Spain to offer residency with property purchases
By Andrew Batt:Foreigners who invest in Spanish property worth more than US$200,000 will be offered residency status as the beleaguered country attempts to boost sales of its unsold homes.Trade Ministry secretary Jaime Garcia-Legaz told reporters that the plan, which is expected to be approved in...
Continue Reading • 20 Nov 2012
Myanmar's tallest building taking shape
By Andrew Batt: Details of what will be Myanmar’s tallest building - a luxury residential development - have been announced.The Mandalay Golden Wings Construction Company has started work on a 34-storey apartment complex on land near Inya Lake that was the former home of the Industry...
Continue Reading • 16 Nov 2012
Ballymore debuts London's Linear Park
By Andrew Batt: Plans for the new Linear Park in London were unveiled at an event hosted by Ballymore and Camlins, the property developer and landscape architects behind the project.Set to open in 2014, Linear Park will run from Vauxhall station through the heart of Embassy Gardens and the...
Continue Reading • 12 Nov 2012
What Obama's win means for US property buyers
By Andrew Batt: America has voted and Barack Obama has won, but what will the vote mean for the increasing number of overseas property buyers and investors from Southeast Asia who are looking stateside?‘Don’t count on the election to boost housing’ screamed the headline...
Continue Reading • 7 Nov 2012
UK property prices decline
By Andrew Batt:Average house prices in the U.K. dipped by 1.2 percent in the three months to October according to the latest Halifax House Price Index.Commenting on the decline Halifax Economist Martin Ellis said: "Signs of a modest deterioration in the trend in house prices continued in...
Continue Reading • 7 Nov 2012
Fancy moo-ving to Uruguay
By Andrew Batt:Buyers of dairy farm in Uruguay which has just been released for sale will get some added extras – a total of 1,000 cows.Savills, together with Gateway to South America is offering for sale by private treaty the San Pedro Irrigated Dairy Farm, a 1042 hectare operational dairy...
Continue Reading • 6 Nov 2012
Cash buyers dominate London property market
By Andrew Batt:More than 87 percent of prime residential property purchases in London are being made in cash, according to a new market report published by EA Shaw.According to the report, 61 percent of purchases are being made for investment purposes, while transaction levels increased by 4...
Continue Reading • 6 Nov 2012
Indigo Park takes the LEED
By Andrew Batt:Kiawah Island in South Carolina, a residential resort community in the south east of the United States, is offering a unique residential real estate investment opportunity for those committed to sustainable and eco-conscious living. Indigo Park, a neighbourhood within...
Continue Reading • 1 Nov 2012
Asians snap up last units at One Hyde Park
By Andrew Batt:Buyers from Asia have purchased the last five units at the ultra-luxury One Hyde Park development in London – home of the most expensive apartment in the U.K. capital.These final sales mean buyers from China and Malaysia make up more than 30 percent of the total sales at the...
Continue Reading • 1 Nov 2012
Cemetery views attract strong interest
By Andrew Batt: In Southeast Asia a view overlooking a 200-year cemetery isn’t considered to be a strong selling point, but that’s not the case in other parts of the world.The famous Montmarte Cemetery in Paris' exclusive 18th Arrondissement is the resting place for impressionist...
Continue Reading • 29 Oct 2012
UK property rental rates recover in Q3
By Andrew Batt:The rental market in the United Kingdom appears to have recovered from what was a difficult start to 2012, according to residential property experts Move with Us. Their first Rental Index report covering Q3 2012 provides a comprehensive picture available of rental prices for the...
Continue Reading • 19 Oct 2012
UK house prices up and down
By Andrew Batt: Figures released by the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics yesterday showed that house prices are remaining buoyant despite continuing economic turmoil. But despite the latest encouraging figures, a closer examination of the data shows a somewhat different...
Continue Reading • 18 Oct 2012
Focus on sustainability at MIPIM Asia
By Andrew Batt: MIPIM Asia, the world's property market in Asia Pacific, is set to bring together the best of the best in the Asian Pacific real estate arena next month in Hong Kong. Organised by Reed MIDEM, a division of Reed Exhibitions, MIPIM Asia will take place on November 7-9, and showcase...
Continue Reading • 17 Oct 2012
Tropical island on the market
By Andrew Batt: If you have ever dreamed of owning a tropical island then your Nananu-i-cake, a freehold island with a smaller satellite isle, may be the answer to your dreams.Just released to the market for US$10million through Knight Frank’s Auckland office, the Island is approximately...
Continue Reading • 15 Oct 2012
New office caters to student property investors
By Romesh Navaratnarajah: A high-end student accommodation developer from the U.K. has become one of the first companies to open an office in Southeast Asia to specifically cater to the increasing number of student accommodation buyers in the region. With its new branch in Singapore, Vita Student...
Continue Reading • 15 Oct 2012
Yangon property prices rise steeply
By Andrew Batt:Prime property prices in Rangoon, Myanmar, have skyrocketed 39 percent during the first nine months of this year, according to a survey by an investment bank in Rangoon.Speculators have pushing up prices of prime residential, office and factory space according to the Silk Road...
Continue Reading • 15 Oct 2012
Bangkok show cancelled after Singapore sell-out success
EXCLUSIVE: By Andrew Batt:Popular London property developer Ballymore has postponed a planned property showcase in Bangkok because of better-than-expected sales in Singapore.A total of 28 units at the Embassy Gardens project were snapped up by property buyers and investors in the city state last...
Continue Reading • 3 Oct 2012
Asians responsible for 20% of London commercial deals
By Andrew Batt:London’s transparency, relatively long leases and high yield spread above the risk free rate, makes it the most popular city globally for investors seeking to diversify away from their home markets. The city witnessed a 30 percent increase in cross-border investment as...
Continue Reading • 26 Sep 2012
British buyers prefer new property
By Andrew Batt: More than three quarters of British house-hunters prefer to buy a brand new home rather than renting or buying a second hand property.A survey by Barratt Homes, the U.K.'s leading homebuilder, revealed that 79 per cent of house-hunters would prefer to buy new – a 27 percent...
Continue Reading • 21 Sep 2012
Student accommodation buyers beware
By Andrew Batt:EXCLUSIVE: They’ve been selling like hot cakes throughout Southeast Asia this year, but concerns are now being raised about the long-term viability of U.K. student accommodation property investments.No official records exist for the number of buyers from this part of the...
Continue Reading • 20 Sep 2012