News

Sales of residential real estate in Finland peaked in mid 2008 and fell for several quarters, but have now started to pick up again. According to Statistics Finland, a government agency, prices for housing rose in the second quarter of 2009 by 2.3 percent in Helsinki and 5.8 percent overall from the first quarter of […]

The Algarve Tourism Board (ERTA) is working hard to increase the quality of visitors’ experiences, according to the new president, Dr. Nuno Aires. In an interview with the Algarve Resident Newspaper, Dr. Nuno Aires stressed the importance of having a destination that visitors want to return to again and again.   “It is vital to

The UK’s second largest city Birmingham is well below the average house price in the UK and seems to be out of step with other regions showing steady house price increases. Land registry figures show that Birmingham average house price was £139,146 whilst UK average is £224,064   The figures on the face of it

New home sales in the United States rose by 9.6 percent in July, the fourth straight month of gains. The US Commerce Department released its latest report and indicated that sales rose to an annually adjusted rate of 433,000 from an upwardly revised June figure of 395,000. That is the strongest pace since September of

New home sales in France increased sharply during the second quarter of 2009, according to the latest figures from the French government. Approximately 28,000 new homes were sold from April through June, an increase of 29.7 percent over the same period in 2008.   The rise in sales has been spurred by zero-interest loans and

The first ever HomesOverseas.co.uk Awards have been launched to celebrate the best in worldwide property development. The Awards are designed to reward excellence and innovation, and are set to become the most coveted prize in the industry. Honours will be presented in a range of categories, from sport and leisure to eco innovation and sustainability.

A unique survey from ice cream company Magnum shows that Portugal ranks third in the world in terms of the level of pleasure enjoyed by its citizens. The survey was based on ten different categories and resulted in an overall “Pleasure Quotient.” Columbia came out on top with a score of 136, followed closely by

Turkey’s Varyap Meridian residential and commercial development has won the 2009 International Property Awards for Best Real-Estate Project and the Best High-Rise Building in Europe. The new complex is being constructed on the Asian side of Istanbul in Atasehir and should be completed in 2011. The environmentally friendly complex consists of 1,500 residential units, a

The Dubai residential property market is starting to stabilize, according to the latest report from property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle. At the end of the second quarter of 2009, the decline in achieved prices slowed to 6 percent. The achieved price is the amount a seller receives compared to the amount asked.   Additionally, there

Distressed property sales have increased in more than 75 percent of countries around the globe. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recently carried out a survey on distressed properties in the commercial property marketplace. Of the 27 countries surveyed, more than 75 percent of respondents reported a rise in the number of properties which