Fri, Feb 10 2012
Though Spain and Greece remain attractive destinations for Italians looking for property abroad, Southern Europe also emerged as a possible market.
Spain and Greece still offer good price to quality ratio, La Stampa newspaper reported.
Bulgaria and Romania were to see yet another property market boom, predictions of research institute Scenari Immobiliari showed.
Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia are the newly emerging markets for Italian property investors, La Stampa reported.
More experienced property investors preferred to explore these markets rather than the ones that already established themselves as hotspots.
Investors purchase smaller property at low prices. The real estate undergoes re-construction and is re-sold. Annual returns of such deals could reach up to 10 per cent.
Average market prices of homes in Sofia fell by one per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010, according to the Raiffeisen Real Estate Index, as quoted by Klasa daily.
Proportionately, the number of transactions in leva increased as people reacted to speculation that the euro would disappear.
Nearly all banks are ready to finance between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of the price of a home, provided it is a good building in a large city, Bulgarian daily says.
Property prices in Bulgaria were five to 10 per cent lower in 2011 than in 2010, while initial estimates for this year are that they will remain largely unchanged, with transactions remaining at ‘crisis levels’.
Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia ranks 17th, report says, quoting Global Property Guide.