A Right Royal Residence!!

Zara Phillips, daughter of The Princess Royal, Princess Anne has chosen a plot of land and is to have a holiday home built on a Golf Resort and Spa in central western Portugal, around 50km north of Lisbon.



Speaking in a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Zara Phillips said that construction on her first holiday property is due to commence in 2010. The property is based on one of the resort’s original designs, a four bedroom, four bathroom property with around 220sqm of living space, a private pool and a terraced garden.



Explaining her decision to build a property here, Zara Phillips said: “I have been to the Algarve before, and competed the other side of Lisbon, but they just looked after me so well here. People just let you get on with things.”She added: “My villa will be built on the edge of vineyards that have been there for centuries. There are stunning beaches nearby and (partner) Mike [Tindall] and I can improve our handicaps on the golf course. The decision to build my holiday home here was pretty straightforward really.”



The 200-acre inland development, around 20 minutes’ drive north of Lisbon, founded by Eduardo Netto de Almeida, part of a dynasty of Portuguese horsemen, includes a riding school and equestrian centre, with stabling for up to 60 horses, which may be used by Zara Phillips, who is a renowned event rider.Zara Phillips said she is planning to make regular visits to Portugal using the low-cost EasyJet airline service from Bristol to Lisbon until the villa is finished, which is expected to be in the spring of 2011.


Read the full article here.

Amazing Resorts with City Centre Las Vegas!

For all of those interested in investment and awe inspiring lifestyle property Amazing Resorts has been chosen as a Preferred Agent for the Las Vegas CityCentre project.

Appearing in todays edition of This is London, CityCentre is a project that attempts to move away from the pure gambling image of Vegas.

It will be a generation before the likes of this are seen again; in these turbulent times it is the result of staggering mastery that such a phenomenal project is nearing completion. The intrinsic value in this development is simply staggering; in our opinion this is potentially one of the most undervalued developments available.

"Let me explain" continues Landseer-Brooks. "Ordinarily a development of this stature would have doubled in price from the starting of the build process to delivery. What we’ve seen here is prices reduced by 30% (130% under-valued in the old market) yet all the amenities being delivered to specification."

Tim's belief is that it is an unparalleled project. "It is truly amazing. Most major developments ‘caught in the crunch’ have been either moth-balled or delivered with a fraction of the original amenities plus specifications. City Center has not deviated from the master plan at all; what we have here is a $9 Billion development which was originally made up of $6 Billion with a $3 Billion residential offset. We end up with a mouth watering £9 Billion development with an offset of under $2 Billion - that’s $1Billion off without any upside projections built-in."

With British Airways offering a non-stop daily service to Las Vegas, Amazing Resorts are taking bookings for viewing trips now!

In The Amazing Resorts spirit of supplying key-ready investments in just a few weeks, the world will be introduced to CityCenter. The phenomenal resort destination brought to life by eight world-renowned architects, CityCenter will debut a new era of resort experiences with the ambition to refine and redefine Las Vegas.

"I have never heard anyone come back disappointed from Vegas" finished Tim.

With properties starting from as little as $348,000 and a wide variety of units from studio apartments to condo units to the incredible 5.9 million dollar luxury penthouses with 3 bedrooms and spread across nearly four thousand square feet and open to the glittering city scape of the one and only Las Vegas.



Investors who wish to get more information can contact Amazing Resorts via the website http://www.amazingpropertyinspain.com/

All images Copyright 2008 Project CC, LLC.

A Place in the Sun - Top Ten Destinations

On March 22nd of this year, on this Blog we announced that in our opinion Spain was "The New Spain"!

Now A Place in the Sun have published their Top Ten Destinations for 2010 and guess which country is number 1? Yep, you've got it. Spain.

Remember that A Place in the Sun choose their best destinations based on several criteria, usually based on entry level pricing, potential for capital growth, level of development and quality of product.

So, as we said in March, if you are still undecided as to where to start your property search, you could do a lot worse than Spain!

For those who are interested in the next destinations here is the full list:

1. Spain
2 Florida
3. France
4. Portugal
5. Turkey
6. Italy
7. Cyprus
8. Greece
9 Caribbean
10.Bulgaria

We at Compass Amazing Resorts offer amazing properties in Spain (1), Florida (2), Portugal (4), Turkey (5) and Cyprus (7).

So that's 50% of the list! Not at all bad, I am sure you'll agree.

Green Shoots?

According to the The Spanish National Statistics Institute, INE, the sale of apartments in the province of Alicante rose by 15% in September making it the best month for sales this year.

Many of us may know the province better as The Costa Blanca, including holiday destinations such as Torrevieja, Altea, Denia and of course the mighty Benidorm.

This is not the only province to experience some positive stats. The regions of Galicia (North West Spain) and the Basque country have also experienced positive sales figures for the first time in 2009.

Further good news for the Spanish ecomony comes in the form of an increase of 37.7% in the sale of cars in November, making it the third consecutive month to show an increase.

This increase in new car sales is another sign of the return of confidence to the Spanish market.

‘Motorsport Facility of the Year’ for the Portimão Racetrack in Portugal

In the Professional Motorsport World Expo 2009 Awards, which recognise the best teams, personalities, technology and infrastructures in the motoring world, the Algarve Motor Park won the award of ‘Motorsport Facility of the Year’.



