Property Investment Opportunities in North East Brazil Popular with Brits

More people may be considering a mortgage for overseas property in Brazil as the country grows in popularity, both as a tourist destination and with investors.

Glauco Chris Fuzinatto, UK and Ireland director at the Brazilian Tourist Office, said the north-east of the country is becoming more popular with Brits and that investment opportunities are opening up.

A key point for growth is the development of new flight routes into the country, so that accessibility improves, he said, noting that this is now happening in various parts of Brazil.
"One important element for it becoming your second home is the accessibility. If it is easy for you to get there, then it's easier for you to buy a property as your holiday home or second home," he said.

The country is experiencing tourism growth as well, Mr Fuzinatto said, noting that there is still potential for further expansion.

Earlier this month, head of overseas at Rightmove, Robin Wilson, said that there is "a lot of buzz" about Brazil as an investment location at the moment, but suggested that those considering a mortgage abroad should work with a forex dealer to ensure they limit their risk.

London Mews House for Sale

Marylebone Mews House for Sale

Salisbury Place is a quiet mews sandwiched between Upper Montague Street & Gloucester Place off the Marylebone Road.

The property benefits from the vast array of excellent shops, cafes and eateries found within the area, with Oxford Street and Baker Street also close by. Transport links include Baker Street Underground Station & Marylebone Overground Station.

Planning permission has been granted for the conversion of this existing double garage into a residential dwelling (Studio flat)

Central London Mews House for Sale

Turkish Government Promoting Foreign Property Investment in Turkey

A healthy 32,000 overseas property buyers from the UK have now invested in Turkey according to recent figures from the Turkish General Directorate of Land Registry.

And with plans now approved for the country’s biggest ever airport to be built on the outskirts of Istanbul, it will be easier than ever for fly to let customers to access rentals in the area.

Describing the wave of investment as “remarkable,” Suleyman Akbay of Oceanwide Properties said: “There are many advantages to purchasing a property in Turkey, including the fact that there aren’t any capital gains taxes to be paid if the property is owned for more than five years.

“Recently approved new mortgage laws too make it easier to purchase overseas homes in Turkey and prices are extraordinarily low compared to many other European countries.”

The Turkish Government is actively promoting foreign investment and is concentrating hard on new infrastructure projects such as improved roads, airports and telecoms.

UK Property Development Opportunity West Hampstead London

UK Property Development Opportunity West Hampstead London

West Hampstead Community Centre
Mill Lane
London
Greater London
NW6
£ 825,000 Freehold

Property located in a parade of shops between Ravenshaw Street and Broomsleigh Street, close to excellent local shopping and transport services.

It comprises 2 Intercommunicating Terrace Properties with D1 Use and an outbuilding to the rear.

The property is suitable for continued D1 use but also a planning application has been submitted to reconfigure the property into retail + 6 residential units. Inc;

- Ground floor retail unit (approx 320 sq.ft)
- Seperate front entrance to 4 residential units (2 x studio flats and 2 x 2-bedroom flats)
- Gated entrance leading to courtyard accessing a 1-bed LG floor flat and a self contained 2 storey 1-bedroom house with parking.

The existing accommodation comprises:

Second Floor Front Room 12' 10" x 15' 0" into Alcoves. Rear Room 9' 1" x 8' 11" into Alcoves. Through Room 26' 3" x 14' 11 narrowing to 11' 10".

First Floor - Front Room 12' 11" x 15' 0" into Alcoves. Rear Room 8' 9" x 12' 11". Through Room 26' 3" x 14' 11 narrowing to 11' 10".

Ground Floor Shop 10' 3" widening to 12' 5" x 26' 5" depth WC, wash hand basin.

Basement Front Room 12' 4" x 14' 2" Rear Room 11' 6" x 12' 9"

Two Storey Outbuilding at Rear comprising: Ground Floor 16' 2" x 11' 5" . Addition Room 6' 0" x 14' 5". First Floor 16' 2" x 11' 5". Ground Floor Office 12' 6" x 13' 0". Gas-fired central heating (not tested). Double gates with vehicular access under archway to Yard at rear.

