Global property market edges towards recovery

According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s latest report showed that the global property market is edging towards recovery. investment volumes climbed back up to $108 billion in the second quarter of 2012 after a dip in activity in the first quarter. This now means that capital markets are back on track to volumes of around $400 billion by the end of the year.

Global economic outlook weakened as euro strains re-emerged, while low growth in developed economies remains a drag on a strong real estate recovery. Corporate occupiers adopted a wait and see approach to expansion, with sale and leaseback activity increasing as corporate looked to release capital.

Leasing activity still remains lower than 2011 due to weak jobs growth despite having improved from the first quarter dip. As a result, gross leasing volumes across 2012 are expected to be 10% below 2011.
Global office vacancy rates are now the lowest since 2009 at 13.3%, while vacancy continues to decrease.

If you are tempted by the prospect of taking advantage of the overseas property market and are looking into investing in property overseas visit Conti Overseas Mortgages atwww.mortgagesoverseas.com
OR if you are looking for a home in the UK and need conveyancing? visit us at www.helpfulconveyancing.co.uk for all your conveyancing solutions!!

Still a Large Demand for New Zealand Property

There’s still a huge amount of interest in Luxury New Zealand property (especially in Auckland) as demand continues to be larger than supply. At the beginning of August the quantity of available homes for sale in the high end sector was at it’s lowest amount for almost 7 years, a New Zealand estate agent has reported.

The agent’s average selling price was $591,444 over 998 individual house sales. They stated that the relatively small number of house sales is due to a large turnover instead of houses not being listed. There was a 23.3% increase in property listing in July, compared to the same month of last year, as well as a sales increase of 28.3% between the same time period.

For 5 consecutive months this estate agent has viewed falling house sale rates, helping to establish a market where people are eager to take action in as short a time as possible. When taking into account the stable house prices, the amount of house being sold is incredible.

The average sales price increased by just over $2,000 in July compared to June, and the overall price difference between May and July is around $9,000, an increase of less than 2%. Sales of properties costing in excess of $1 million are continuing to increase, as 82 properties were sold within this price range in July compared to 50 during the same month last year. Although higher value properties are proving to be extremely popular, around half of all sales are for homes costing less than $500,000.

If you are interested in the New Zealand property market, want to buy a house in New Zealand or if you want to take out a mortgage in New Zealand, get in touch with Conti - Mortgages Overseas either  by exploring our website www.mortgagesoverseas.com or via telephone 08009700985

Low house prices in Italy will stay low

According to one of the latest reports from Nomisma, Italian house prices are expected to drop again in 2012 due to the persistent recession and ongoing issues in the Eurozone. New Government plans are also predicted to help keep prices low for the foreseeable future.

The report expects the quantity of house sales to be at its lowest since 2000. It is thought that purchases may drop down to 529,306 (reduction of 12%). This estimate is based on the fact that the number of Italian property sales in the first quarter of this year dropped by about 20%. The same report demonstrates that the cost of a new house fell by 1.8% in the beginning of this year, and when compared to 2008, prices in the biggest Italian cities have fallen by 11%.

Nomisma has said.“The deteriorating economic context, coupled with more selective borrowing conditions and the widespread expectations of a wider depreciation than already recorded are the main reasons for the new halt to the real estate market.”

Bloomberg has predicted that the Italian economy may decrease by up to 2.4% this year, and that home sales are expected to fall further ‘amid rising unemployment and Prime Minister Mario Monti’s austerity measures weighing on consumer demand’

It was revealed by a Finance Ministry agency that, in June, the Italian property market posted its largest drop since the beginning of data collection in 2004  A new housing levy, marking the reappearance of tax on primary residences after four years, ‘won’t be an incentive for the market’ in coming months, stated the Agenzia del Territorio.

If you are interested in the Italian property market, would like to take advantage of Italy’s low housing prices or are interested in taking out an Italian mortgage, get in touch with Conti - Mortgages Overseas by exploring our website (www.mortgagesoverseas.com) or via telephone 08009700985

Cautious overseas property buyers stick to low risk countries

According to a property expert, the continuing economic situation is causing investors in overseas property to stick to nations viewed as ‘low-risk’ or ‘core-markets’ in an attempt to evade the ongoing Eurozone crisis.

Associate director of forecasting at DTZ, Matthew Hall has said that there are still  plenty of chances for potential  investors in property abroad regardless of the current state of the market.

Right now, a spectrum has evolved with polar ends. Those countries most and least affected by the economic crisis e.g. Nordic countries have experienced downward pressure on prices where the demand from investors is for ‘a very low risk, safe and stable type of asset’. People approach buying property in Spain with caution due to its recent Eurozone bailout and financial difficulties.

Mr Hall had this to say: "Core Europe and the safe haven markets have seen further downward pressure as investors flee the perceived risk in the most exposed European economies. The required rate of return as a result has been dragged down for property, so this has increased the attractiveness of core markets."

He then added that there is evidence that overseas property buyers are seeking out European countries that are likely to be a lower risk investment.  