Gary Anderson, a Formula 1 commentator and one of the judges at the awards, considers the Algarve Motor Park “One of the best circuits at the moment. It has a unique configuration and
demanding curves that provide unique challenges, to both drivers and engineers.
Making a car drive fast around this circuit will guarantee the same occurs the
rest of the season.”

This means that the circuit is recognised internationally and viewed highly by the best in the business.

What a Scorcher!!

In 2009, the month of October was the hottest on record for the last 14 years.

The Portuguese met office confirmed that the average temperatures in October of 2009 were far superior to the standard comparative average.

There were several days last month when the temperature soared above 25 degrees and even peaked at 30 degrees in the South and central Portugal. Some regions of Portugal even registered heat waves (several consecutive days of above-average temperatures) between October 10th and 18th.

Actual Photo taken 31.10.2009, Santa Eulalia Beach, nr Albufeira!

An “Oscar” for the Algarve

The Algarve was awarded the travel trade’s equivalent of an ‘Oscar’ for its marketing and promotional strategies during the annual World Travel Market fair.

The fair, held in London between 9th & 12th October, is described as the premier global event for the travel industry. The Algarve’s regional tourism board (ERTA) won the award for its alternative marketing programmes aimed at selling the region as more than just a sun and beach destination to modern tourists.During the awards ceremony, the region’s annual Allgarve events programme was cited as an example of good promotional practices. The events are held in the region every summer and incorporate various types of activities including concerts, gastronomic events, sports and leisure.

Fiona Jeffery, chairman of the WTM, said: “Allgarve is an excellent example for all traditional sun and beach destinations to follow.”

Next year, the ERTA is also looking to work on tourism offers in niche markets as well as attracting more tourists from Scandinavia and the Benelux countries as well as its traditional market of visitors from the UK, Germany and Holland.

Amazing Resorts to Launch Florida Property Showcase

Compass Amazing Resorts is proud to announce that it will soon launch a dedicated website to showcase the best properties in Florida. Amazing Properties in Florida will offer the very best in property with the Compass Amazing Resorts level of service and attention to detail.

So watch this space, soon Amazing Property in Florida will be filled with the sunshine state just for you.

Portugal Property IS 'more affordable'

According to experts, Portuguese property has become more affordable both in resort areas and other parts of the country.

There is no doubt that the market had seen falls as overseas investors have dwindled in the recession. In the major resort areas prices have dropped by around five per cent, while elsewhere the fall has been 25 to 30 per cent. Such dips in cost may interest buyers looking at acquiring property abroad.

Those who do invest in Portugal may be encouraged by recent news that it was among the countries reporting an end to their recessions. During the second quarter of this year Portugal's gross domestic product grew by 0.3 per cent which was the same figure as those recorded in the period by France and Germany.

Algarve – A Golfer’s Paradise

The Algarve, world renowned for its mild climate, woke up to golf in 1966 when Penina opened. It was an emblem course, designed by Englishman Sir Henry Cotton who transformed a rice field into a beautiful course after the necessary earthworks and planting 300 thousand trees.

According to regional environmental association Almargem, there are currently 39 golf courses in the Algarve, some of which are under the final phase of construction. A further 13 are still at the project stage, which means that the region could have more than 50 courses in the next few years.

Golf investors continue to prefer the Algarve region, according to the vice-president of the national tourism board, who said there were more than 20 requests for licences for golf courses currently under application, most for the Algarve. Several of these new courses are planned for the eastern Algarve, especially in the county of Alcoutim, which is preparing to have its first three courses built in the near future.Also not yet constructed, but under planning, are future golf resorts Verde Lago in Castro Marim, Monte Rei in Vila Real de Santo António and Quinta da Ombria in Loulé.

Costa del Sol Opportunities

As the year has gone on we have seen some incredible property deals go through. If a bargain is what you want, a bargain is very much what you can get in todays Spanish real estate market.

For those who think that holding out is a good option, it may have been, but we are seeing signs now that developers and vendors are getting back into stable cash flow situations again and so are putting prices back up or just not dealing.

After all, these sales are putting money back into their pockets.

To this end we thought we'd put a example out of one developer who has had decent sales during the summer and has announced some final deals from now until the 25th of December. After that, they will be settling their prices for good.

This means that this is the last time you'll get one of these properties for UNDER 300,000 Euros!

So if you want to buy that perfect property in Spain why not look into buying one before Christmas? You could find yourself with one of these stunning properties.

If you want more information please go to Marques de Atalaya

or to download the mini brochure for this site you can go to:

http://www.amazingpropertyinspain.com/

Contact us on info@amazingpropertyinspain.com if you wish to oganise a trip to view the property.

Have an Amazing evening!

Portugal - The World’s Most Welcoming Country!

According to a recent report by the United Nations on Human Development, Portugal was number 1 out of 60 countries when welcoming and integrating legal immigrants. The study considered access to education, health, the right to vote, labour rights, social security and assistance for families – all of which showed that Portugal was a generous country compared with other, richer Western European neighbours.

