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Istanbul is a truly diverse city. I would describe it as a real crossroads of culture, east meets west so to speak. The property market in Istanbul offers something, I feel that is unique. Within any emerging market, however you always experience growing pains, whether it is quality, pricing disparity and I am sure Istanbul will be no exception.

Istanbul property should be considered  for an investors international portfolio, given the sheer scale of foreign direct investment from multinational corporates and the future admission into the European Union. This is usually a fairly good indicator of a strong emerging market and definitely contributes to property prices.

Amazingly over the past year, the Turkish Statistical Institute recorded a 16% increase…

As an international real estate professional I am constantly being asked if off-plan constructions are safe given the current economic climate. My answer is always the same, make sure your lawyer checks the financial health of the developer, the current permits and ensure you have a valid bank guarantee in place. There can be building delays in  off-plan projects, purely because there are often  dynamics out of the developers control such as adverse weather, sub contractor issues etc.

If you feel nervous about this the other option is to buy something that has been built. You will still need to hire a lawyer to oversee the purchase, but you will be able to evaluate exactly what you are buying. .

I have included the Portoada Park Calabria property…

There is yet another interesting release within the Calabria property market, that  has literally just been launched.  I have added Aeolian Point to our current portfolio, as unlike most projects on offer in Southern Italy this can really boast the accolade "boutique" as there are only 6 units in the entire development.

The aspect of this project looks directly across Tropea Marina over to the Aeolian Islands.

There is also news of architects AKA from Rome winning a competition to develop a project on the former Italcitrus site with their futuristic entry aptly entitled "Digital Origami". This will  create yet another iconic devlopment to complement the Reggio landscape.

As you can see from my previous posts on this blog over the next five years this…

There have been a number of awful press articles in the UK  about several projects within the region. This is sad, but in many cases totally understandable.

There are so many issues that could have been communicated by developers through Blogs, Forums etc. Given the amazing platforms available,  there need never be a lack of information for buyer, seller, agent or developer. Instead, clients are left to speculate about the situation and start getting nervous about what is going on, this is directly related to the slow timescale in which important facts are delivered.

Giving clear, truthful insight about how a project is progressing and answering client questions honestly and concisely is key to providing high quality service in an extremely competitive…

What makes a good property investment?

The broadness of this question makes it  a little difficult to answer, but this is something that I am frequently asked.  Each individual has a unique set of circumstances therefore a "one size fits all" approach is not possible to employ.

I have been doing some serious research into Istanbul property for some time and have come to the conclusion that over the mid term this city ,that is the crossroads of four continents, has great potential.

Although European Union membership is still some time away there is plenty of solid empirical evidence that believes Istanbul has much to offer both economically and in terms of its property market. PriceWaterhouseCooper named the region as a top investment hotspot, explaining…

The International Real Estate business is a challenging place to be in right now, economic uncertainty, concern about exactly how long this downturn will continue etc.

This is also a time of incredible opportunity,  those of us who are prepared to be bold  could end up with a great long term investment or a holiday home at a significantly lower price.  It is important you examine each deal carefully, research into any market is key and the Web provides everyone with previously never seen before tools to assist you when you evaluate each deal.

Information is readily available and can be used as a segment of your "due diligence" process.

My company has been presented with something within a 5 star development in Bodrum, Turkey that represents great value…

Some of you who have purchased a Calabria property did so for pure investment purposes and will now be looking to realise the capital growth you have achieved.

Where do you start?

There are a number of avenues you can try in order to get maximum exposure for your property, both online and offline. I will give you a few pointers on my REW Blog  that will hopefully assist you.

Firstly, see what  companies appear highest in the search engines for the area your property is in, then you should enter into the site and see how easy it is to navigate, imagine you are a buyer?

How clear are the photos on the site?

How easy is it to register your interest?

If you advertise your property on a portal that isn´t easy to use the results will reflect that. Also be…

The town of Tropea has been mentioned in this Blog and in my opinion, rightly so. The absolute stunning scenery and perfect beaches within this area are reason enough, however when you add the rustic charm of the old town of Tropea it is hard to find anything comparable in Southern Europe.

After much negotiation we have sourced some excellent property in Tropea, looking beyond the town itself and across the bay. Close to completion these beautiful properties will be ideal for rental, particularly with so much worldwide attention Calabria will receive after the amazing suspension bridge and Reguim waterfront museum is complete.