Calabrian Property to Benefit from Increasing Private Rentals

Savills have just released data from the largest ever survey of British overseas holiday home owners to the Daily Telegraph.

For us the most important finding is that bookings for privately rented properties increased in 2009 compared to 2008. Because 2009 was still a depressed year for international travel, this can be interpreted as proof that more people are putting together their own package holidays using the internet.

This is great news for the Calabria property market, which has huge potential as a holiday home destination. Calabria is one of the most beautiful coastal regions in the world, but it is relatively undeveloped.

Sloping upwards from the sea almost all properties have sea-views, and with Spain as a clear example of the damage over-development can do, Calabria is set to become one of the world’s top tourism spots for a peaceful break by the sea.

Because the tourism market is developing at the same time as the overseas property market, practically all the tourism accommodation inventory is/will be privately owned. This presents a great opportunity for Calabria property owners.

Want to be one of them? View Calabria property for sale

Reasons to Support Buying Calabria Property Sooner Rather than Later

Currently, there are two factors that are making overseas property investment in Calabria property less bright than it used to be:

1. The British Pound is currently very weak against the Euro, which means that Calabria property looks more expensive that it did in 2006.
2. British people are staying at home for their holidays, both because of the weak Pound, but also because of the recession.

However, if you look at it a different way, these are actually reasons to support buying Calabria property sooner rather than later.

Firstly: The fact that Brits are staying at home now is not a reflection on their reduced desire to go abroad, simply on their reduced ability to afford it. This means that when the UK economy recovers, which will cause a recovery in Sterling’s value also, there will be a surge in British tourism abroad. Calabria will be a favourite destination to avoid overcrowded beaches. This will be happening sooner than you might think; there are clear signs that the UK recovery is already underway. see: http://www.write-about-property.com/articles/?tag=uk+economy.

Secondly: Sterling can only go up from here, and so the fact that it is currently weak doesn’t make any difference to an off plan purchase. Off plan property is bought with stage payments, so the first one might cost you more because of a weak Pound, but as Sterling strengthens you will still benefit. Currently most Calabria property for sale is off plan.

And finally: there is currently some opportunities to buy off plan property in Calabria fairly cheaply, including apartments in Calabria for under 50,000 Euros. These will not always be off plan and will be a lot more expensive when completed.

Calabria Property Market to Benefit from Buyers Returning to Italy

Italy has been named as one of the five most popular countries with the Brits currently buying overseas property.

This is according to new data from UK broker of overseas mortgages Conti.com, which showed that the current overseas property buyers are clearly favouring the established market over any emerging market.

This has been put down to people's risk aversion after so many lost their money when the downturn struck, but you can't ignore the fact that most of the people currently buying overseas property tend to be equity rich lifestyle buyers with substantial down payments.

Lifestyle buyers have always favoured the established markets in short-haul Europe because it is more readily and affordably accessible to make full use of for all the family, i.e. you can book a cheap flight and head over to southern Italy for a long-weekend.

This just wouldn't be practical for long-haul destinations, neither in terms of the price of the flights, and the time spent actually enjoying yourself, not to mention jet-lag.

Thus, the fact that British lifestyle buyers are back out there and buying overseas property is always going to be good news for the Italian property market and those throughout Europe. Calabria, the hot new emerging market will benefit from this.

This is because it offers the cheapest property in Italy -- if not all the established markets -- with beach-front apartments for sale in Calabria being for well under £100k. But the main reason is: the properties that were being sold off plan when Calabria became popular in 2007 are now being sold as key-ready.

Calabria Property Bargains to be found

There are some bargains to be found in the Calabrian property market if you know where to look, it has been revealed.

According to a press release issued today, the cheapest apartments for sale in Calabria now start from £41,000. Previously the cheapest apartments in Calabria started from £50k. The press release also contained details of some 2 bedroom 2 bathroom villas priced from £97,000.

Calabrian property has not seen the same price drops as elsewhere in the developed world. This is because the internationally marketed properties are predominantly off plan, and the developers are in no way reliant on off plan sales to complete the developments, Calabrian Property.com said.

The company acknowledged the fact that off plan property's reputation has been marred by instances of developments being cancelled, mentioning Dubai where the problem was particularly prominent. But, they said, if you do your research, including at least one trip to the country and to the development, the risk can be minimised.

The unspoilt and under-developed nature of Calabria is sure to see it regain its position as a growingly popular tourism destination in the short and especially the long term. Taking advantage of the bargain off plan properties currently available could prove to be an incredibly shrewd decision down the line.