Thisi property is ideal if you like outdoor sports and activities, fishing, sailing, surfing, golf, ATV tours, National Parks, turtle watching, volcanoes, diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, canopy tours, white water rafting, jungle boat rides.
 This quality Spanish style home features 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen with granite countertops, large walk in master closet and large laundry room and pantry.
Extensive outdoor covered patios overlooking your private pool, treetops, mountains and fabulous sunsets.
Details and photos at
http://www.overseasrealestate.co.uk/Rest_of_world/costa_rica/Guanacaste-1/guanacaste-1.html

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Looking for a home and income. Take a look at this property in Italy.
Restored farmhouse and annexes making 5 apartments with pool, land and olive grove.
An old property recently perfectly renovated with a high standard restoration, situated in an idyllic spot near Umbertide.
The property actually comprises three buildings: the main house, disposed four levels and divided into 3 apartments; a restored barn of 35 square metres (376,74 square feet), which lies just in front of the house and consists in another independent apartment and, in front of the pool, the old tobacco drying-house of 60 square metres (645,83 square feet), which is completely restored and habitable.
Details and photos at
http://www.umbriarealestate.co.uk/restored-property.php?op=mi&id=25&pl=Umbria

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This is one of the last remaining corners of paradise,an area of outstanding beauty and of historic interest.Dalyan village is situated by the side of the river, surrounded by lush green fields breaking into spectacular mountain ranges.
Located on the opposite side of the river is the ancient city of Caunos, the second greatest archaelogical site in Turkey.
A 4 bedroom detached villa close to the centre of Dalyan being sold fully furnished has just ben reduced in price.
Details and photos
http://www.realestateoverseas.co.uk/1/Dalyan-Property-VA60/dalyan-property-va60.html

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The buying process for property in Greece is relatively straightforward but can be more expensive than most other countries.  There are few restrictions placed on foreign ownership of land and property in Greece except for certain areas where real estate is close to Greece’s borders with Turkey and near military bases. 

Prices for property can vary widely depending on where in Greece an investor chooses to buy - obviously the more touristic islands such as Rhodes, Crete and Corfu are more expensive for property and real estate compared with inland villages on the mainland, like anywhere else the more popular the area then the more expensive the property. 

An investor with a large budget might like to consider the fact that property priced over a certain threshold will attract an additional wealth tax annually for the owner.  This threshold and the rate of wealth tax levied changes each fiscal year but is usually between 1 and 2% of the property’s declared value (which is lower than the actual market price).

In Greece it’s usual for the vendor to pay the estate agent’s fees therefore you may as well make use of their local knowledge and involve them in the search for suitable property as it doesn’t cost you anything and will save you a lot of time.  A local lawyer with knowledge of land and property law will ensure that you have a safe transaction.  Title documents and all contracts and paperwork involved in the property buying process will be in Greek, so it is essential to have a local lawyer who can deal with the red tape and translate key pieces of information into English for the real estate buyer.

After you have located a property that you would like to buy, it’s usual for the buyer to sign a purchase agreement that is conditional to the satisfactory completion of searches and surveys and to pay a deposit of between 10 and 30% of the final property price.

As soon as the purchase contract has been signed in front of a notary the buyers lawyer can carry out title deed searches and ensure that everything is in order with the property being purchased.  Once all searches and surveys have been conducted satisfactorily it’s possible to proceed to contract closure and this takes place when the vendor and buyer sign the purchase deed - again in front of a public notary.

The additional fees, taxes and charges an investor needs to be aware of when buying investment property in Greece include: -

Notary fees of between 1 and 3% of the property’s price.

Lawyers fees which are usually 1% of the property’s price unless the real estate being bought exceeds a certain upper threshold limit at which point an additional fee will become payable.

Greek property purchase tax which ranges from 9 - 11% with an additional 2% chargeable on city based property.

Land registration fees which are in the region of 0.3% - 0.45% - and an additional small sum is payable for stamp duty.

Annual property taxes of around 0.25% of the property’s value and a yearly community tax is often levied which amounts to 3% of the real estate’s transfer tax.

When you decide to resell your property remember that you may become liable for capital gains tax which is levied at a rate of between 10 and 25% and which is calculated on a sliding scale based on the length of time the investor has owned the property and the property’s value.

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Beautiful restored Italian monastery in Perugia Umbria.
Old monastery dating back to the 13th century converted into a country house + land,
ten suites have been created for eleven  double bedrooms and  eleven bathrooms in all.Furthermore, there is the owner’s apartment with reception room, studio, kitchen and bathroom on the ground floor and two double bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor.Then, there is a charming old church with two ample internal spaces.
Details and pictures at
http://www.umbriarealestate.co.uk/property.php?op=mi&id=37&pl=Umbria

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This property sold within a couple of days of being on the blog. 

