St Lucia has buoyant year for property sales

Despite gloomy economic conditions affecting property markets elsewhere in the world, St Lucia has had a buoyant year for property sales. The rental market for Fly to Let owners is year round, and average capital appreciation is anywhere from eight to 20 percent. The north of the island sees higher rental yield and growth, partly due to its beautiful beaches, leisure and nightlife amenities and planned developments such as the super yacht marina in Rodney Bay, which is already underway.Tourist numbers and figures from the St Lucia Tourist Board show an increase of 10 percent in May 2008 compared to May 2007. Arrivals from the UK also increased by 9.6 percent in the first five months of 2008 to 39,872, from 36,391 in 2007.St Lucia has recently been placed in the top 30 countries to invest in by the World Bank, ahead of Barbados and Antigua.St Lucia is proving a popular place for property investors since the UK and US real estate markets have weakened and the equity markets have become less attractive. The Caribbean, in particular St Lucia, has the ideal conditions in which to invest.Property is still relatively well priced, and as the infrastructure continues its improvement with the huge redevelopment of the Rodney Bay Marina, and the prime sites get developed, there will be more and more demand for the key locations. Prices are expected to continue to increase strongly over the next five to 10 years.

Luxury golf property becomes major part of future for Caribbean destination

Caribbean golf property a lure for property investors Golf property aimed at more affluent property investors in the Caribbean is expected to weather the global economic downturn and continue to attract investment.On several islands major golf projects are under construction and despite the fact that tourism numbers are expected to fall this year the industry is confident that the luxury end of the market is less risky.'Golf is a big part of island life now. There is a local market and an international market and that along with big names will mean people will still want to invest,' said Mari Jo Laborde, deputy executive director of marketing for the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.In its 2009 campaign the company is emphasizing that there is more to the Caribbean than beaches. The fact that internationally known names are involved in developments including Donald Trump, St Regis and Mandarin Oriental helps.Indeed Trump International's 500 villa golf club and residence project is understood to be selling well and the first residences are due to open in March. Investors include actress Jennifer López. It is aimed at the luxury market with marble floors and granite fittings.Golf is one of three niche markets along with water sports and food that the tourism authority expects to do well in coming years.But it is a risky one too as the tourism chiefs admit they expect a 3 to 5% decline in visitors in the near future. They are pinning their hopes on it being budget tourists on package tours and cruises that will fall off and that the affluent visitors are less vulnerable to the credit crunch.'Golf is an investment in the future. It can take years and in some cases decades for these courses to open. These golf courses are major undertakings across hundreds and hundreds of acres,' said Peter Finch, senior editor of Golf Digest magazine.On the other hand by the time some of these luxury developments open the world economic downturn could be over. One such resort is The Marquis Estate in St Lucia that is due for opening in 2012 The Marquis Estate is set to have a Golf course designed by Gary Player that will compliment its Caribbean surroundings.

Invest in one of the fastest selling developments on the Red Sea Egypt

As of the 15th July 2009 the Marsa Alam Beach Resort will have a price increase of +/- 12.5%.
With only the last 30% of phase 1 still currently available, this is your last chance to secure exceptionally low entry levels in this front line 5 star resort.
We still have a mixture of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with sea, pool and garden views ranging from €32,500 to €90,250.
As always, the Marsa Alam Beach Resort still offers the following:

5 year average 10% bank backed rental guarantee.
Frontline 5 star resort.
Located 45 km from Marsa Alam International Airport.
Extensive green areas with only 18% of the site being built on.
All apartments with private outdoor space and climate control.
Elevator access for all apartments.

For further information and details of available apartments please contact Off Plan Property Abroad Limited on 0845 1309011 or email invest@offplanpropertyabroad.com.

Brazil keeps interest high with the World Cup and a positive economy

In the middle of all the doom and gloom in many global real estate markets it is always a welcome change to find positive news and Brazil is certainly a good news story on the forums this week.

The announcement from the Federation of International Football Associations that Natal will be one of 12 host cities for the 2014 World Cup, is greeted with some relief on the propertycommunity.com forum where there had been predictions that this popular resort in the north east of Brazil might miss out.It was claimed that the city was not putting enough effort into securing a place on the list and that no direct flights from the US might hamper its chances. So its inclusion in the final list will be a relief to many real estate investors who are hoping to rent out their property for the tens of thousands of fans who will descend on the area. Indeed the plans for the new stadium, which is designed by the same people that did Wembley in the UK, show it is in the heart of the city with new shops, restaurants and a lake.

The latest feature on Property Wire looks at what is currently happening in Brazil and there are a lot of positive vibes coming from the country where the economy is not expected to go into recession this year, unlike many established real estate markets.The forums show that Brazil is still very popular among investors and potential investors. Although those wishing to take advantage of the football World Cup effect might have to hurry up with popular cities in the north east making it onto the host list for the matches. There is more positive feedback on the channel4.com forum where Natal in particular seems to tick all the right boxes. One downside reported on the forum is that direct flights from key locations like the US and the UK appear to be decreasing.

Perhaps the World Cup effect will change all that.But not all is so rosy in other emerging markets, especially those in East Europe. There are a lot of problems in Romania with prices falling dramatically according to a thread on the propertysecrets.net forum. 'We all should have done our research better,' is an all too frequent comment.It would appear that property investors in the country are considering walking away from their investments, losing deposits and other fees rather than continue investing in real estate that is worth a lot less. 'Paying the final payment knowing that prices are falling feels a little bit foolish,' is the comment from one investor but it sums it up. Romania couldn't be more of a contrast to Brazil and the tone on the forums reflects that.