Jones Lang LaSalle has recently shown that the British, German and French property markets have been increasingly dominant, together being accountable for 70% of European property investment in 2012 .  

Despite the persistent economic situation, several experts have agreed that the overseas property investment market is easily staying afloat

If you are interested in European property investment, buying a house abroad or in taking out an overseas mortgage, get in touch with Conti - Overseas Mortgages via our website (www.mortgagesoverseas.com ) or by telephone 08009700985

Plunging Prices of Portuguese Property

Plunging prices of Portuguese property

The latest numbers have shown that portuguese property prices are continuing to plunge.

Statistics Portugal’s most recent set of data has shown that prices of Portuguese property have plummeted by 8.9% in May 2012 in comparison to the same time the previous year. Global Property Guide has added that when taking inflation into account, the prices have in fact dropped by 11.3%.

In terms of quarters, value of property in May fell by 0.8% meaning that the new national average of Portuguese property is at 1,047 euros per square metre.

Apartment prices are falling at a faster rate than houses (10% drop compared to 7.2%) Suggesting that now may well be an ideal time to invest in Portuguese property as prices are so low.

If you have an interest in Portugal, buying a house in Portugal or taking out a Portuguese Mortgage, get in touch with Conti - Overseas Mortgages either by exploring the website (www.mortgagesoverseas.com ) or via telephone 08009700985

Wealthy French residents flee leaving behind a fantastic choice of property in France

The selection of luxurious high end homes in France has greatly increased due to the recent french presidential election. It has been reported by the Daily Telegraph that lots of french families are ‘fleeing a proposed new tax rate of 75 per cent on all earnings over one million euros’ (around £780,000).This means that quite a few fantastic french properties are now making their way onto the french property market, suggesting that now could be a good time to invest in high end french property.

One of the top overseas estate agents has revealed that its french sector has sold over 100 properties valued at at least 1.7 million euros within the past couple of months (A significant increase when compared to the same time period last year)

"The result of the presidential election has had a real impact on our sales. Now a large number of wealthy French families are leaving the country as a direct result of the proposals of the new government.” Says Alexander Kraft, head of Sotheby's Realty in France.

"These properties are then bought up by foreign investors looking for a stable real estate market like France to invest in.”

"It shows the high-end property market is holding up very well, even in these difficult times."

If you have an interest in the french property market, are interested in buying a house in France or would like to take out a french mortgage, please get in touch with Conti - Mortgages Overseas via our website (www.mortgagesoverseas.com ) or via telephone 08009700985.

Invest in your happiness: Buy a house!

The Office of National Statistics has declared that owning a home makes you happier based upon its first national subjective well being report. Many of the entries are not surprising e.g. just under half of people not in employment scored themselves as less than 7 (almost twice the amount of people with work) whereas having a partner gave more scores of 9 or 10 when compared to those who are divorced, widowed or single.

80% of adults that owned a home ranked themselves with a medium to high level of happiness which is quite a lot more than the 68% that don’t. Suggesting that some forms of  happiness can be derived from getting involved with property, despite the recession.

This aspect of the report depicts a British desire to own a home as many Britons aspire to buy property, yet despite general belief, the world wide economic crisis may actually help achieve this dream.

In recent times the pound has steadily been growing in strength, so when compared with the euro this month, buyers interested in European property have been getting the more for their money then they have been for the past 4 years, especially in countries with prices that have drastically fallen e.g. Spain.

"These factors, together with historically low interest rates, are making it more affordable to buy in Spain right now," says Clare Nessling, Director of Conti - Overseas Mortgages, which has seen enquiries for Spanish mortgages increase by a third in May and June this year. "And signs that the market is improving are starting to lift the confidence of prospective buyers."

If you want to find out more about investing in overseas property or taking out an overseas mortgage, get in touch with Conti, via our website (www.mortgagesoverseas.com ) or by telephone 08009700985

Is it the ideal time to invest in Australia?

Have you always fancied relocating down under? Has the prospect of purchasing a home in Australia crossed your mind on multiple occasions? Is there something about the idea of living in Oz that you find particularly appealing?

If so, a top news organisation has reported that, thanks to a combination of several  factors, the summer of 2012  is presenting ‘perfect conditions’ for investing in Australian property. News.com.au has stated that, due to poor auction sales, a huge choice of available homes and reductions in interest rates, a larger proportion of Australia is transforming into a ‘buyer’s market’.

An increasing number of ‘bargain suburbs’ are appearing across Australia, the latest Commonwealth Bank Home Buyer Index (in conjunction with RP data) has revealed.

Tim Lawless, national research director for RP data has mentioned that there are more than 300,000 properties in Australia for sale and that, right now, the market is favouring buyers and investors in Australian mortgages. “It really does suggest there are a lot of properties that are for sale at the moment.  Stock levels remain high across each of the capital cities so prospective buyers have a good range of housing options to choose from.''

The Commonwealth bank - Australia’s most prominent home lender, provided information to calculate the index where the number of properties available for sale were compared to the demand for home loans.

