| Exclusive Estates Marbella
can't tell you that Spanish property is guaranteed to rise 20% in value every
year even though there are some agents who will not hesitate to do so! Any
property expert who purports to have a crystal ball that gives sure signs regarding
investment trends or predictions of economic growth or decline should be treated
with extreme caution. What we can do is give you sincere and sensible pointers
based on our expertise and knowledge combined with our common sense and gut feeling
for the market. The disastrous decline in the Stock Market is a worldwide,
not just a UK, phenomenon. The FTSE 100 Index is already 48% below its peak; with
many analysts believing it has further to fall. The property market, however,
is always a fairly solid bet and not nearly as volatile.
So why the Spanish market? With the UK market reaching its peak, investors
have to look elsewhere for the sort of double-digit annual percentage value leaps
seen three years ago. One still blatantly healthy and sustainable market is the
popular area of the Costa del Sol in Spain. House prices have risen by 25% year-on-year
near Malaga, compared with 17% in Catalonia and only 8% in the Canaries (figures
taken from Malaga town hall) with the predicted forecast for the Costa del Sol
looking extremely promising for the foreseeable future. Why
does the market look so promising? Regardless of economic ups and downs
there is one single unchanging factor that no expert could begin to dispute. The
weather is without question the best in Europe. Northern Europe's dismal and dreary
climate is not going to change. Meanwhile Spain basks in sunshine and blue skies
virtually all year, with an average of 320 days of sunshine and the average year-round
temperature held at 21 degrees Celsius. Perfect for Golf, beach, pool, al fresco
dining or an evening walk past the local Puerto. With a sharp increase
in air traffic and cheaper travel from the low-budget carriers the Spanish coast
can only enjoy the benefit of growth. Flights from the United Kingdom take as
little as 2 and half hours and Malaga airport is also set to double in capacity
by the year 2007. The travel time by car from Malaga to Marbella is approximately
30 mins. The whole coast is well known as a safe and secure area with a
sophisticated and cosmopolitan environment that benefits from facilities and amenities,
such as world-class shopping centres and numerous tourist attractions incorporating
both natural beauty spots and man made attractions. There are no longer
barriers to living and working in Spain and rather than people buying holiday
homes the population is starting to migrate on a wholesale basis. It is due to
genuine career and business opportunities that has lead to this migration of a
diverse population influx to the area. It is predicted that 800,000 families
from the UK and from Germany will purchase property in spain over the next five
years. It is also predicted that the 12.6 billion Euros generated from the tourism
industry will rise in excess of 8%. | 
