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Over the past twenty years, the
most rewarding investment made by most British
investors has been in property. The price of property
and housing in the UK has shot up at well beyond
the rate of inflation and has left a number of
canny investors very wealthy indeed. Financial
investments and funds tied to the property market
have consistently been the best-performing available,
although the UK property market is showing some
sign of slowing up now. The only other property
market in Europe with comparable overvaluation
to that in Great Britain is the market for property
in Spain. Spain is traditionally
very popular with British investors and it is
little wonder. Only two hours away by air, the
country has some of Europe's finest weather and
parts of it are fully geared for 'extranjeros'.
Canny investors are now looking
further afield for those real property bargains.
The market for
property investment Brazil
and Romania property, for example,
has never been stronger. The impact of the internet
on property investment of this type should not
be underestimated. Now, workers idly surfing the
web during a lunch break can stumble across property
bargains in parts of the world they would never
normally consider. The internet
also offers the chance to work out what exactly
it would cost to live in another country, an idea
of rental value and all the latest trends in local
property markets.
The ability to research market
trends has meant that the number of people investing
in a Bulgaria ski apartment has
shot up in the past decade. This is because the
country offers some tremendous bargains, although
the market is stabilising and the emphasis now
should be on getting a quality property with a
long-term view, as opposed to the quick turnover
which has helped create property price inflation
in the first place.
A relatively
new market to UK investors is that for Morocco
property. The North African country is
famed for amazing food, thrilling markets and
beautiful Moorish architecture. It will shortly
be famous for great property bargains too, as
the market has not felt the full force of European
investment yet. It is worth bearing in mind that
culture and customs in Morocco are very different
from those in much of Europe and what could be
considered acceptable behaviour at home would
be frowned or or considered offensive in an Islamic
country. The same should be taken into account
when looking at an investment in Dubai
property. While the Emirate state bends
over backwards to accommodate foreigners willing
to spend their hard-earned cash there, certain
things taken for granted in Europe - alcohol and
exposed flesh, being prime examples - are anything
but the norm in Dubai.
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