Nick Marr of HomesGoFast.com said “These figures show that it is now the perfect time to buy property in Australia.  There have been modest gains in house prices over the last quarter but with a wide choice of homes to choose from, buyers are increasingly in a position to drive a hard bargain.”

So if you are interested in investing in Australian property, buying a house in Australia or taking out an Australian mortgage, get in touch with Conti - Mortgages Overseas by exploring our  website ( www.mortgagesoverseas.com)  or via telephone on 08009700985

Live like the world’s most successful Olympian

MICHAEL PHELPS HAS RECENTLY BECOME THE WORLD'S MOST DECORATED OLYMPIAN OF ALL TIME, YET UNFORTUNATELY HE STILL HASN'T YET MEDALLED IN THE PROPERTY MARKET.

In February earlier this year, Phelps put his 4,000 square-foot apartment on the US property market, giving property buyers Worldwide the chance to live in luxury like an Olympian for a mere $1.42m - at a discounted rate from the original price that he purchased the property for of $1.69m.

The apartment condo is situated in Baltimore's famous Inner Harbor and boasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a picturesque views of the marina from its top floor balcony as well as access to the building's indoor pool where Phelps could practise his strokes. The new lucky owner of this wonderful property could utilise the hot tub on the roof terrace to perhaps perfect their treading water skills.

While since 2007, when originally purchasing the property, Phelps’ tally of gold medals has increased, unfortunately the American economy took a turn for the worst, leaving the 28 year old swimmer swimming against the property current. Even after reducing the value of his home significantly, Phelps has struggled to find a buyer.

However, now is the perfect opportunity for someone to make a splash in the US property market. The demand for American homes is increasing from overseas, so we may see a few Olympic-enthusiast investors to be dashing to the harbour-side.

Would you take the dive? If you fancy taking advantage of the American property market and would like to look into purchasing a property in USA, visit us at Conti- Overseas Mortgages to help you on your way.

Alternatively, if you are looking in the UK and are confused by conveyancing prices and additional charges, visit us at www.helpfulconveyancing.co.uk to help clarify you confusion and compare conveyancing prices to help you find the best deal for you with NO added costs. We operate remotely so can offer you the best prices on conveyancing for the highest quality conveyancing.

American Mortgage rates increase for the first time in almost 2 months

American mortgage rates have increased for the first time in nearly 2 months, rising from the lows that have helped to keep the property market stable.

Recently average rates have been at record lows of 3.49% for a 30 year fixed mortgage, but have just climbed up to 3.55%. While the average 15 year rates have increased from 2.8% to 2.83%, a small increase, but an increase nonetheless!

The slowly recovering property market can be partially attributed to a reduced number of available houses and lower borrowing costs. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of prices in 20 U.S. cities decreased 0.7 percent in the 12 months through May, the smallest decline since September 2010.

“House prices have turned the corner,” Sal Guatieri has said, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto “The record-low mortgage rates are supporting the best affordability in at least four decades.”

An index of applications for refinancing climbed 0.8 percent in the week ended July 27, the Washington-based Mortgage Bankers Association said yesterday. The group’s purchase gauge dropped 2.3 percent.

If this marks the start of a climb in the housing market of America, then now would be a fantastic time to get involved. If you are interested in the American property market, buying a house in the USA or taking out a US mortgage, then get in touch with Conti -Mortgages Overseas either by exploring our website (www.mortgagesoverseas.com) or via telephon 08009700985

My First Blog Post - 6th July 2012

My First Blog Post - 6th July 2012

So, here I am... my first blog post. Potentially a significant historic event in the making, or perhaps not. Anyway I tend to get nervous speaking in front of crowds so please bear with me...

I'm Peter Ryan ( That's me in the picture!) .Hello :). I work for a company called Conti (www.mortgagesoverseas.com) who specialise in overseas mortgages, providing new mortgage rates countries as well as friendly an helpful advice. Off the record I'm a bloke that like to keep himself busy. I love to travel and I have the Bucket List objective of stepping foot on all the continents as well as sampling the cultures of as many different countries as possible. I mean, it's all well and good saying "I've been to Asia" but China, Japan and India are all completely different socially, culturally and cuisine-ally (You know what I mean :D). So far I've been lucky enough to visit South Africa, Namibia, India, Spain, France, Turkey, Portugal, Scotland, Italy, Ireland, Wales and Bulgaria.Chances are I've missed some countries out, but I'll amend that as I go along. It's a goodish sized list and I'm incredibly grateful for it, but I need more! So I suppose this blog can act as a to-do list as well as a diary. Please let me know of your adventures and recommendations!

My blog is entitled DreamHomeAbroad so what I hope to achieve in the future is an active and frequently updated blog all about the world beyond the UK. I'll be talking about things I've done, things I'd like to do, places I've been, I'll ponder about my goal of living abroad someday, try and get some information from those who have and even give you guys clues on how you can get closer to achieving your DreamHomeAbroad.

Thanks for reading.

Peter Ryan