The report was based on a questionnaire distributed in countries as different as Sweden, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, India, Chile and China.

Amazing Resorts at A Place in The Sun 2009 Live!

Always seeking the best for our clients, Amazing Resorts has spent the last few months preparing for A Place in the Sun 2009 Live!

The main basis for our preparation has been to persuade some of our best developers who have the best products to allow us to offer some units at this year's fair at truly AMAZING prices.

Well, we're delighted to say that some of our developers stepped up to the plate with some simply stunning offers exclusively for A Place in the Sun visitors.

We can not preview these conditions until the fair starts in Friday, October 2nd but suffice us to say that they will include further discounts on property already reduced in price and long term benefits such as free community fees for a number of years.

So please pop into The NEC in Birmingham and visit us on stands B11 and F37 where we will be happy to give you all of the information on these AMAZING offers.

Remember, there are only 15 units, once they are reserved, they are gone!

For free tickets to the show valued at 10 pounds each please write to us on info@amazingpropertyinspain.com

SEE YOU IN BIRMINGHAM!

Signs of Recovery in the World's Housing Markets

The world’s housing markets are showing signs of recovery, according to the latest survey of world-wide house price indices prepared by the Global Property Guide. Seven countries have emerged from the house price slump - see full article here.

Q: Where are all the bargains? A: Overseas!

Can we step up and say we have heard some, er, good news about the property market?

Nationwide has reported house prices (UK) up for the third month in a row. The actual figures are reported to be a rise of 1.3% in July. This may sound low but it actually constitutes the highest climb in a quarter since February 2007.

Another aspect that has been underlined recently, is that there may be a risk of longer term property supplies due the sharp decline in housing construction.


Banks avoid losses
Britain’s taxpayer-owned banks are selling repossessed property assets. Is this good news? Apparently not; according to The Times (24th August 2009) the banks are selling these distressed assets to their own subsidiaries!

This neat little manoeuvre enables them to negate cashing in at the bottom of the market, and to enjoy the inevitable returns in years to come. Looks as if ‘our ‘bailed-out banks continue to share the spoils amongst themselves.

We also read in the Sunday Times (23nd August 2009) home sales in America jumped at their fastest rate in 10 years during July!

Tim Landseer-Brooks from Compass Amazing Resorts says ‘It could emerge that the genuine opportunities lie in the overseas markets, especially The Costa del Sol & Florida’.


Now the Sunday Times has pitched in with an encouraging article about overseas property. Is it time to dive back into the overseas property market?

Portugal Exits Recession

Official figures show that Portugal, together with Sweden, has exited recession in the 2nd quarter of the year. The country's economy grew 0.3 percent in the three months to June.

German and France led a suprise rebound out of recession last week - a further sign that a global economic recovery is taking hold.

Algarve A-Listers!

In previous posts we have mentioned celebrities Cristiano Ronlado holidaying and Angelina Jolie house hunting in the Algarve. Today we focus on why the rich and famous seem attracted to this stunningly diverse region and what role Southern Portugal plays in their celebrity lifestyles.

For years Portugal has been overshadowed in terms of quantity by the neighbouring Spanish Costas but the Algarve managed to maintain its modesty. With strict building laws ensuring en mass construction was controlled, it now boasts a reputation of its own in terms of quality and hold its appeal to many A-List celebrities. Sir Cliff Richard has been an Algarve advocate for decades together with footballers Alan Shearer and Michael Owen, Irish pop band Boyzone front-man Ronan Keating, singer Bonnie Tyler, health queen Rosemary Connolly, and popular UK TV presenters Charlie Dimmock and Carol Smillie.

Steven Gerrard and his family own a home in the Central Algarve, the Beckhams are said to be huge fans and former England footballer Teddy Sheringham and Formula 1 race driver Rubens Barrichello are also property owners. Robbie Fowler, Gareth Southgate and football coach José Mourinho also add to the list of celebrity home owners.

Other celebrities, such as David Seaman, preferred to invest in the Western Algarve, attracted by its natural wilderness and rural beaches where famous faces including Prince William, pop band Blur’s Alex James and rock legends Metallica’s base player Robert Trujillo have all been spotted surfing.

It is only recently that several international brands have emerged such as Hilton, Formula 1 and Nikki Beach, as well as mainstream brands like Starbucks and Subway. So while the Algarve, with its chic restaurants, boutique hideaways and exclusive hangouts may have earned itself a reputation of being something of a ‘cool’ celebrity playground, it remains true to its down-to-earth roots that offer the rich and famous the privacy to be who they want to be far from the glare of the media’s lenses, an inconspicuous destination that can effortlessly outshine its more glamorous rivals by simply being itself and giving its visitors the opportunity to do the same.

Opportunity Knocks!

Much has been said of the oversupply problem in Spain, that so much new property has been built in Spain it will take years to be absorbed by natural market forces and demand.

However, this highlights one thing for people interested in buying in Spain: Opportunity! If any industry suffers oversupply the natural result is that the price goes down.

Supply and Demand

In Economics at school we learned that supply and demand was all about how much money chases how many products. In a nutshell if there is only one product on offer then ALL the money is needed to buy it. If there are two products, then half the money and so on.

