The Tide is Turning Claim the Experts

The Tide is Turning Claim the Experts

WATCH OUT! THERE’S A BUYER ABOUT

Mike Walsh

The steadily rising pound against the euro has got more than Spain’s ex-pat community licking their lips in anticipation. The UK’s property speculators are finally getting their wallets out.

If the pound’s value continues to rise; and the consensus of informed opinion believes it will, sellers on the Costas will find more viewers. The downside is that they will not get as many pounds sterling … if they are converting.

Estate agents and foreign exchange providers are experiencing a revival of interest from those interested in buying properties abroad. The most popular locations are Spain, France, Italy and Portugal. Conti Financial Services say enquiries have jumped by 20 per-cent in recent weeks.

THE PERFECT STORM

Michael McLaughlin of Southern Comfit International says the reversal was quite predictable. “When the pound was falling to near parity reluctance to buy was perfectly understandable. The situation is now reversed and the ‘tanking’ of property prices have combined to create the perfect storm.”

The UK pound’s seemingly inexorable rise has also reversed the trend in which European property buyers preferred buying into the UK market. The tide has turned in favour of those selling and buying along Spain’s Mediterranean coastlines.

Currencies Direct, Mark O’Sullivan, the group’s director of dealing says, “We have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of money entering the international property market.”

SPAIN OFFERS MORE FOR LESS

Is the value difference between the UK improving? Michael McLaughlin thinks so. “In truth Spain has always offered more for less than has the UK. It isn’t back of the envelope accountancy to say you get twice as much for your money in Spain as you do in England; with other advantages added.”

The more pragmatic buyers appreciate that whilst the value of the pound isn’t as potent as it was several years ago, the drop in property prices on the Costas has compensated. A buyer in 2009 is actually getting as good a deal than those who bought prior to 2005, because artificial values have been replaced by reality.

Astute property buyers realise that whilst the pound is 15 per-cent weaker against the euro than it was last year, the 30 per-cent drop in asking prices is now equal to a pound set at €1.40 to €1.45.

Speculators, rather than the domestic buyer, also realise that taking out a euro-mortgage, whether they need it or not, will put them at an advantage as the rate continues to improve.

Buy Smart in 2009 - you have the power!

there are still good ways to buy abroad | Primelocation

As if the credit crunch and the impending recession weren't enough, the downside for Brits wanting to buy overseas has been compounded by the plummeting value of the pound.

In just 12 months, sterling's value has slipped from €1.45 to under €1.20 - a fall of almost 20%. Against the dollar, the decline has been even more dramatic. As recently as July you could get $2 for every pound; by late November that had fallen to under $1.50.

Psychologically, it's a serious deterrent for buyers, as it means you could be paying significantly more for the same property than you would have a year ago. What's more, the cost of living in most overseas countries has also gone up accordingly - so that pint of beer, restaurant meal and weekly grocery shop will all be more expensive.

There are a few countries outside the dollar and the euro where the exchange rate pain has not been quite so profound - TURKEY springs to mind - but by and large, overseas homes are less of a bargain than they used to be.

So what can you do about it? One option - if you believe that the pound will make a recovery - is to take out a mortgage in the local currency. Say you want to buy an apartment in France or Spain that costs €200,000, and you take out a Euro-denominated loan for €150,000. Then only the €50,000 deposit will suffer from the conversion at a poor exchange rate, and if sterling recovers in a year's time you could potentially refinance the property at a more attractive conversion rate. This works especially well if you will be earning rental income in the local currency to pay the mortgage interest; but it is a high risk strategy - after all, sterling could decline still further.

Another option is to look in markets where property prices have fallen significantly. Spain is the obvious example; in spite of official figures which purport to show that property prices are still rising, evidence on the ground is that prices have already fallen by around 20% on average, and with many developers on the Costa del Sol or Costa Blanca in financial trouble you could get an even bigger discount, wiping out the effect of sterling's falling value. But don't buy just on the discount - after all, too many properties in Spain were over-priced in the first place.

Ask us how to save money on your new mortgage and buy smart in 2009.

Nigel Salmon - Girasol Homes 44 1974 299055

www.girasolhomes.co.uk * www.girasolhomes.com * www.girasol-bespoke.com

Cheaper mortgages as the Euribor continues to fall.

Girasol Homes spots more people buying as the Euribor plummets.

Positive news is that Euribor has now plummeted to below 3%, from its high of over 5.5% in September 2008. To put this in monetary terms a 25 year repayment mortgage for 150,000 Euros would have typically cost 1,013 Euros in September. This mortgage would now typically cost 792 Euros. A saving of over 220 Euros per month. Add this to the current low interest rate environment in the UK that many of your clients may be benefiting from, and the exceptional offers that are available in the market at present, and buying a new home overseas may be more affordable than many people think.

