade of great growth, Irish property has hit its lowest level in a number of years. Not long ago, five of the ten counties with the highest house-price growth in the UK over the past decade were in Northern Ireland, with County Armagh's prices more than trebling.Irish commercial property prices fell for the first time in five years during the first quarter of this year in what has been termed as...

Currency Index give their view on the foreign currency markets after speaking to clients who want to hold out for the best exchange rates, before transferring money abroad to pay for overseas property. A closer look at the economic conditions might make them think – would it be better to buy currency now?   1.       Severe Recession. The OECD are predicting the downturn to be “the most...

Spanish authorities are looking at continued problems with illegal housing, particularly in Andalucía. The southern region of the country includes some of the most popular tourist destinations, including the Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz and the Costa Almeria. While illegal housing has been an issue in this part of the country for several years, the current investigation is focused on illegal houses in...

At least ten new private hospitals are on tap to be constructed in the Algarve Region of Portugal over the next few years. Hospital beds are expected to triple over the next five years with the primary focus on tourists and holiday travelers who visit the region or have second homes there.   The first of these new facilities is set to open in mid-2009 in Faro and will be part of the Grupo Hospital...