If you are on the lookout for a cheap ski property, Austria could be the place for you. Cheaper than France and Switzerland, the Austrian Alps has plenty of good ski properties to choose from. And with Austria relaxing some of the restrictions on buying foreign propertys, now is the time to buy.

Austrian skiing property is weathering the current global financial problems well, with a property market that continues to be relatively stable. Add the fact that you tend to get far more for your money in Austria than either France or Switzerland, and it’s no wonder that buying foreign propertys are flocking to the country.  Read more... (379 words, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

Elderly Italian property owners are increasingly turning to a form of property sale known as a ‘nude sale’ to help them through the worst recession since 1975.

Nude sales are when an elderly person sells their family home, normally to a stranger and at a significant discount, on the condition that they are permitted to live in the property until they die. The purchaser also normally pays cash for the property. These sorts of property sales are known as ‘nude sales’ because the property owner is totally stripped of ownership of the house.  Read more... (412 words, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

The latest property figures from Romania have shown that sales of real estate have dropped by 27 percent in January compared to the same period last year.

According to the Balkans Business News, 17,302 property transactions occurred during January 2009 compared to 23,778 in January 2008 – a drop of 27.3 percent. Taking into account January 2007 figures which show 30,474 real estate deals going through, the picture is even worse with a fall of just over 43 percent.  Read more... (192 words, estimated 46 secs reading time)

Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Agency (Rera) has announced that new property developers in the country will no longer be allowed to sell off-plan properties without paying one hundred percent of the land price. New developers will also be obliged to use a part of a project’s value to get construction under way as well as linking payments to construction. These new regulations are set for introduction in March 2009.

A new ‘cool off’ law is also set to be introduced. This law will give property investors a 15 day window in which to decide whether to commit to a contract on a property or not.