In Spain there are many many properties on offer which means that you need less money to buy any one of them.

When to buy

In previous posts we analysed whether we should wait to buy or take the plunge now. We suggested taking the plunge now. This is not to say that you don't look before you leap! It also shouldn't mean that you start to view so much property that you are unable to decide.

The truth is that if you have some money to invest and you are interested in a property for your own use, there has probably never been a better time to purchase.

At Amazing Resorts we suggest people research the market well, request sound advice from us and then come out to look. Be prepared to make offers but remember, offers should be made with a view to completing quickly. The only reason prices have dropped or developers are willing to negotiate is because they want, or need, to sell.

One man's meat...

It might sound unfair or even callous but one man's meat is often another man's poison. In this overseas market there is an abundance of properties bought by people who may now be overstretched. This forces them to sell at almost whatever price they can get. They can no longer afford the luxury of waiting for the market to "come back". This is where you can act and secure a great deal.

Bank "Repos"

This is a strange area. Is it worth looking at bank repossessions? In many ways it is. However, if you had several houses and couldn't keep up with the payments on all of them, would you let the best ones be repossessed or the worst?

With this in mind, Amazing Resorts concentrates more on bank stock that is the result of debt / equity swaps. These are usually a smaller collection of units within an existing development. They can consist of only five or ten units that the bank has taken from the developer to pay off some debts and provide cash flow to him. These are by far the best units because the bank will come in and choose.

if you were the bank and could choose some property, would you go for the best or the worst?

Exactly.

Contact us on

info@amazingpropertyinspain.com  download our guide "Overseas Property Guide 2009: Spain is the new Spain".

Survey : Fractional Owenership

There has been increasing talk and interest in the idea of Fractional Ownership and we feel it is time we explained exactly what this entails. We have also created a survey so that you can give us your opinion on Fractional Ownership.

You can do our survey here:

http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/axaCU2X/Fractional-Ownership-Is-it-for-you

Euro Zone Mortgages and 3 Month Euribor Record!

3 Month Euribor rate at an all time low!

Last Tuesday, the 14th July 2009, the three-month Euribor bank-to-bank euro lending rate fell to a new record low, breaking through the 1% barrier for the first time ever.

This has a substantial impact on the cost of borrowing in popular destinations such as Spain and Portugal.

Portuguese and Spanish banks generally base borrowing on the “three month Euribor rate” which in turn is underpinned by the prevailing European central bank base rate. The three month Euribor rate is currently at 0.97% at the current time

The bank will then allocate a spread of anywhere between 0.4% to 1% on top of the Euribor rate for the duration of the mortgage, depending on the loan amount and the “loan to value” ratio.

What is a "spread" you might ask. The spread is the mark up the bank give you on top of Euribor. So a spread of 1% means, if Euribor is at 1%, your mortgage payments will be 2%.

To give an example of how the decline of the 3 month Euribor rate has impacted mortgage costs in Spain and Portugal, following is a comparative simulation based on borrowing Euro 200,000.00 in July 2008 against July 2009 on an interest only basis:-

In July 2008 with the 3 month Euribor at 4.25% plus the bank spread of 0.7% equals a total of 4.95%. Therefore, for a loan of Euro 200,000.00 at 4.95% this would equate to a monthly interest payment of Euro 825.00

In July 2009 with the 3 month Euribor at 1.00% plus the bank spread of 0.7% equals 1.7%. Therefore, for a loan amount of Euro 200,000.00 at 1.7% this would equate to a monthly interest payment sum of Euro 283.00

This comparison clearly shows an incredible saving of the same mortgage facility of Euro 542.00 per month!

What are you waiting for???

Albufeira, Portugal – a top worldwide tourist destination!

Trip Advisor, the travel expert site with more than 10 million members has recently undertaken a survey on the best worldwide destinations for holidays and Albufeira, Portugal came in third place. Albufeira beat off competition from Corfu (Greece), the French Riviera and Cyprus just to name a few and was only beaten by the Canary Isles and Amalfi in Italy. Trip Advisors members describe it as a “modern city resort” and together with the beauty and diversity of the beaches and exciting nightlife its easy to see why!

Amazing Resorts On the road!

This weekend marks the beginning of our summer road shows. Amazing Resorts, in partnership with Your Move will be travelling around the country offering advice and information on properties overseas.

The first weekend we will be in Coventry and Droitwich. For venues and times please click here.

This weekend, apart from the usual range of fantastic properties and great bargains overseas, we are presenting a unique opportunity in Portugal's beautiful Algarve - Eden Resort.

Close to Albufeira, and 30 minutes from Faro aiport, Eden Resort is at the forefront of modern resort development. Made up of apartments and townhouses set in marvelous grounds with 5 outdoor pools and one indoor pool with turkish bath and sauna.

The resort also has a chidren's club and infant park, poolside snack bar, top quality restaurant and clubhouse. Eden Resort also has its own private beach bar so if you feel you can drag yourself away from the extensive gardens and facilities, why not relax on your own private bit of beach?

We were very impressed with the quality and design of Eden Resort and that is why we have decided to place it as our first "Featured Devlopment" for our first weekend on the road.