West Hampstead property Development Opportunity

Kent Building Land With Planning Permission For Sale

Former Service Station for Sale as Building Land

Chatham
Dock Road
Chatham
Kent
ME4

GIA: 18167 sq/ft*

£ 750,000 + VAT Freehold

The development is situated on Dock Road giving easy access to motorway links, the Town Centre and Mainline Railway Station.Dockside Outlet Centre with its selection of shops, bars and restaurants.

The site is a former service station which is now cleared.

Planning permission has been granted for the erection of 17 flats and 7 town houses.

Kent Building Land With Planning Permission For Sale

New Foreign Buyers in New York City

South Americans are replacing Middle East investors and Russian oligarchs as key real estate buyers in New York City, agents say.

International buyers usually account for anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of property buyers in the city, which attracts a global array of investors and second-home buyers. Even through the economic struggles of the last 18 months, Realtors reported a steady stream of international clients looking for bargains.

But the buyers have changed in recent months, a New York Times article suggests.

“Foreigners are once again buying in Manhattan, energizing the still-fragile market. In recent months, according to brokers and developers, the money has been just as likely to come from South America or Mexico as Europe or the Middle East.”

Cuban Property; 99 year Leases for Luxury Villas and Holiday Homes

Foreign real estate investors in Cuba are being granted leases on government land for up to 99 years in a move that could see a raft of luxury villas, holidays homes and golf courses being built.

Developers have been urging the Cuban government to open up to foreign investment and more and more tourists are arriving on the Caribbean island.

A new law published last week loosened property rules to allow 99 year leases for foreigners as part of a package of measures introduced by President Raul Castro to scale back the state’s near total dominance of the economy while attempting to generate new revenue for a government short on cash.

One developer, Canadian based Leisure Canada, is pleased by the move. It wants to build hotels, villas and two golf courses on a beach in Jibocoa, 40 miles east of the capital Havana.

Overseas Property Investment Rises as Interest rates remain Low and Stable

An estate agent survey revealed that overseas property investment is currently at its highest point since April. In fact, 72% of properties owners interviewed in the survey were confident that now is a good time to investigate overseas property investment.

Over half of the survey’s respondents believe that interest rates will remain fixed for the next year. That means stable mortgage borrowing rates, making it easier to refinance a UK home to fund overseas property investment. This is a significant change, as a survey conducted in April revealed 79% of homeowners expected interest rates to rise in the near future.

Currently, popular locations for overseas property investment include Brazil, Spain, the United States and the Caribbean. Brazil in particular has seen an increase in demand for overseas property investment from the UK. Properties in the north east of Brazil offer good value and are becoming especially popular, as the cities of Natal and Recife would be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2014. Overseas property in Brazil is also attracting foreign investment due to the upcoming hosting of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

While it seems likely that interest rates will hold steady, the property market is unpredictable at best, and it remains to be seen whether British enthusiasm for overseas property investment continues to grow in the coming months.

Student Accommodation in University Towns

Freehold Properties: Freehold Pubs For Sale: Student Accommodation in University Towns: "A Level results are out today, and all over the country 18 year olds are finding out whether they have made the grade for their chosen unive..."

London property company collapses into administration

A London property business selling and developing overseas homes has collapsed into administration.

It is thought that creditors could include many British buyers who have put down substantial deposits for properties that have yet to be finished.

Aston Lloyd & Partners International, together with its sister company Aston Hotel Sofia, specialised in ‘emerging markets’ such as Bulgaria, Turkey, Slovakia and Northern Cyprus.

At the time of administration, Aston had over €70m-worth of developments under management including properties ranging from luxury villas to a four-star hotel, with sites in various stages of development.

Real estate in emerging economies outperform Eurozone and UK

Property markets in the more dynamic economies of South America, Asia and Eastern Europe are outperforming those in the UK and Eurozone, says the RICS Global Property Survey for Q2 2010.

Occupier demand is rising in the majority of countries across the globe with the notable exception of the UK and Eurozone countries where the tough measures that have been taken to reduce fiscal deficits appear to be having a more pronounced impact on the appetite of businesses to take up new space.