Prices in some developments have fallen more than the amount put in by investors and many seem genuinely unsure what to do. One option suggested is that investors seek a price re-negotiation with developers but then developers in Romania are not easy to deal with as can be seen on many previous forum posts.

Free Property Seminar Book Your Place Now

5 Star Luxury in the Greek Islands. The benefit of investing in Greece – Saturday 24th January 2009 at 11.30am.
Beachfront property. Invest with as little as £6,400
High Rental Yields - Private Beach - Marina - Stunning Location

Saturday 24th January 2009

11.30am Arrival

12.00am Presentation followed by Buffet Lunch & Drinks

The Venue
Our Headquarters – Hilton Hall, Hilton Lane, Essington, Staffordshire Close to Junction 11 of the M6 and Junction 1 of the M54.
RSVP to confirm your place by emailing invest@offplanpropertyabroad.com or call 01922 722 930.
Places are limited so contact us now to book your place now go to:- http://www.offplanpropertyabroad.com/saturday-24th-january.php

Luxury Spa Resort, Samos, Greek Islands

This year we visited the site of Halcyon Hills on the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea, Greek Islands. We have been to many of the Greek islands - Crete, Corfu, Kefalonia and Zante.

A British developer is planning a luxury spa resort nestled on the hill side in a beautiful bay at Klima on the South East coast of the island of Samos. The site boasts fantastic unobstructed views out to the ocean. The Greek government is keen to promote 5 star tourism on the island of Samos. The island itself is located around 45 minutes flight from Athens or can be reached by direct flights from other major european airports including Zurich as well as London Gatwick.

The resort will entail a range of luxury residential accomodation. Studio apartments, Kampanas, Townhouses and Front line Villas with prices from £165,000. Investors will benefit from an 8% guaranteed rental per annum for the first 3 years from when the resort opens in 2011.

The property market on Samos is very much in its infancy which in effect makes it an emerging market within a mature market that is Greece. Good infastructure and legal system. In terms of comparables there is nothing like what Halcyon Hills will become on the island of Samos. You have to look to the island of Crete and Cyprus to find what we beleive to be the closest comparables.

Investors can benefit from an inavative finance scheme which means you can invest in a property at Halcyon Hills with little or no money down. If you borrow your initial 30% deposit (from £49,500) the developer will pay your capital and interest repayments on the loan. All you will pay before completion in 2011 is a £1,000 reservation fee.

More information can be found at:-http://www.offplanpropertyabroad.com/properties/halcyonhills.php

and a video from the development site can be viewed below:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Mhdn30ojo

Why Invest in Resort Hotels?

At the high end of the market, resort hotels offer a lifestyle investor a very reliable solution to both enjoying a premium resort hotel room for holidays as well as achieving excellent capital growth and income when they are not there. Managed resort hotel rooms provide the ultimate in tangible investments with high net yields, excellent locations and excellent resort facilities for the times the room or suite are being used.

Resort hotels can take several years to establish themselves and the rental guarantee can be much more important. In several cases, a rental guarantee period of 5 to 10 years would be typical of the rental guarantee provided by the developer or operator.

Resort hotel room investments typically consist of large numbers of hotel rooms as well as apartment hotel rooms and indeed sometimes villas or houses within the grounds. They often come with excellent levels of facilities including branded attractions - for example Pat Cash Tennis Centre, an Elemis spa etc.

Resort hotels also offer the investor a very attractive alternative to purchasing an apartment for holiday use. Whilst the room or suite may be smaller than a comparable apartment, the hotel facilities make up for this. In addition, an apartment requires the investor to find a local management company and letting agent, and even then the level of marketing carried out in this method will often result in much lower income and occupancy levels in a private apartment investment. The resort hotel operator is often part of an international marketing network that ensures significant occupancy, whilst the hotel facilities help achieve significant room rates. A combination of these two factors can lead to very high net incomes on hotel resort schemes, and whilst often more expensive to purchase than business hotel rooms or budget hotel rooms, can achieve 10% to 22% net yields.

Resort hotel rooms are typically priced from around £85,000-£900,000 for Penthouse suites. In some cases, overseas resort hotel rooms can be purchased for as little as £25,000 but it is important to analyse the quality of the operator, the hotel brand and, if available, the track record of such hotels.

Reselling resort hotel rooms could also be quicker and easier than the already proven resale market for larger hotel rooms due to their dual appeal as both an investment and a lifestyle property for personal use. In addition, banks see resort hotel rooms as very low risk in terms of lending, so an end buyer could almost defiantly borrow money to buy the property on the resale market if required. If purchasing a resort hotel room off-plan, then the off-plan period is often several years (typically between two years and five years) due to the large scale development required for a fully integrated resort with excellent facilities. This therefore means that the investor is often benefiting from significant early purchase discounts whilst not benefiting from any income for the off-plan period.

If quick income is required, then the purchase of a property within a resort that is closer to completion may be preferred. Investing in resort hotel rooms offers the investor the best of both worlds with great income and capital growth, as well as the opportunity to enjoy the property for a period of each year (dependent upon each scheme) but generally from 15 to 30 days and generally free of charge.

For those investors looking for personal usage and often visiting a certain location every year, resort hotel room investments could be the ideal solution. Particularly as whilst you are not using the property it is being management, maintained and marketed for rental all year round with the collateral of a global hotel group behind it.

Some Resort Hotel investments allow the purchase of the hotel property with a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). This is because in the eyes of pension trustees the proeprty is a commercial asset. Investing using a SIPP requires specialist pension advice.