A Spanish airline has announced that it is to extend its range of services to Scotland next year.

Clickair stated that following a successful trial run of flights between Barcelona and Edinburgh, it will open up new routes to business and leisure travellers.

Although the move is primarily designed to encourage Spaniards to take holidays in Spain, the new services are likely to have the reverse effect as well, potentially adding to the country’s appeal among overseas property investors.

Alex Cruz, founder of Clickair, commented: "We were taken aback by the great response to this particular route. It has definitely caught our attention."

The new Edinburgh to Barcelona service will begin operating four times a week before the end of the year, although this is expected to increase to a daily route in 2008.

Meanwhile, Clickair stated that it was considering introducing another flight to Spain from Glasgow International Airport.

14 per cent of those who were thinking of buying second homes, flats, villas… abroad had considered the Spanish market.

Take it easy guys!

The 2020 summit held by the Prime Minister last weekend debated Australia’s future economic and social directions, including social and community housing and affordability.

We need more public funding for housing saying only about 6% of the nation’s housing is publicly provided compared to a much higher level in other countries. Given this low level of public housing, the increasing rates of homelessness and historically low rental vacancy rates there is obviously a need for the Government to take action.

And with the historically high revenues from stamp duties in the states, that 0.5% of the sale price of every flats should go into a national foundation to contribute to public and social housing and to deal with homelessness. On a median-priced Melbourne house this would be about $2500.

Cheers!

DUBAI: An India-centric real estate fund by Cordea Nichani, a joint venture between British property fund manager Cordea Savills and India’s Nichani Holdings, has been launched in Oman to tap into the Gulf nation’s market.

The fund has been launched to tap into the Oman market and also give investment opportunities to the large NRI (non-resident Indian) community here.

There are around 500,000 expatriate Indians in Oman. Besides, Omani businesses are also very keen to invest in India’s infrastructure sector. Called ‘Cordea-Nichani Indian Opportunities No 1′, the fund is primarily intended to be invested in an information technology-focussed special economic zone (SEZ) near Bangalore and a few prestigious real estate projects in south India.

Cordea Nichani is looking to raise around $30-40 mn from Omani institutional investors as well as big corporate houses and flats and government pension funds, according to a statement issued by the Indian embassy in Oman. The joint venture expects to secure returns in the range of 25 per cent on investments over a six-year timeframe.

Keep goin´mates!

Spain is one of the most popular destinations for overseas property buyers, according to experts.

Barclays stated that consumers were increasingly showing interest in entering the Spanish market, while Italy was also named as a highly sought-after destination.

The firm highlighted many of the benefits of owning property in these countries, such as using it as a holiday home and lending it out to friends and relatives.

Research by Barclays found that two-fifths of Britons had taken a holiday at a flat or house abroad that was owned by someone they knew.

Brits are realising the savings that can be made on holidays by purchasing property abroad such as flats or houses.

The overseas property market was "flourishing" and that buying abroad was now "easier than ever before".

Earlier this month, author and real estate expert Brittney Jackline said the Spanish property market was "booming" and experiencing very high demand from overseas investors.

Cheers mates! Take it easy.

The town of Muro de Alcoy has come top of a list of the most popular investment spots in Spain.

The town, situated in the province of Alicante, was the favourite option among overseas buyers entering the Spanish market.

This was largely attributed to the ease of getting to the area, as budget airlines travelled to the airport in the region, which is less than hour away from the town itself.

The difference between being the number one destination in Spain and number four is keeping the journey time to and from the airport under an hour.

In addition, the warm weather for 12 months of the year was said to be an attractive feature of Muro de Alcoy, along with its relatively low flats prices.

The town came ahead of other places including Adra in Almeria and Tortosa, located in the province of Tarragona.

The average property value in Spain has risen by 100 per cent since 2002, beating the continent-wide average of 40 per cent.

Cheers buddies!

Overseas property investors have been advised that Spain offers a wide choice of homes at affordable prices.

Spain was ideal for different types of buyers, such as those purchasing a holiday home and people who wanted an investment property.

He highlighted many of the attractions of the Spanish flats market, such as its good climate for 12 months of the year and outstanding natural beauty.

In addition, he said that Spain also had much to recommend it to city dwellers, as its major urban settlements were some of the most "sophisticated" cities in the world.

Although the vast majority of tourists and residents come to Spain to laze about on the beach, there’s much more to the country than the coastal resorts and island entertainment.

This comes after Spain was recently praised by UK newspaper the Telegraph, which said that it had become a "lifestyle destination" for British property buyers.

Investin’ style!

People planning to invest in Spanish property have been advised to pick a home or several flats in a viable location.

Overseas investors also needed to consider other issues including how near the property was to important amenities, such as shops and hospitals.

Spain has a number of unique locations to choose from and the investor/buyer will have a variety of option to consider before finally investing.

The Spanish property market was currently "booming" and experiencing very high demand from overseas investors.

We can attribute this to the country’s global international prominence in the sporting world, as next year’s European Grand Prix is being staged in Valencia, therefore raising the profile of the area.

Earlier this week, estate agent Brad Johnston also highlighted strong demand for Spanish property, adding that up to five million Europeans could move to the country in the next five years.

Wicked! cheers mates, please leave your comment!!!