international property Country guides

When you are buying abroad, whether you are buying a villa or apartment for investment purposes or as a holiday home, you will need to find out more about the area that you are buying property in. Take a look at some of the articles below on various locations abroad that are popular for buying second homes.

An introduction

Remember the days when it was only millionaires that could afford a bolthole in the sun? Well how times change. Britons have always had a keen interest in bricks and mortar but now there’s a new passion: owning a home overseas.

Spain

Since the 1970s first brought us the delights of the package holiday and alerted droves of sun-seekers to its charms, Spain has been our most popular holiday destination and this is reflected in the numbers of us buying there...

Bulgaria

It seems hard to believe that it is only four years since Bulgaria first came onto the radar as a location in which British people might want to buy property. At the time it seemed a rather extraordinary idea...

Cyprus

Cyprus has been one of the stars of the overseas property market in recent years. Over 60,000 Brits own property there, making it the third most popular choice behind Spain and France.

Dubai

Dubai is the world’s boom town of the early 21st century, a former sleepy trading post and fishing village on the Arabian Gulf that embarked on one of the biggest construction and development programmes ever known.

Italy

Few overseas destinations have the allure of Italy. Conjuring up images of rolling hills, perfectly preserved medieval hilltop towns and delicious food and wine, who could fail to fall for its charms?

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa was at the head of the queue when they handed out geographical treats. The Rainbow Nation covers 470,693 miles of stunning natural beauty from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans, from top-drawer safari parks to lofty mountain ranges and from the coast to the veld...

Switzerland

Two distinct groups are attracted to buy property in Switzerland: the rich, who see it as a low-tax haven in one of the most stable countries in the world; and skiers looking for a chalet or apartment in Europe's premier mountain range.

Turkey

Turkey is in a unique position on the cusp of Europe, both geographically and politically. Physically, most of the country is in Asia, but Turkey aspires to become a fully-fledged part of the Europe Union and launched accession negotiations in 2005 that are expected to take 10 years.

France

Why buy in France? It has been estimated that more than 150,000 Brits live permanently on the other side of the English Channel, while another half a million of us have holiday homes there. The reasons aren't hard to find.

France - Rhône-Alpes

A huge region that stretches between Burgundy in the north and Provence in the south, Rhône-Alpes includes the cities of Lyon, Chambery, St Etienne and Grenoble, the remote area of the Ardeche, as well as the plum parts of the French Alps.

France - Midi Pyrenees

Midi Pyrenees is the region of south-west France that sits immediately above the Pyrenees and Andorra, and is dominated by Toulouse at its centre. It is the largest region in France – bigger than Denmark or Holland – but does not include any coastline.

France - Languedoc-Rousillon

If Provence accounts for half of France's Mediterranean coastline, Languedoc-Roussillon has the other, less celebrated half. It may not be the first choice playground of the rich and famous...

Portugal

Portugal may be a small country, but it packs a mighty punch. Its varied scenery, from the wide, sandy beaches of the Algarve to the green, mountainous Minho and its affordable, healthy lifestyle based around fresh seafood and local wine have enticed tourists since the 1960s...

USA - California
It's the Golden State. America's east coast often feels familiar to Europeans, but the west coast has a quite different feel. Southern California has a climate that is hard to beat; and some of the most glitzy addresses...

USA - Florida
It's eight hours away; it has a Caribbean climate with a first-world economy and infrastructure; and it attracts some 76m tourists a year. Property that would be considered...

USA - New York
It's been called the City that Never Sleeps, the Capital of the World, and of course, The Big Apple, but as well as being one of the most exciting and dynamic cities in the world, New York probably has a greater obsession with...