Sample of some of the mortgage deals for Spain and Portugal

UP TO 80% OF CONTRACT PRICE – RATES FROM BELOW 4% AVAILABLE FOR NON RESIDENTS

LOOKING FOR LOW DEPOSIT SCHEME UP TO 100% OF PURCHASE PRICE (MAX. 70% OF VALUATION) MINIMUM PROPERTY VALUE €350,000. IDEAL FOR DISCOUNTED PURCHASES

INTEREST ONLY AVAILABLE FOR TERM OF MORTGAGE IDEAL FOR THOSE CLIENTS WISHING TO KEEP THEIR MONTHLY PAYMENTS DOWN LONG TERM FIXED RATE MORTGAGES FROM 2 – 25 YEARS IDEAL FOR CLIENTS WISHING TO BUDGET WITH CONFIDENCE FOREIGN CURRENCY MORTGAGE - RATES FROM 1.93% (UP TO 60%) LOWEST RATES IN THE MARKET

LIFETIME MORTGAGE FOR RETIRED CLIENTS WHO WISH TO MAKE NO MONTHLY PAYMENTS!

CASHBACK MORTGAGE IDEAL FOR THOSE REQUIRING ASSISTANCE TOWARDS FEES/FURNISHINGS LET TO BUY UP TO 100% OF CONTRACT PRICE. IDEAL FOR THOSE CLIENTS LOOKING TO MOVE WITHOUT SELLING THEIR EXISTING HOME

BUY TO LET PORTFOLIO MORTGAGE - UP TO 60% OF CONTRACT IDEAL FOR INVESTORS

Contact Nigel Salmon at Girasol Homes for more details of mortgages and properties 44 1974 299055 or www.girasolhomes.co.uk

Spain's PM sees economic recovery in late 2009 - Expatica

Spain's PM sees economic recovery in late 2009 - Expatica

Zapatero predicts the economy will begin to recover in the second half of 2009

MADRID – Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Thursday predicted the country's slumping economy would begin to recover in the second half of 2009 after suffering a difficult period.

"We are going to go through some bad months, but there is a certain and solid recovery on the horizon," he said in an interview with the television channel Cuatro.

"In the second half (of 2009) we are going to have some data that points to a recovery.... We are going to emerge to strong from this crisis."

He also predicted inflation would drop to under 2.0 percent this year and to 1.0 percent "at the most" in 2009.

Spanish 12-month inflation plummeted to 2.4 percent in November from 3.6 percent in October, hitting its lowest rate since August 2007.

Spain's economy was until very recently one of the most dynamic in the eurozone but it began to cool in 2007 as the international credit crunch hit an already weakened real estate sector, putting an end to a decade-long property boom.

It is now on the brink of recession after gross domestic product contracted 0.2 percent in the third quarter and the slowdown has led to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in recent months, mostly in construction and the services sector.

Zapatero earlier Thursday predicted that his government's recent 11-billion-euro stimulus package would lead to a sharp rise in job creation during the first half of 2009.

"It will be at that moment, in March or April, when we will have an intense rhythm of public works under way that will without a doubt create jobs at a considerable rate," he told parliament in a debate on the 2009 budget.

Spain's lower house passed the budget, overturning a veto in the Senate where legislators had slammed the proposal as outdated given the country's fast deteriorating economy.

[AFP / Expatica]

Mortgage Rates Slashed by Abbey, Barclays and Woolwich on 100 Mortgages

Mortgage Rates Slashed by Abbey, Barclays and Woolwich on 100 Mortgages

Interesting news as the money is finally getting through to the people who require it, I personally think that one of the banks will break rank and make a killing by being the first. Some foreign banks are already starting to try and make a move and cherry pick the best clients from a large pile.

It should be interesting.

We have just launched a Foreign Currency Mortgage with rates from 1.63% in either dollars, yen or swiss francs.

Girasol Homes Mortgage Site should be launched 3rd December 2008.

Pre register for news of our sites launch by emailing us at mortgages@girasolhomes.co.uk

Exchange Rate Update for Overseas Property Buyers

Here is my new regular blog site on the vagaries of foreign exchange - it's a confusing picture with all of those city traders trying to scrape their huge bonuses, however we do have a panel of experts to help us with all of the Foreign currency markets.

We also announced yesterday we have new Foreign Currency Exchange Mortgages via our Mortgage Department in Spain. For more details go to http://spanishpropertybargains.blogspot.com/

With thanks to Bruce Borrie from Baydonhill Foreign Exchange

Sterling dipped yesterday against the US Dollar and Yen as worries over the health of the global economy prompted investors to dump riskier assets. Both the FTSE100 and Dow Jones headed south as they shifted their proceeds into the US dollar.

Official data released yesterday confirmed the UK economy shrank by 0.5% in the 3^rd QTR, and household spending fell by the largest amount in a decade. The Nationwide reported this morning that UK house prices fell by 0.4% on the month and that the rate in which they were falling had decelerated slightly. All eyes will now look towards the meetings of the European Central Bank and Bank of England next week as the outlook for interest rates will once again hold centre stage. I would imagine that the Bank of England will cut again in response to the continued downturn in the economy.

Current Interbank Prices as follows:

GBPEUR: 1.1924

GBPUSD: 1.5387

GBPDKK: 8.8750

GBPSEK: 12.2924

GBPCHF: 1.8465

GBPZAR: 15.1944

GBPJPY: 146.39

USDEUR: 0.7750

GBPAUD: 2.3630

GBPNZD: 2.8077

GBPCAD: 1.8894

Please let us know if you require any further explanations on any or all of the above.

The New Girasol Homes Overseas Mortgage site should be up next week.