News

The Balearics are enjoying a booming start to 2015, as property investment surges. Engel & Völkers Mallorca, which has 16 offices across the island, reports that the total sales volume in 2014 rose from €202M in 2013 to €259M in 2014 – an increase of 28 per cent. The trend for buyers to make decisions […]

A dramatic start to the year for the euro has given French property a boost for overseas buyers. The single currency has been rocked multiple times in the first few months of 2015, from the arrival of QE announced last week by the ECB to the Swiss Central bank’s decision to unpeg the Franc against

US home sales rebounded at the end of 2014, rising in December for the third month in a row. New figures from the National Association of Realtors show that December property sales rose 2.4 per cent in December 2014 compared to November 2014, taking sales to 3.5 per cent above the same month one year

Last night, Greece’s snap general election saw victory for the anti-austerity party, Syriza. Led by Alexis Tsipras, the party’s pledge to end the austerity measures currently in place won support from citizens, who are tired of the country’s economic difficulties. In the third quarter of 2014, Greece returned to growth for the first time in

This week, the European Central Bank confirmed that it will expand its stimulus measures to include quantitative easing.  The €1.1 trillion measure will see the bank buy €60 billion bonds ever month from central governments, agencies and European institutions in the euro area. The payments are designed to boost the supply of money within the

Apartment prices are climbing the French Alps, according to one estate agent. Leggett Immobilier has launched a quarterly Alpine property index. The report is based on over 100 quarterly valuations of a fixed sample of properties, including chalets, apartments, village and resort house, and highlights four key areas: Haut Alpes, Massif d’Aravis, Portes du Soleil

Switzerland has decided to scrap its currency cap, a move that has seen interest in London property surge from surprised investors. Switzerland’s cap was introduced in September 2011, keeping the Swiss france at 1.20 euro. The move was designed to prevent the currency becoming overvalued, but as the euro has weakened, the franc has been

 The International Monetary fund figures show that Spain may now be at the end of house price reductions. The Spanish property market has always been of significant importance to overseas buyers where Spain remains an attractive option for retirement and relocation.  The International Monetary Fund statistics could mean that the downward spiral of house prices

Regional cities have been highlighted as the best UK property hotspots for investment in 2015. Property investment company Property Frontiers predicts another booming year of buy-to-let following the success of 2014. Indeed, according to a survey from The Property Hub, an impressive 85 per cent of UK property investors are planning to expand their property

The UK housing shortage may get worse in 2015, estate agents warn. The country’s lack of supply to meet demand has become the biggest obstacle facing the UK property market, driving up house prices and leaving many turning to the private rented sector for long-term accommodation. Indeed, homeownership in Britain is now forecast to fall