Prospective house buyers flock to Spain to eye up investments

 sector is being boosted by an influx of visitors entering the country with the intention of looking for property in which to invest, reports telegraph.co.uk. New visa rules combined with low property prices are encouraging people to take holidays in the country in order to eye up possible investments. On October 1 2013, a rule was passed which granted a residency permit to any non-EU national...

European market remains popular amongst Brits looking to invest

Property markets across Europe have seen a boost in enquiry levels as Brits look into the possibility of buying a second home abroad, statistics suggest. The statistics, released by the Overseas Guides Company, found that there were a record number of enquiries about properties in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal during the summer of 2013. A contributing factor to this could be the interest from the...

Construction in Ireland on course for recovery

Ireland's construction industry is beginning to show strength after the debilitating crash which saw projects across the country grind to a halt, navbug.com reports.  Ireland was among the worst affected by the financial crash, seeing property values plummet to a level where many new builds became almost worthless. As such, even large scale developments - which were just days away from being completed -...

Almost half of sellers downsizing

Many Brits who are looking to sell their home will do so in order to free up cash tied up in large properties, express.co.uk reports. According to new research by Lloyds bank, almost half of those who plan to sell their house within the next three years will be downsizing, as they look to smaller properties in order to take a lump sum from their current equity. Lloyds also found that downsizing could be...

Asia-Pacific housing market hangs in the balance, study says

Despite the introduction of legislation aimed at cooling off the rising property prices across Asia-Pacific, mainstream house prices across the region increased by an average of eight per cent in the third quarter of the year, a study says. The report conducted by real estate consultants Knight Frank, revealed that the result of these cooling measures has been varied. In some parts of the region, the...

Dubai property market showing signs of strength

Measures introduced to help keep the Dubai property market from spiralling out of control appear to have had the desired effect, tradearabia.com reports.  Following a high profile boom and bust period, lawmakers in Dubai sought to limit mortgage allowances and double registration fees to prevent local property prices from rising at unsustainable levels over the coming years. It was hoped these measures...

Greek house prices slip in third quarter

Greek property prices have continued to drop considerably in the third quarter of the year, despite a slight improvement in the country's economic situation, central bank data revealed. Bank of Greece data has shown that apartment prices have dipped by 9.9 per cent in the third quarter, when compared with a year earlier. This contributes to an overall drop of 31.6 per cent in apartment prices since the...

Outlook positive for US property market

Property experts have predicted that house prices in the US will have experienced a total growth of 6.7 per cent by the end of 2013, a survey has revealed. The Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey spoke to 108 real estate experts, economists and investment strategists. Respondents to the survey predict that after this year, appreciation rates will fall to 4.3 per cent in 2014, and eventually to 3.4 per...

IMF warns of Dubai property bubble

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has claimed that a brand new property bubble could be forming in Dubai, gulfbusiness.com reports. In the run up to the global financial crisis of 2008, Dubai saw one of the most concentrated price bubbles on earth. This also meant, however, that when the crash came, it also suffered among the worst fates, with some state-linked companies coming close to...

Swiss property prices rising high since holiday homes cap

House prices in the Swiss Alps have skyrocketed since the national cap on second-homes was introduced. New figures suggest prices have risen by up to 15 per cent in some resorts, due to a diminishing supply of properties that can be used as holiday homes. The cap, which was made into law back in March 2012, states that only 20 per cent of homes in any given communities can be used as second homes. This...