Many people have asked us why we want to do these road shows, feeling the overseas property exhibition may have died. We understand the sentiments behind this but believe that the public have a genuine interest in receiving information from experts in a slightly more informal environment.

"It's much more reassuring for customers to meet in a well known high street real estate office," says Helen Smith from Amazing Resorts, "Here they can receive professional advice and information for their investment overseas".

If you wish to join us you can find all the details on our ads via the site or you can contact Your Move in Droitwich or in Coventry.

See you this weekend!

Where to buy 2009 - Spain

A recent survey by Global Edge has shown that Spain remains the most popular search for people looking for property abroad. Indeed the survey indicates that Spain is more than TWICE as popular with English speaking home seekers than France, the next most popula destination.

The study, published in December 2008, obtained data from Google searches in English and saw that Spain commanded more than 27% of the property search criteria.

So, although the Financial Times has been trying to compare Spain to Latvia we at Amazing Resorts know that the discerning property hunter wants to buy in Spain.

Let's go over some of the reasons for buying in Spain:

• 300 days of sunshine: Let's never forget that although we love our British climate we much prefer everyone elses!
• Affordable communications: It's so cheap to get to Spain and there are so many options. Every single UK airport serves Malaga airport for the Costa del Sol and Alicante for the Costa Blanca.
• House prices have dropped and allowed more people than ever to buy in this desireable market
• It's CLOSE. Let's face it, you're not going to spend a weekend in Dubai or Thailand. They are for the week long holds. Spain is still perfect for the Firday to Sunday getaway.
• Sangria (We had to mention the drinking, so this seemed the least offensive! Olé)
• 800,000 Brits have already bought there. They must know something. This gives you the ability to access all of the familiar aspects of UK culture, food, drink and companionship.
• The true Spain is still there for those that wish to immerse themselves in the Spanish culture.
• As we have mentioned previously, the slowing of the market has led to bargains and opportunities emerging for buyers to really get something spectacular

The list goes on.

See you in Spain?!

Driving the Dream!

The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve near Portimao has just launched its AIA Racing School offering instruction in Sporting and safety driving.

Choose from a range of high speed vehicles available including Porsche Cayman S, Porsche Boxter S, Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 Carrera, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Ferrari 360 Challenge and BMW M3 in cars and Honda CBR 1000 RR in bikes.

The Racing School has several courses available for all levels of drivers and participants will be acquiring their skills from the best in the business: Pedro Lamy, Filipe Albuquerque, José Monroy, Tiago Monteiro, Pedro Couceiro and Manuel Gião will be the designated instructors of the courses.

Among the programmes available are the ‘Taxi Experiences’, where you will have a truly unforgettable experience sitting by the side of one of the professional drivers on a manic two lap race, in either a Ferrari Modena 360 or a BMW M3.

If you fancy a more hands on approach, then the ‘Driving Experiences’ are for you. These consist of four levels of driving courses (Classic, Silver, Gold or Platinum, including personal training) with prices ranging from €299 to €899. They are designed to test and improve your car handling with several different exercises.

Algarve Live Concerts

Don’t forget the following forthcoming live concerts in the Algarve:

Joss Stone will be playing in Loule on 31st July, Seal is live in concert in Albufeira on 1st August and 80’s pop star Rick Astley is playing live on 2nd August in Albufeira.

Ronaldo joins the Royals in the Algarve

The world’s best and most expensive football player in the world is holidaying in the Algarve. Cristiano Ronaldo is enjoying a relaxing break with his family in the central Algarve whilst Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex and youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II, is also in the Algarve. Prince Edward has been invited to stay in one of the regions top 5 star luxury hotels where presidential suites cost over €3,000 per night and where he is set to watch the Duke of Edinburgh Cup charitable golf tournament.

Amazing Resorts teams up with Your Move and Reeds Rains

Compass Amazing Resorts is proud to annouce that it has teamed up with high street estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains.

All details are in our press release dated yesterday.


HTML Version

http://www.prlog.org/10265390-compass-amazing-resorts-announces-alliance-with-high-street-agents-your-move-and-reeds-rains.html

PDF Version

http://www.prlog.org/10265390-compass-amazing-resorts-announces-alliance-with-high-street-agents-your-move-and-reeds-rains.pdf

Lisbon, a Cultural Classic

The charm of Lisbon exists in its strong links to the past; renovated palaces, magnificent churches and an impressive castle mirror the city's rich cultural heritage. Its eclectic blend of neighborhoods, culture and architecture distinguish this capital city uniquely from the other European capitals and make it a truly fascinating and comprehensive city to visit.

In recent months, Lisbon has been the recipient of incessant praise from worldwide mainstream and travel media. The New York Times recommended Lisbon as being the second “most interesting place on the planet to visit” behind Laos in December 2007. Lonely Planet ranked the city as one of ten cities to visit in 2009, describing the Portuguese capital as a “seductive mermaid”, whilst Lisbon was placed third by Yahoo Travel in its top ten of cities to visit last year.

Lisbon is one of the few cities in the world where a stay at a five-star hotel can still cost less than 100 euros per night. For cheaper accommodation, the world’s top two hostels can be also found in the city.

Light at the End of the Tunnel!

