One of the up and coming areas in Italy is the southern tip of the country in the region of Calabria. There has been surge of interest in Italian Properties as the media’s attention has turned its focus to Italy.

Calabria in general has been less developed than other regions but in the last few years, development has started on the West coast and is slowly moving around the coast to the east. Properties tend to be more expensive on west coast. Budget airlines are beginning to fly in opening up the market to more foreigners. As you might expect the climate is excellent all the year around.

The beaches are sandy and the landscape quite spectacular. There are many small villages to enjoy rural Italy, and national parks to enjoy.

Property in Calabria is cheap but expect prices to rise as the region becomes more popular. Off-plan apartments start at about 70,000 euros. These prices are very competitive with other Overseas Properties in Europe.

I was talking to an Agent yesterday who told me that the rental market was as flat as the Property sales market! It came as somewhat of a surprise as I had been told earlier in the month that agents who dealt in both villa rentals and sales seemed to be surviving on the income they got from rentals whilst the market in sales stewed. It hasn’t helped that interest rates and the knock on effect they have had on exchange rates has gone against the GBP meaning that the reduction in property prices that has taken place over the past few months has all but been wiped out by the strength of the Euro against the pound Rentals in places like Javea and Moraira seem to be getting a mixed bag of indicators. Talking to Agents in Moraira and some would have you believe that Moraira Villa Rentals for 2008 were fully booked. Maybe its the fact that Apartments rentals in Javea are suffering from an oversupply from the hundreds of new properties that have come onto the market in recent year or two. Whichever of the dichotomous tales is true, holiday rentals in Spain are the only thing keeping the wolf from the door for a lot of Agents at the moment.

At the beginning of 2008 there was a flurry of interest in the property market in Spain. Visitors to the main websites advertising property were reported to be up on the same period the yaer before and there was a good deal of optimism amongst agents that there was renewed interest in the market. Since January however there have been increasing signs of economic slowdown in the UK, the primary market for buyers of Spanish Property which has led to a lack of confidence in the UK property market which has always been the fuel that kept the Spanish holiday property market afloat. Reports from agents that Javea Property, Moraira Property and Calpe property has once again flattened is no relief to agents struggling to find any sort of buyers to make commitment to purchase. One good sign is that property for sale in the area is starting to dry up as people decide to take property off the market. As 90+ % of property is owned out-right then people are not confined by mortgages with a need to sell. if this trend continues then the old supply demand curve may kick-in to help the market hold its position awaiting new buyers

Regulation and red-tape are normally the dirty words entrepreneurs blame as hindrances to the capitalist art of making good profit. Money is best made when business can flow freely and market forces are left to their own devices. Certainly true in markets that show healthy demand and confidence, but in less affluent times when global credit issues have knocked confidence in a property market across the globe, is the lack of standards and some form of regulation simply fanning the fires of insecurity and hampering the recovery. The Spanish Property Market is a case in point. Hit by planning scandals and over supply of new developments in the south. LRAU land grab in the East and topped off with the global credit crunch, it is not surprising that times are no longer as rosy for Agents in the Spanish Market. Yet reports that show a steady increase in the numbers of UK residents still moving abroad and traveler statistics through Alicante airport showing over 50% of traffic is coming from the UK would suggest that the buyers are still coming in ever increasing numbers. So what is the problem? Are they coming to look and not buy? Is the lack of confidence in the market making them hold back unless they find the deal of a lifetime before committing to a purchase. Confidence maybe the biggest issue holding back buyers from making that purchase. A lack of confidence in prices. Confidence in Agents and the lack of representation for buyers who are traveling across borders to make a huge investment decision in a market renowned for dodgy deals and rogue agents. What would some form of regulation bring to the market? If you compare a regulated market such as the US with that of Spain, there are several issues that may help the Spanish market. Representation of the Buyer is distinguished from that of the Listing Agent A single market of property provided by the Multiple Listing Service effectively providing agents with the entire market as their property register. Co-operation between agents. Education standards. All these issues build confidence in the buyers mind and help agents effectively act for their employer whether it is a buyer or seller. It could be argued that even with regulation the US market is struggling to cope in the same way as the Spanish market. Whilst this is true, the underlying reasons are more supply/demand led than in the Spanish market. In the US the market is suffering a correction to historic price rises and a mortgage crisis that has seen lenders reduce the ability of people to borrow enough money to sustain the cost of purchase thus killing the demand. In Spain all indications are that buyers are as present as ever but they are currently choosing not to buy but are watching the market to see what happens next. If confidence is the key to helping them make that decision to buy, then maybe some form of regulation may provide the answer.

Description

Unlike the US Real estate Market there are plenty of potential buyers looking for property in Spain. but why are they not buying?

About the Author (text)

Neil Ebsworth is co-founder of http://www.amlaspain.com , a Spanish property portal for the Real Estate industry in Spain.

About the Author (HTML)

Neil Ebsworth is co-founder of AMLAspain.com, TheSpanish property MLS. A portal for Spanish Property for sale for the Real Estate industry in Spain.

The Axarquia region of Andalucia is a bit like that. Until recently I hadn’t even heard of it and I have been living in Spain for nearly ten years. A region inland from the more popular area of the Costa de Sol on the Southern coast of Spain, the Axarquia area covers incredibly scenic area such as Lake Vinuela, Alcudia and Alcaucin . Rolling hills, fantastic walking and the quiet life of a rural Spanish Village. Almost to good to be true….which is why you probably haven’t heard of it either. This part of Andalucia is one that the locals are trying to keep to themselves…or so you might think!! If you are looking to buy property in this area then help is at hand. Lemontree Estates, an English speaking local firm have all the knowledge and experience you will need to find your dream Axarquia Property or property for sale in Lake Vinuela….Andalucia Property. They have years of experience and will guide you through the full process of buying.

In light of recent global property crisis, the Spanish market holds a key to supplementing a lack of sales revenue. With many Spanish Estate Agents find the going tough as we head into the spring market, traditionally a high point in property sales expectations, many spanish agents are supplementing their income with managing villa rentals while the sales market flounders. The Spanish Property MLS has even supplemented its portfolio to include a specialist site for villa rentals in Spain to aid the smaller agents gain exposure on the internet for rental properties that they manage. The villa rentals site is also open to owners direct with full management functions alongside the video facilities that AMLA integrated for its MLS sales site. With exposure a week after launch already being established for keyword searches such as villa rentals spain, the mls hopes to attract renters in numbers.