Studio Flats London

Review

“…Do not get into the pre-foreclosure real estate investment market until you have read this cover-to-cover.” — Anthony Marotta, President; Allied Property Management Group, Inc.; Palm Beach, FL

The Pre-Foreclosure Real Estate Handbook explains everything you need to know to locate and purchase real estate bargains from banks, public auctions, and other sources. Whether you are a first-time homeowner or an experienced property investor, The Pre-Foreclosure Real Estate Handbook is a tremendous guide for buying pre-foreclosed homes in any market. You will learn the simple formula (developed from real-life experience) that can build massive wealth through real estate foreclosures. The Federal Reserve Bank indicates”….that foreclosed properties average 22% less than typical properties.” Home foreclosures are at their highest peak in years; you can be one of the thousands earning six-figure incomes in this lucrative segment of the re (more…)

Despite the recent economic downturn and the emergence of alternative market centres across the world, London is still one of the most important business centres on the global stage. Basing a business in London commands a certain amount of kudos and respect and consequently commercial property in London is often at a premium.
However this does not mean that a London address is out of the realms of possibility for any business, and using the services of commercial estate agents who are experts in their field is the best way to source commercial property in London. A good commercial property estate agent will have access to a wealth of knowledge and opportunities that should suit almost any business looking to move into their first commercial property. London is a dynamic and constantly evolving marketplace and its commercial property market is transient, particularly at the moment. This is good news for companies looking to move within the M25 boundary, as it has created a buyer’s market full of bargains and sellers more willing to negotiate terms.
Central London is extremely well served when it comes to transportation. Five airports serve the entire region, including London City Airport, located in the heart of East London’s Docklands area, which has been influential in opening up this relatively poor district to the business community. An extensive road and rail network criss-cross the Greater London area and the legendary Underground system means that getting around the capital is easy, cheap and quick. Commercial estate agents know the importance of a good transport infrastructure to the promotion of business, and will be able to recommend locations that will offer your business the greatest benefits. If your business requires large amounts of storage and has strong international ties, for example, then a commercial estate agent may recommend a location close to an airport or international rail terminal that will fulfil your business needs accordingly.
Commercial units and offices in the centre of London can in cases still command relatively high prices, but looking at locations that are slightly outside the City and West End may turn up more affordable commercial property options. London is far more than just the EC and W1 postcodes and many businesses are looking to the East End and south of the Thames as viable locations. These areas are just as well serviced with transport links as the pricey West End, but offer more choice for companies looking for cheaper commercial property options. Commercial estate agents specialising in these locations will know of hidden gems that could be exactly what your business needs to make that step into the thriving metropolis without going over budget.
In theory, finding commercial property in London should be no different to finding the same type of accommodation anywhere else. However, despite the economic downturn, competition is still relatively fierce and will become ever more so as the focus on London increases as we move towards the 2012 Olympics. By utilising the services of an experienced commercial estate agent, businesses can ensure that finding the ideal location is a smooth process and that they get the most suitable premises available at an affordable price. Despite the undoubted economic downturn worldwide, many businesses are still booming in London, and there are plenty of opportunities for businesses to join in by relocating to one of the most exciting cities in the world.