The Guardian listed the Algarve’s expected return to popularity amongst British tourists as one of the signs that the economy is turning in Thursday’s edition under “10 alternative signs that the recession is over."

Tavira’s New Multi-Million Euro Shopping Mall

Tavira Gran Plaza officially opened on June 5th. The €15 million shopping mall, serving the areas of Tavira, Vila Real Santo António, São Brás de Alportel and Olhão, boasts 110 shops, multi screen cinema and leisure area, restaurants, cafes and over 1,000 car parking spaces.

Portugal Becoming more affordable for Britons


A survey by a leading money exchange firm has revealed that property in Portugal has become more affordable for British buyers. A combination of factors have contributed to making Portugal a less expensive country to invest in for Britons looking to the Portuguese property market, including the general prices, mortgage costs and increasingly favourable exchange rates. Property prices and mortgage repayments are now significantly lower than in 2008 in many of the UK’s favourite foreign holiday home destinations.



The pound also hit a 2009 high against the euro on Thursday 11th June 2009 when £1 bought €1.17.

Angelina Jolie Moving to the Algarve!

Rumour has it that Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie and her six children are looking to move to a luxury home in the Lagos area of the Algarve. The Portuguese press reported this week that the Hollywood star is looking to make the move to escape the hectic pace of life in the US. According to one of the daily Portuguese newspapers, a luxury house located on the cliff tops above Lagos bay, has been considered. The stories were sparked by a posting on a celebrity gossip website, which quoted an unnamed source close to the couple saying that Angelina is considering the beachfront property.

Make your offer, and make it NOW!

There'll never be sales like these ones! This is what many people in the consumer industry are saying. The Financial Times ran a story at the beginning of the year about the Harrods Sales. The current downturn overtook many businesses so fast that they were just unprepared for it.

Sale of the Century

Companies like Harrods had their usual full stock of products yet hadn't sold much of this stock. This means that going into the sales Harrods had more products than ever on sale.

This year Harrods simply won't buy in so much stock. They'll work through 2009 with a product more in keeping with the economic climate. This means that the sales next year will be a pale shadow of what they were this year.

This is the same in property. NOW is the time to find the best bargains. Why? Because the builders overseas need to improve their cashflow NOW. If they sell a few units now this will give them the cash flow they need to get through the coming months and years. This will mean they can relax and start being more commercial again.

Even British builders like Taylor Woodrow are having to adopt this approach. The Sunday Times told exactly this story in their article "Bargain Hunters return to the Costa del Sol".

This is not to say that you can go mad and make offer after offer. It is important to actually want to buy the property you're pitching for. "You have to be careful what you wish for!" Says Tim Landseer-Brooks from Amazing Resorts. "Developers will deal, but only with serious buyers."

It goes back to our expression from the last Blog: You want to buy a good property at a great price. It's a bit like being at an auction, if you see a property and you have made an offer that gets you a dramatic discount, go for it!

Distressed or depressed property?

In these so called troubled times of credit crunch and recession it is inevitable in an optimistic company like Amazing Resorts to think of opportunities and bargains that are now out in the market.

However, we have to be careful. To mess about with the famous quote from Warren Buffet, you need to know how to buy a good property at a great price, not a great company at a good price! And that's what we're all about at Amazing Resorts.

There are many offers in the market now for "Distressed Properties". Our different product teams in our many destinations are reporting that there are great opportunities out there now. "Perhaps more than ever," Says Helen, in charge of product for Spain and Portugal. "But there is more rubbish than ever too" She adds.

So in times of trouble the guys who could never sell in the good days are also trotting out discounts and trying to entice people to buy their wares. Here at Amazing Resorts we have started to dub these properties "Depressed Properties".

So what is the main difference between a distressed property and a depressed property.

"I think the biggest difference is whether one is an opportunity or not", says Tim Landseer-Brooks, Regional Manager. "Everyone knows a bargain when they see one, but something shocking is always shocking!"

Certain properties that could not be sold in boom times clearly are not saleable in tougher times, like these.

So beware the big price drop and aim for a property that you like, that you could use and then get it for a great price... in fact, get it for an Amazing price.

Contact us at info@amazingpropertyinspain.com and we will steer you towards the true distressed properties.

Costa del Sol leads Spain's turism figures

According to Spain's National Insitute of Statistics (INE) the Costa del Sol, that southern coast of Spain served by Malaga airport (With more and more flights also coming in to Gibraltar airport) has topped the other Spanish coasts in tourism.

The figures for the month of April put Costa del Sol at 332,352 people staying in hotels in the region. The next best area was the Costa Blanca (The coast served by Alicante airport) with 277,765 tourists spending at least one night in a hotel in the region.

This is a great sign for the Costa del Sol and a fantastic news for people who have invested or wish to invest there. Clearly an increase in tourism like this means enhanced rental potential as well as ensuring that local businesses prosper, a crucial factor in increasing capital growth in a any area.

In our recent article, "Spain is the new Spain" we had commented that perhaps the time had come for Spain to retake its crown as the number destination for British and Irish tourism. The return to the top spot is a step in the right direction.

