The Balkan nation of Albania was relatively unknown a couple of years ago and if mentioned, it was most certainly not as a holiday destination. But things are changing rapidly with this enigma of a country repeatedly hitting the travel headlines these days for all the right reasons.

In 2011 the auspicious Lonely Planet guide put Albania in at #1 in their ‘Best in Travel for 2011′ list. Shortly after, London’s very own global business newspaper, The Financial Times dubbed Albania one of the year’s most intriguing prospects for emerging travel.  Read more... (503 words, 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

When thinking about investing in ski property, the US is probably not the first place that comes to mind. Most often, property investors think more towards the French Alps. However places such as Colorado offer equally good opportunities to those wishing to purchase a ski property investment.

One of the major attractions of purchasing a skiing property in the US rather than Europe is the cost. Since the global recession, US property has tanked and has yet to fully recover. This means that there are more opportunities for investors at both ends of the scale – budget ski properties and luxury skiing properties. Estate agents in Colorado have said that some properties have seen price drops of up to 35pc since their highest point and this has piqued the interest of increasing numbers of international property buyers.  Read more... (357 words, 1 image, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

China’s property market has been booming in recent months and years and this has led to property prices increasing too. In fact, in the major cities in China, property prices are said to have increased at least fivefold over the last decade. However property investors are warning that the property price increases are unsustainable and many are holding back from buying any new real estate in the country.

According to some reports, some developers are now offering discounts of up to 35% on new properties. This has led to some discord as previous investors have paid much higher prices and have not been able to benefit from these new buyer discounts.  Read more... (306 words, estimated 1:13 mins reading time)

Forget Spain, France, Florida and the other usual suspects of overseas property, this time it was the turn of Thailand to take the top spot in TheMoveChannel.com’s monthly Investment Watch.

The report, which charts the level of interest in the overseas property portal’s listings, saw a condo in Pattaya attract the most enquiries In October. What was it about the luxury Thailand apartment that triggered such a torrent of attention?  Read more... (441 words, 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Travel guide Frommer’s has declared the Albanian Riviera as the Top Value Destination for 2012 according to its editors, authors, and experts from around the world.

Unveiling their list of top travel destinations for next year, the experts at Frommer’s also polled readers to find out where they wanted to visit in 2012 with the beautiful Albanian Riviera emerging as a winner.

The list which included something for everyone, from large cities, to quiet beach towns and riverside homes highlighted Albania as having all the natural attractions of its Croatian counterpart in the north but without the large crowds and high prices.  Read more... (339 words, 1 image, estimated 1:21 mins reading time)

With all-time record numbers of tourists visiting Spain, seeing 7.64 million foreign visitors in August alone, a 9.4% increase over the same month in 2010, it seems that the third quarter of 2011 has been a bumper period for Spain, with Spanish property prices rising in certain locations.

Statistics from Kyero.com, Spain’s largest English language property portal, for Q3 2011 show that the national average asking price for property in Spain increased to €266,100 in September compared to €263,000 back in June this year, suggesting a shortage of quality properties in the most popular regions.  Read more... (570 words, 1 image, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)

The Spanish province of Murcia in the south-east of Spain is proving to be a popular choice for overseas property investors.

According to TheMoveChannel, Murcia was one of the most searched for locations for Spanish property in August 2011 – with La Manga, Caragena and Mar Menor being the areas with the most interest.  Read more... (325 words, 1 image, estimated 1:18 mins reading time)