A survey by a highly placed and respected European banking internet site has just concluded a survey showing where the most expensive roads are in the world for property – and the top one is Avenue Princess Grace in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The bankers’ internet site suggest that four bedroom apartments are selling for over US 40 million dollars, and estate agents in Monaco confirm this to be about right.
And they describe the 190,000 US dollars a square metre as ‘eye-watering’ – a description few people would disagree with, and that buyers will need to be billionaires, or not far off being a billionaire.
The second most expensive street in the world is Severn Road in Hong Kong with prices fetching 120,000 US dollars a square metre, and it isn’t until third place that New York features, with Fifth Avenue real estate achieving a mere 80,000 US dollars a square metre – placing it firmly within grasp of some multi-millionaires. The upper East side side of Fifth Avenue is the part that gains most interest, and the site notes that some apartments can reach to 60 million – more than Monaco’s Princess Grace Avenue, but being such a long road in comparisom it brings the average below that of Monaco’s.
It’s back to Europe for the fourth most expensive road, London’s Kensington Palace Gardens, where property is fetching 77,000 dollars a square metre, and is symbolic of London where some areas continue to see price rises while others drop. London and Monaco normally vye for the most expensive real estate in Europe.
Helping Monaco’s Princess Grace Avenue to be the most expensive street in the world is a mix of British, Russian and Arab money, with the British buyers especially attracted by her tax haven status.
Monaco’s tourism is upmarket and exclusive too. In a recent report on Monaco’s tourism, the Director General of the tourist office announced that no less than 93 per cent of the Principality’s hotel capacity is in the luxury category – more than any other country in the world, and confirming Monaco’s status as haven for the wealthy.
Also in the report figures showed that Monaco increased her tourist numbers by 36 per cent between 2004 and 2007, and last year alone saw a 10 per cent increase over 2006.
But good as the figures are, Monaco wants to further increase her tourists numbers. Unusually it’s not just the numbers overall she wants to improve on, impressive though they are already – but one categoty in particular.
And it’s a category of tourist that Monaco is particularly well placed to attract compared to almost every other country in the world – URI’s.
URI’s could almost have been a class of tourist specially designed for Monaco and all that she offers – and it stands for Ultra Rich Individuals.
One URI could spend more in a week in Monaco than several hundred average tourists, with the casino in Monte Square quite capable of taking a few hundred thousand Euros off the ultra rich in an evening or two. One URI from Italy was recently reported in a British newspaper as cashing up 700,000 Euros for one evening on the tables!
Monaco has the most expensive street in the world, and looks like she intends to keep at the top of the real estate league with London, Hong Kong and New York for some time.

The number of British people moving to the tax haven of Monaco has increased dramatically in recent years, with some estate agents in the Principality claiming that four in ten of their buyers are now from the UK, compared to just one in ten a few years ago.

And if recent surveys are an accuate indication of the future, then Monaco estate agents might be seeing an even higher percentage of Brits buying with them in the near future.

A survey by the Centre For Economics and Business Research suggests that the number of British millionaires will rise dramitacally from 376,000 to 1,700,000 – an increase of over four hundred per cent.

Commenting on the findings a local travel guide say that the number of British people in Monaco has increased noticeably, but that property price inflation will temper any increase in new residents.

‘While we do expect to see an even higher proportion of British residents in Monaco, the fact that there is going to be four times the number of millionaires doesn’t mean to say there will be four times the number of people looking to buy in Monaco.

At the moment the cheapest one bedroom apartments are around 850,000 Euros. After taking closing costs into account it’s close to a million Euros. Given the demand for property in Monaco in five years that figure could rise to between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 Euros for a one bedroom apartment’.

A UK company specialising in Monaco property agree.

‘Given the cost of property in Monaco, simply being a millionaire won’t cut it for Monaco for much longer. Today’s millionaire won’t see much change out of his or her million at the moment, and how many will want to live in a one bedroom apartment? To have a half decent two or three bedroom apartment in Monaco you need to be a multi-millionaire rather than just a millionaire’.

Monaco has long been known as Europe’s number one tax haven, and for the Monaco Grand Prix, held each May around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Property prices in Monaco are already high due to the lack of land – in the past one of the districts, Fontvieille, had much of its area reclaimed from the Mediterranean, but property prices there equal those of the better known Monte Carlo.

One of the best known buildings in Fontvieille, Seaside Plaza, has average prices of three to four million Euros for a three bedroom apartment, and a four bedroom four bathroom one is currently on the market at close to ten million Euros.

In recent years the British economy has consistently been one of the strongest in Europe, and with a top rate of income tax cut a decade ago to forty per cent the wealthy have become wealthier – and want to stay that way.

‘Despite the top rate of tax coming down to forty per cent’, comment the Monaco guide, ‘By the time other direct taxes such as National Insurance are taken into account around half of top earners salaries are – as many of the Monaco property buyers from Britain see it – being lost to the Inland Revenue. By moving to Monaco they effectively double their disposable income.

When you go to hotels in Monaco and see a couple with estate agent details on the table and a map of Monte Carlo with various places highlighted, there’s an almost even chance that they will be British. A lot more than just a couple of years ago. They like Monaco, the security, the tax advantages and the closeness to London’.

