Turkey continues to buck global trends with GDP growth rates of 12% recorded for Q1 2010, domestic banks increasing the availability of credit by up to 30% and now levels of foreign direct investment in Istanbul are up by 27% according to the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO).

Turkey’s second city and economic powerhouse, Istanbul, has become a honey pot for international investors with the number of foreign investors planning to establish businesses or expand their operations in Istanbul up by over 6% in the first half of 2010 (compared to the second half of 2009). The ITO released data also revealed a 27.16% increase in the total value of these investments for the same period.  Read more... (395 words, 1 image, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

French property is rapidly becoming the place to buy in Europe again for overseas property investors. During the boom years, many property investors took mortgages out on homes in their own countries to purchase property abroad however with the recent economic shakiness, overseas property purchases dwindled.

However many investors are now looking to buy again although many are looking to buy properties in established markets which appear to be relatively stable – and France, with it’s fairly stable property market and solid financial system appears to be heading up the list.  Read more... (313 words, 1 image, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

FOC Sales & Marketing has now re-branded as The Fractional Group in order to take the FOC model deeper into Europe and across the world.

Based in new, luxury offices in Marbella, Spain and within FOC’s headquarters in Guernsey in the Channel Islands, The Fractional Group is the most comprehensive “one-stop shop” for shared ownership. Its team of real estateand investment professionals handle general questions, sales, financing, management, marketing and even furnishing issues.

The Fractional Ownership Consultancy (FOC) is the UK authority on shared ownership. For over nine years FOC has led the way in providing developers with the legal and administrative framework for selling and managing the most successful shared ownership products in Europe.  Read more... (392 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Foreign property investors in Greece should be aware of a new programme of registering real estate in Greece which began at the start of the week.

Greece is currently just one of two countries in Europe that does not have a land register and Public Works and Environment Minister Giorgos Souglias has announced a new process for listing millions of unregistered properties around Greece. The new process is expected to see around three million Greeks declaring their properties for inclusion in the first comprehensive land register compiled for the country.  Read more... (218 words, estimated 52 secs reading time)

In January 2008, 14 Mediterranean countries signed up to an agreement where they pledged to stop building less than 100 metres from the coastline. The countries who signed up to the treaty were Algeria, Croatia, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Syria and Tunisia, with Turkey, Lebanon, Libya, Cyprus, Bosnia and Egypt all expected to sign the agreement later this year.

It is believed that around 40% of the Mediterranean coast is cluttered with buildings and infrastructure and unless something is done, it is estimated that over 50% of coastline will be built on in the next few years.  Read more... (245 words, estimated 59 secs reading time)

Greece is a popular tourist and investor destination, however the is surprisingly still a lot of potential in the property market. Membership of the EU has helped to strengthen the economy and they now have a foreign policy that is geared towards the acceptance of outside investors. The country’s tourist trade is booming – around 15% of their economy is tied in to the tourist trade – and this makes it a good opportunity for foreign property investors.  Read more... (447 words, estimated 1:47 mins reading time)

Albania has a mix of terrain including mountains, coastline and hills. The country boasts some spectacular scenery, similar to that of it’s neighbour Greece, with ancient ruins, vast olive groves, a fantastic climate and beautiful coastline. Although it has a slightly chequered history it is now a stable country with an emerging democracy and is hoping to join the EU in the near future. Despite all this, Albania remains one of the poorest nations in Europe although it’s economy is improving slowly.  Read more... (339 words, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)