Latest property news
Read the latest property news from all around the world from our expert writers located all over the world. Get the latest on buying, travel, emigration, retirement and much more. Whether you are buying a sunny property to spend your summers, or making a big move abroad you will find everything you need to know here.
As of 2023, Spain has 629 Blue Flag beaches!
As of 2023, 629 beaches in Spain have been awarded a Blue Flag. From snorkelling to water skiing, find out how to get maximum enjoyment from Spain’s beautiful beaches.Read more...
More Good News for Portugal’s Healthy Property Market
Once again, figures from Portugal’s property market paint a positive picture for home owners and investors alike. It seems like an awfully long time since there was any bad news about Portugal’s property market. This feeling is confirmed by figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) that show that house prices in the country have now been rising for 19 consecutive months.Read more...
Portugal Weather: Record Breaking Heat
Portugal has just had its second hottest July on record. While tourists enjoy the sun, sea and sand, firefighters are hard at work contending with forest fires brought on by the heat. Many people move to Portugal (or visit there) to enjoy the fantastic climate. These people won’t be disappointed this year, with figures showing July has been the second hottest on record.Read more...
The climate, beaches and lifestyle in the Languedoc region
The Languedoc Roussillon lies down in the true South of France, sharing many geographical aspects with its more expensive sister region, Provence. It is mainly a wine growing area – actually the largest in the world – but has so much else to offer: hundreds of kilometres of sandy beaches, historical Cathar monuments, hiking trails, rivers, mountains, skiing, proximity to Spain. Living here, one of the first things that expats are struck by is the wonderful golden light of the sun. They say there are 320 days of sunshine here; although it is a seasonal climate and can get quite cold in tRead more...
How Spain is viewing Brexit
The continuing ripple effect from Britain’s vote to leave the EU stretches ever deeper, with uncertain times for many British people in Spain and elsewhere.Read more...
Rome’s first female Mayor
Germany has Angela Merkel, the UK has Theresa May, but what about Italy? Are the Italian people ready to put a woman in a position of power? Given the opportunity, maybe so. In June, the Five Star Movement (M5S) made significant victories in local elections, with women achieving the positions of Mayor in Rome and Turin. Turin is known as the home of Italy’s automotive industry, although much of Fiat’s production has now left Italy for cheaper locations. For 16 years, it was a core Democratic Party constituency, and previous Mayors have attempted to turn it into a tourist area. Rome, the countrRead more...
Spotlight on the South: The rich and exciting history of the Cathars
When driving around the winding mountain roads and rugged countryside of the Languedoc Roussillon, you cannot help but notice the extraordinary ruined monument, built by the Cathars The Cathars were followers of a rival church in early medieval times, who dismissed the riches and ceremony of the Catholic church in favour of purity and equality. Catholics at the time named the Cathars as nothing short of heretics.Read more...
One Million Bank Accounts Closed by Spanish Banks
Bank accounts in Spain are being closed down. What do you have to do to make sure this doesn’t happen to you? Spanish banks have closed up to one million bank accounts. This sounds dramatic and some believe impossible, but the banks are required under the Law to do so. In order to restrict money laundering, all banks in Spain were required to obtain photocopies of identity cards or passports of each and every customer by the end of 2015.Read more...
The main effects of Brexit on UK property owners in France
Most expats woke up on the morning of June 24th to something of a shock: even though the polls showed that the EU referendum vote was going to be a close run thing, deep down most of us thought that we would remain in the EU. France Property Guide considers the impact of this decision on the 320,000 or so expats in France and on future buyers in France. There were 28 member states in the EU, France being one of them. This number will be decreasing to 27 when the much-discussed Brexit eventually takes place.Read more...
What Brexit Means for Expats in Portugal: The Latest
With headline news regarding “Brexit” slowing down a little, one would be forgiven for describing the current state of affairs as something of an anti-climax. However, there’s still a new reality on the way for expats in Portugal, which we explore in this article. Truly fleshed out details of the realities of “Brexit” in the aftermath of the UK’s “out” vote remain rather thin on the ground. News headlines in the past couple of weeks have been dominated by the “short and sharp” Tory leadership contest, followed by the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister. The disarray in the oppositionRead more...
Summer Events in Italy
Summer in Italy is full of festivals, concerts, processions and great food. So, join in with the locals and immerse yourself in the tradition and culture. An Italian summer is full of local events, usually involving food and music in the town Piazzas. Be prepared to stay up late to fully enjoy these events which are primarily organised for the locals, who won’t consider coming out until after 9pm, when they eat and take a walk in the cooler evening air. Most of the events have developed from many years of tradition, only to be discovered relatively recently by tourists. Here are five of the biRead more...