The best place to invest in Europe Real estate Romania has proven to be a safe place with high capital appreciation especially in the Bucharest area. Romania is currently undergoing major infrastructural developments which will see further capital growth all over the country. “The growth trend is expected to carry on for the next 5 years” says Damien Thiery from Romanian Properties Ltd, who adds: “Romania joining the EU January 1st 2007 along with the development of tourism on the Black Sea coast and in Transylvania, will prove that Romania in the years to come will have one of the fastest growing economies in Europe”. The “Super Highway” between Constanta and Budapest which will go through Bucharest and Brasov will be a critical element in securing Brasov’s role in Eastern Europe on a long-term basis. Not to mention that low cost airlines will soon fly to several cities in Romania lead by Wizz Air who has announced scheduled flights from London Luton to Bucharest in January 2007. British citizens are increasingly purchasing properties in Romania – Romania property either as investment in Romania or holiday homes.

Where to buy in Romania

The scenery in Romania is stunning and unspoilt, the cost of skiing is very low compared to the rest of Europe, the coast is superb and the Romanians are very welcoming. As a pure investment or even as a holiday home or apartment, Brasov in Transylvania offers one of the highest potential returns as its location near the ski resorts, its infrastructural developments (new airport to be completed in 2008, “Super Highway”), and its lovely traditional town center makes Brasov one of the most sought after locations in Romania. Romanian Properties Ltd currently offers the opportunity to purchase off-plan apartments in Brasov built to Western-European standards at 900 Euro/sqm. The coast and its sandy beaches will see a high development of tourism from Western Europeans who are only starting discovering the beauties of Romania. The investments in Bucharest (shopping centers, off-plan, resales) started a few years ago, and as such the prices have already gone up in and around Bucharest. The potential, though still substantial, needs to be assessed very carefully. Prices are very cheap in rural areas but you need to be prepared to spend some time and to have renovation expenditures for your property for sale in Romania to achieve British standards.

Steps to buying in Romania

Doing your research as well as finding a well-established agent based both in Romania and in the UK are key when purchasing in Romania. No capital gain tax when selling your property 3 years after the purchase of your property makes your investment in Romania worth while. You will need to raise the cash as mortgages are currently not available yet to foreigners. Should you wish to buy a villa or a plot of land in Romania, you will need to set up a company which is a very simple process – your estate agent should assist you with it. Purchasing a new or off-plan apartment can be carried out in your name without requiring a company formation.

What’s Next

Contact Damien Thiery from Romanian Properties Ltd (0870 224 2142) should you want any advise with regards to your property purchase in Romania.

http://www.romanianpropertiesltd.co.uk

Mumbai is the most desired city for buying, selling or renting a property in India. A teeming metropolis, it has witnessed a burgeoning demand and supply of properties over the last couple of years. It is widely recognized across the world as an IT and ITES hub. This has resulted in high property prices in Mumbai which are now comparable to prices in cities like London, New York and Tokyo.

Locations in Mumbai like Worli, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Lower Parel have seen rising demand in Grade-A office buildings. Andheri East and Nariman Point have also witnessed the high number of occupancy over the past few months about 90-95 per cent. There has been an increase of about 15-35 per cent in values for commercial properties and about 40 per cent in Mumbai residential properties.

Malabar Hill, Breach Candy and Altamount Road continue to be Mumbai’s golden triangle. Residential properties in these areas sell in the range of Rs 30,000 to 50,000 a sq ft. With Mumbai real estate developers promoting sprawling townships, malls, software parks and office complexes across the city, places like Dharavi has seen a sharp rise in its property prices. A one-bedroom-hall-kitchen (BHK) house in the congested by lanes of Dharavi is to fetch at the same prices as in Kandivli or Borvli. Surprisingly, a 225 sq ft house, in the area would come at a high price of Rs 9 lakh. The biggest beneficiary of infrastructural developments have been the eastern suburbs of Navi Mumbai including areas like Kharghar, Airoli, CBD Belapur, and Sanpada which remain viable investment areas. Rates in Navi Mumbai range between Rs.3000 to Rs.5000 per sq ft.

Mumbai being the fashion capital is hit by the retail buzz too. With the opening up of the retail market, there has been a growing demand for Mumbai Properties in retail. The retail stores and malls are either owned by some business group or leased for hefty prices as the demand is very high. To find out more about Mumbai property and real estate, visit India’s No.1 property site magicbricks.com.

In the end of 2005, the employees of Moscow’s real estate agency Penny Lane Realty encountered the unexpected problem. Daily people called company with the question : “I want to purchase an apartment and immediately rent it out to clients, who I can talk to?” The answer was not easy, because sales and rent in Penny Lane Realty are responsibilities of two different departments. As a result for people involved in this type of situation company gave out a special phone number, which did not stop ringing the entire following year. Penny Lane Realty employees they were very proud of the way they resolved this problem, but suddenly bells ceased.