This excellent 5 bed 5 bath detached villa property has large terraces and balconies with sea and panoramic views.
This is just 5 minutes walk from the old harbour in Mordogan Izmir with its café bars and restaurants and barely 3 minutes from the new marina and beaches.
It is priced for a quick sale and all paper work is in order.
Details and photos at
http://www.turkeyrealestate.co.uk/Izmir_Property_For_Sale/Izmir_P036/izmir_p036.html

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Turkey has seen explosive growth in foreign property investment over the last 3 years which has led to property and land prices, especially in the coastal regions rising by up to 200% (and some areas more than this).
Many investors compare Turkey with how Spain was 20 years ago, and we all know about Spanish property prices now.
There are several reasons for this influx of foreign property buyers.
Prices - even with the large increases in price over the last few years, Turkey still has some of the lowest property prices in Europe.
You can still purchase a villa below £50,000 or an apartment for much less.
Climate - coastal Turkey offers an excellent year round climate. Mild winters, gorgeous spring and autumn and hot summers.
E.E.C. - Turkey has applied to become a member of the E.E.C.(if membership is granted, property prices will soar).
Infrastructure - Turkey is investing heavily in transport links and communications.
Economy - Over the last few years the economy has stabilised and Turkey is now (according to the World Trade Organisation) one of the 20 most dynamic countries in world trade.
Holiday Destination - Turkey is now a major European holiday destination, which gives an excellent opportunity to realise very good rental returns on property.
Local prices - for food and local services, prices are very low compared to the rest of Europe.Eating out is very inexpensive and the food is normally superb.
Remember that there are 3 great cuisines in the World.French, Chinese and Turkish.
Crime - One of the lowest crime rates in the World.
Lastly, the people. The friendliest and most hospitable people in the world.
All of the above make Turkey one of the best places to invest in property at this time.

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This has to be one of the best properties we have seen in a long time.
Presently running as a luxury hotel but could also make an exclusive home.
A restored 12th century castle plus extensive grounds located in Umbria.
Details and pictures at
http://www.tuscanyrealestate.co.uk/Tuscany_Properties-1_000_000_/CASTELLO_PELLEGRINO/castello_pellegrino.html

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Before rushing out to buy your property it is best to carefully consider the location. The most common complaint amongst foreign homeowners is that they chose the wrong location. Before committing yourself consider your needs both in the short and long term.

Accessibility
Where are the local airports and train stations? If you are going to buy a Casale (farmhouse) in the middle of the countryside you might find some roads inaccessible without a 4 x 4. Is the area still accessible if it snows or if it is icy? Is the area prone to flooding or other natural disasters?

Facilities
How far are you form the nearest supermarkets, towns, schools and playgrounds, hospitals, doctors, dentists, hairdressers, sports facilities, bars, restaurants, hotels (needed if you can’t put all your visitors up?) beaches, mountains, and so on. If you have children it’s not much good if you have to travel over an hour each way to the nearest school.

Resale value
Is your house resalable? At some point you may wish to resell your property. Is the area fashionable? Does the area have all the facilities to attract new buyers? Consider what might be important to other buyers. You may not have children living with you but prospective buyers such as Italian families invariably continue to house their children until they leave to marry and as such may have different requirements than you.

These are just some of the questions often over looked by foreign buyers of Italian property. Ideally it would be best to spend some time in the area to answer these and any other questions you may have at first hand before committing your property search to any one location.

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Buying a property in your own country is probably one of the the biggest decisions you will ever make and a lot of thought, effort, viewings etc go into making that decision.
For some reason, a lot of people when buying a foreign property leave that commonsense behind and look at things through rose coloured glasses.
Always visit the area you intend to buy in, DO NOT buy through an exhibition or hard sell salesperson in your home country.
Do proper research and employ a lawyer.
DO NOT part with any money, no matter what the pressure - such as this is the last one, prices go u tomorrow etc - without being 100% satisfied that the property is what you want and your lawyer has gone over all the paperwork.
Remember that most resort areas have a high season,  which is probably when you have visited, in the winter or off season the resort will be deserted with many shops, restaurants etc closed which is ok if you just want a holiday home but if you are planning to move permanently would you want to live in a “ghost” town for 4-6 months of the year.
Take all guarantees such as rental income with a big pinch of salt and certainly do not borrow money on the strength of these “guarantees”.
Take a look at the travel costs to and from and remember, especially where a region is covered by only one low cost airline that if they pull out you will have problems not only getting to your property but also the value of your investment will probably fall.
This happened in 2006 in France when a low cost airline pulled out of flying to a small regional airport.
The above is not meant to put you off, just to get you to think and use some commonsense to enable you have a problem free purchase and a happy purchase.

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