Amazing Resorts recommend investment in areas with positive attributes, tourism, infrastructure and also excellent communications with the UK and Ireland, not to mention other northern european countries. Malaga airport is probably Spain's best served airport and holidaymakers can fly there from every single airport currently operating in the UK!
Tip of the week for lovers of the Marbella scene is a fantastic development on the road to Benahavis. Contact us immediately on info@amazingpropertyinspain.com for further information. There is up to 50% off at the moment and units are selling fast!
http://www.amazingpropertyinspain.com/

Have an Amazing weekend!

Portugal Newsletter June 2009

Plans for Portimão as Europe’s Hollywood
Backed by Universal Studios and CBS Paramount, negotiations are underway for the construction of one of the largest ever entertainment complexes in the Algarve, combining a cinema studio complex with an amusement park.

The plans to transform Portimão into the Hollywood of Europe as part of the “Picture Portugal” project have been in place for some time however the involvement of interested foreign parties has boosted optimism for the ambitious project. The enormous development, which will require an investment of 750 million euros, is being pushed forward by Portimão Turis, the body behind the Portimão exhibition park.

The cost of building the themed amusement park is estimated to be 550 million euros while the complex for film production will make up a further 200 million euros. New details surrounding the location of the park have been revealed and rumours that it will be based next to the Algarve Motor Park have been confirmed with the 150 hectare site being located at Sítio do Escampadinho. The Picture Portugal project aims to create a new vision in film production in Portugal and will be funded by a consortium of private partners. The first stage of the project will see the construction of two of 11 film production studios to be completed by 2010. Special features of the studios will include post production audio and visual areas, a designated zone for outside film requirements and a “water tank” the size of a football pitch to be used for underwater filming. It is believed that the Algarve is the perfect place for film studios and that there are favourable conditions in Portugal for the film industry. These include a variety of landscapes within a small geographical area, an excellent climate and competitive salaries. Funding approval from PROVERE, the programme for the economic recovery of local resources, is currently being applied for by the project directors; however it is hoped that further private investors will back the development and push it onto the next stage.


Tall Ships Race – Lisbon Confirmed to Host the event in 2012
Once more, Lisbon is set to be one of the main host ports for the Tall Ships Race in the summer of 2012. It will be the sixth time that Lisbon has hosted this event, which gives the city and its maritime heritage enormous visibility internationally as over 1,000 boats from nearly 50 countries anchor in the Tejo Estuary for four days. Lisbon has also played host to the event in 1956, 1982, 1992, 1998, and 2006. More than 4,000 young people under the age of 24, 1,000 journalists and at least half a million tourists will pour into Lisbon from all around the world during the event between July and August 2012, while some estimates suggest that up to 1.2 million visitors could flood into Lisbon. The Secretary of State for Tourism has said that the unique conditions of Lisbon set it aside from all of the other European capitals and its wide estuary and location on the river front makes it the perfect setting to host an event of this nature. The ships will be berthed on the Tejo estuary where members of the public will be able to visit the ships and get involved in a range of activities for four days.


Music Events
In August, a four day festival of adrenalin-packed car racing and international music stars will be taking place at Algarve’s Motor Park. A varied programme is planned with music to suit all ages with British soul singer James Morrison and British hindu rock band Bloc Party already confirmed as headline acts. This will be the first festival of its kind in Portugal and will be held between 5th and 8th of August, named Rock One.

A variety of national and international bands are expected and, according to Portuguese press, Simple Minds, Anastacia, Snow Patrol, Offspring, Linkin Park, James, Sugababes and Groove Armada are all strong possibilities to appear. The entertainment area will cover more than 80,000 square metres and will include a DJ tent with music and a ‘Fun in the Box’ zone, where renowned national bars and discos will be open to the public. There will also be a Playstation zone which will host the Playstation 2009 Challenge and a Blue Planet area with an exhibition about water conservation.

Professional drivers will also be testing cars around the track at this unique festival. Tickets for the festival are due to go on sale shortly. Single day tickets are estimated to cost 50 euros and a four day ticket should cost 80 euros. Tickets can also be purchased in groups of four, with a day ticket for four people costing around 80 euros and a full festival ticket costing 240 euros. VIP tickets are also available, with champagne lounge tickets for two people costing around 1,000 euros and tickets for the motor park’s VIP tower predicted to cost 1,500 euros per couple. For children aged three to ten years, tickets will be available for five euros per child. This will allow children free access into the ‘Kid Rock Garden’ where parents can explore the festival whilst childminders supervise the children.


Live Concerts
Forthcoming live concerts in Portugal include Elton John, Seal, Kylie Minogue and the Eagles, just to name a few.


Sport

Portugals Figo Officially Announces His Retirement
Portugal legend Luis Figo has announced his definitive retirement from the game. He played his final match on Sunday when the Italian champions entertained Atalanta at the San Siro. He also achieved great personal success, winning the world player of the year title in 2001, a year after he was given the Ballon dOr and he was named Portuguese player of the year six times. Figo, who married Swedish model Helen Svedin, earned a remarkable 127 caps for Portugal, scoring 32 goals while playing almost 800 club games.

