Homes in the sun even more popular
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It appears that more Britons are likely to consider a home overseas.
Almost everywhere you look, there seems to be a survey showing that an ever increasing number of us are considering buying a home in the sun.
A Scottish Widows survey found that almost two thirds would look to retire abroad, citing our poor climate as a key factor, with almost half feeling that it is just too expensive to live in the UK.
Spain is still the most popular retirement destination.
With such a wide variety of choice available on the continent, if you are in the position to go ahead, now is the time to buy.
It is true that some people are holding back because of the strength of the euro against sterling.
However, many are failing to notice that the pound has already recovered by about 10 per cent from its low point in the run up to Christmas with many pundits anticipating that the euro will weaken further as the “eurozone” itself slips into recession.
Christopher Morris, co-director of Shrewsbury based international property agents, Simply Overseas, said: “With the amount of offers available from many long established contacts in Spain, Cyprus, Crete, Italy and Cape Verde, we can probably put buyers in a similar position to what they would have been a year or so ago.
“The exchange rate is only one part of the story; the price of the property, whether stage payments can be made, what ‘extras’ can be included, the general flexibility of the sellers and the cost saving benefits of using specialist foreign exchange providers have to be taken into account too.
“All of these can make for a very attractive overseas property purchase, proving that now can be a great time to look further at the many options now available for securing that dream home in the sun, whether for permanent living, an alternative investment or just a great holiday home.”