Number of people who desired to become private investors in real estate nowadays are very limited, and many of those, who were involved in this business past years, are now parting with the last properties they own, because the apartments in Moscow for rent are no longer bringing huge and stunning income gains in tens of percent annually as it used to before. Last week for the first time investments into real estate yielded in the plan of profitableness to long-term deposits into the banks.

Real estate market huslers depart, prices of real estate in Moscow are reducing – even if it just a little, but for a few months in a row. It seemed this was the desired results for Russian government, that this was what most of the Russian middle class wanted, which in had no way to allow themselves to purchase new apartments, after the last year’s jump of prices. But real estate experts are calm – in their unanimous opinion, the only consequence of present “stagnation” will be the clearer price separation of the apartments in Moscow into the elite and of the economy-class. The latter will fall in price, but not too much. There was no bubble, therefore, it won’t burst. It turns out, “valid” price on the real estate, which is not influenced by the investors, who purchase entire houses, but only by demands of future tenants and the proposal of builders – is not too differed from “invalid”, black market price. As one of the salesmen of real estate cynically noted, “Moscow still lags on the average price of the apartments behind New York or London”. Principally situation will change only, if many new houses appear on the market – but there are no prerequisites for this.

For more info please visit my website at www.eng.realtor.ru

Dubai… A great place to live and property investment!

The Dubai Properties and Real Estate Blog is a resource center for international property investors. Being the commercial hub of the Arab world, Dubai saw property boom since 2002 when the government had permitted foreigners to invest in Dubai properties in order to boost Dubai and as well as the whole UAE real estate market.. For a few years now, some have been saying that the Dubai property bubble was about to burst and that a property crash was just around the corner. Yet, prices kept increasing and such doom mongering proved unfounded. The Dubai property market is unique in many ways, and as such doesn’t follow the general rules of other property markets around the globe and other Middle East property markets. The current rate of return on UAE property investments is in the region of 10 – 15 percent per annum, with this rate expected to continue for the foreseeable future, and rental yields in excess of 10% are further evidence of strength in the property market. The growth in the tourism industry of Dubai has been phenomenal with the 3.4 million visitors in 2001 expected to rise to over 6 million in 2010 – from a standing start the area is becoming a magnet for overseas visitors. Many of Dubai’s property developments set out to emulate the most prestigious residential addresses in the world. However, the less glamorous middle-income gulf or Middle East real estate market is increasingly drawing the attention of savvy investors. Dubai Properties is one of the biggest and has said it will deliver 5,000 units to the freehold market in 2008 which is not nearly enough to meet surging demand. Abu Dhabi property market will not deliver a single new real estate unit this year, and deliveries will only start late in 2009, and that creates additional demand in Dubai.

The Mediterranean island of Malta has recorded the strongest growth in property prices from countries in the European Union, and recent news could help see property inflation in double figures for the next few years. Malta is not only a tax efficient location with beautiful costal properties for sale or rental, but its warm climate, beautiful sea and days full of sun will help you relax and retire in a friendly and safe environment for Mediterranean property investment. Sustained property inflation at levels seen in Malta are rarely seen in other countries, but new economic activity on the island could see property demand at good levels for some years to come. The introduction of low cost flights to Malta from the UK will open up the possibility of more international real estate investors looking at the island for holiday homes that could be used for long weekends, and the Malta hotels industry could reap the benefits of the 3 and 4-day tourist seeing the island as a viable place to visit. After some years of wondering how Malta property market would fit into the modern world, property agents, hotel owners and the Malta holidays industry are beginning to see the future with some optimism.

Due to the gains in housing equity in the past 20 years, more people have been seeking to invest in housing, rather than other forms of investment. In the UK there has been a rise in the number of private buy to let investors. Similar to an increase in the buy to let sector, there has also been an increase in demand for houses from oversees property buyers. This has had a significant effect in boosting real estate demand, especially in London. In terms of land mass the UK is an incredibly small country yet it attracts amongst the highest levels of immigration in the world. the supply of property is always restricted in the UK and that exaggerates price swings and ensures a recovery. Those more patient buyers from Arabia will find themselves well rewarded.