Queiroz turns to Ronaldo to keep Portugals World Cup dream alive
Portuguese coach, Carlos Queiroz faces a must-win game as he prepares to take his Portugal side to Tirana to face Albania in a World Cup Qualifier with his job on the line. Portugal’s position in Group 1 is dire; they have recorded just one win and have a paltry six points to show from their five games. Albania visited Braga to take on Portugal last October and left with a 0-0 draw, despite playing over half of the match with 10 men after having a man sent off towards the end of the first half. The match will also be the first for Albania’s yet-to-be-named new manager after the resignation of former Dutch international Ari Haan last month.


The Algarve Motor Park

The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is one of the most modern and multi-functional race circuits in the world. It has been designed to be one of the best and most modern circuits in Europe and benefits from the best conditions of safety and comfort both for drivers and the public. There are an astounding 64 different possible layouts of the circuit, including those that have already been approved by the FIA for Formula 1 and by the FIM for Superbikes.


Events in the next few months include Le Mans Series, Superbike World Championship and Touring Car Champoinship.

Featured Property – Albufeira – Central Algarve – Fantastic Reductions!

Enviably located to the east if Albufeira these properties offer easy access to the best leisure facilities and amenities in the area as well as being within 10 minutes of the beach. These turn-key properties are built to the highest standard and boast a wonderful garden area with swimming pools and tennis court.

Last remaining one bedroom apartments reduced from €140,000 now available from €110,000 and two bedroom apartments at €180,000 reduced from €220,000.

Spain market rallying and Portugal catching up!

Here at Amazing Resorts, we want to stay abreast of the market. In a week where the main overseas news centres on Dubai and its alleged plunge in property value, we can report more interest than ever in Spain and Portugal.

Only days after launching a campaign for a top notch development in The Costa del Sol with discounts of up to 50%, we were inundated with calls and messages.

This trend then repeated itself when we launched two strong campaigns on Algarve developments. Both developers were offering our client exclusive advantages that involved discounts on one resort and guarenteed rental return or condo fees free for five years in the case of the second amazing resort.

So although the news is still pretty gloomy from some overseas destinations, we see that UK interest in the more established destinations is returning.

Distressed property sales!!

Bargain fever has struck the foreign real estate sector and Spain is coming top of every bargain hunter's list.

It seems paradoxical to be view anything that is "distressed" as positive. The term implies that there is an inherent need to move the property on or something bad will happen. Of course we all know that the bad thing is that the developer may go into liquidation or the bank may reposses the property.

So in this world of opportunities is all that glitters truly gold?

Of course it isn't. There is a big different between a developer with a short term cash flow problem and a developer going into liquidation.

In the first case might be a developer who places a limited number of units on the market with a discount so that he can turn them into cash to carry on trading normally. Usually he won't place his very best units on sale in this way and he won't negotiate much on the price either.

The second case might involve a developer desperately trying to shift his stock with all sorts of market trader tactics, discounts, promises of guaranteed exchange rates and so on. This in itself can lead to some very interesting opportunities but do ensure that the property is finished and with all licences and also ensure that a good number of units are already sold. The press and the web are full of horror stories about developments that are half sold and not maintained. Dead grass and green swimming pools is distressing, not distressed!

What about bank stock? There are two type of bank stock: Reposessed stock and stock from debt / equity swaps.

Repossessed stock is basically as it sounds. A developer can not maintain his payments to the bank and so they repossess stock he has not paid for. Invariably the developer is going to let the bank take his worst property. After all, if you had, say, five houses and could only pay the mortgage on our of them, would you let the best one go? Of course not. So we do not necessarily recommend repossessed stock as the best investment.

The second type of bank stock is MUCH more interesting. Debt equity swaps occur when a developer is behind on his loans and mortgages. The bank suggests settling some or all of the debt by selecting some of his stock to cancel the debt with. In this case the bank will choose what they most interests them, NOT what most interests the developer to give them. Amazing Resorts has exclusive access to some of the best debt / equity swaps on the Spanish and American market.

The bottom line? Contact Compass Amazing Resorts as soon as possible via info@amazingpropertyinspain.com and we will be happy to point you in the right direction for the best investments overseas.

Spain is the NEW Spain!

Ok, Spanish property may seem like it's been done to death. Many people said that it was over for the whole Costa real estate world, but Spain is quite possibly the New Spain, now.

Many industry players have commented on this, from the Financial Times to pre and post completion specialists such as Snagging Overseas(http://http//www.snaggingoverseas.com/2009/03/spain-is-new-spain.html).

The question we get asked at Amazing Resorts is if now is the time or not for investing in Spain. The real answer is something only you can know. We're not trying to be mystic or obtuse, but now is the time to get the best bargain in Spain. If you want a property that is good quality, well located, and fun to use, NOW is the time to get it.

At the end of the day, the value of a property is derived from what you can do with it. As a result we say buy in the Costa del Sol. There is no other place so well connected, with such good infrastructures and, above all, with such top quality property.

With more than 60 flights a day to Malaga airport, top notch restaurants and bars and the world famous Puerto Banus (Or Port of Abuse!) as many people call it.

You might want to enjoy a quiet Spanish meal in picturesque Mijas village or just stay properly British in Torremolinos and enjoy a pint with the football. the Costa del Sol has absolutely everything to offer you.