Significantly, France is bucking the negative Eurozone trend with more material signs of an upturn in sentiment towards real estate reflecting, in part, the relatively resilient performance from the domestic economy. Significantly, surveyors in the US reported a rise in tenant demand across all three sectors for the first time in three years.

Brazil is leading the way with the net balance of surveyors reporting a rise in occupier demand moving from 70 percent to 85 percent with markets in Peru and China also performing well. By way of contrast, demand in the UK turned negative for the first time in a year with the net balance falling from a positive 14 percent to a negative 4 percent while the net balances in Spain, Germany and Greece are all in negative territory.

Transactions fell in the UK for the first time in a year with the net balance of surveyors reporting a fall in activity sliding from a positive 24 percent to a negative 5 percent. More surveyors again reported a drop (than a rise) in activity in the UAE and Greece.

Indicators in China still remain strong despite measures introduced by the Chinese government to address the property boom. Indicators for occupier demand, rental expectations and the number of investment bidders per property all remain firmly in positive territory.

Elsewhere in Asia, the latest numbers from India suggest a strong showing from real estate in the second quarter despite the increase in interest rates.

Looking forward into the third quarter of 2010, sentiment towards capital values is particularly strong in France, Peru and Brazil while surveyors are most optimistic on rental increases in Brazil, Hong Kong and Peru.

Other key points include:

• New development starts are rising in Brazil, Peru and Argentina
• Surveyors report first declines in Japanese yields since 2007 on uptick in investment demand
• Investment bidders per property rose at a faster pace in the US
• Capital values are still declining in Ireland, Spain and Greece
• Occupier enquiries are strong in Brazil and Republic of Ireland
• UAE indicators are less negative than in Q1
• Rents are now increasing in the Ukraine

The real estate world continues to be split broadly speaking between the emerging and developed economies. Strong growth in many of the former, including the likes of Brazil, Hong Kong and India, is continuing to boost demand for new space from occupiers as well as encouraging investment activity. Meanwhile in many of the latter, fiscal retrenchment allied to bank deleveraging continues to place significant obstacles in the way of a meaningful recovery in the commercial property market.”
Simon Rubinsohn, RICS chief economist

Gambia Buying in The Gambia: Architect Designed House For Sale

Gambia News; Living in Gambia, Holiday in Gambia, Buying in Gambia: Architect Designed House For Sale

Bijilo 5 bed House for rent

Gambia News; Living in Gambia, Holiday in Gambia, Buying in Gambia: Bijilo 5 bed House for rent

Foreign Property Investors Committed to the US but London Emerges as Top Spot,

Foreign investors in real estate are committed to the US as their preferred property investment opportunity, it is claimed in a new survey.

The sentiment is underscored by a dramatic increase in the number of respondents identifying the US as best for capital appreciation. Over half, some 51%, said so in the 18th annual survey from the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE). This is up from 37% in 2008, 26% in 2007 and 23% in 2006.

The survey of the association's 200 members that own more than $842 billion of real estate globally including $304 billion in the US, also found that the last time respondents' perceptions for US real estate were this strong was in 2003 when the percentage was also 51.

The UK is the second best investment prospect for capital appreciation, receiving 30% of votes, with China in third at 10%.

'Although foreign investors expressed every intent to resume investing in 2009, like everyone else, their plans were sidelined by a paralyzed marketplace with no precedent and limited investment opportunities,' said Werner Sohier, AFIRE chairman.

'However, new money is becoming available and the survey points to an increased focus and interest in a few select markets for 2010, especially London and in the US, where prospects appear to be brightening,' he added.

Investors also said that they plan to increase US allocations above 2009 levels by 62% for equity and 83% for debt and at least half the survey respondents report a stronger appetite for both debt and equity investments in the US than in other countries.

US cities representing the best investment opportunities were named as Washington DC in first place followed by New York, San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles in fifth place.

The top five emerging markets were named as China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Turkey. However green attributes are becoming more influential. Some 14% said green issues significantly influence their decision‐making when considering a property while 70% said green attributes were somewhat of an influence. In the 2009 survey, the numbers were 12% and 60% respectively.