P544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:17:11 ] ————————— ——————— ———————————— BUYING A PROPERTY ABROAD Many people dream of owning a property abroad. In the past 20 years, many have made that dream conj true. Buying a home in the US is said to bj one of the three most stressful experiences, along with divorce and death. So what can it bj like buying a home abroad? We ask experts about five different countries — France, Spain, Italy, Greece and the Caribbean. ——————————————————————————————————1/8—— by Hilaire Gomjr IN DISPUTE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOUR? TELETEXT LEGAL LINE CAN HELP p215 Mortgages Savings Borrowing CityP544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:47:11 ————————— ——————— ———————————— BUYING A HOME ABROAD — FRANCE Josephine Howard of Knight Frank says buying a property in France takes much longer than buying in Britain — three months or more — and longer to sell. Sarah Francis of agents Sifex says prices have soared this year in popular areas, such as Provence, Gascony and Dordognj. "You can't get much undjt £100,000 now," she warns. "But Normandy and Brittany are still a lot more possible," she says. ——————————————————————————————————2/8—— Home loan "best buys" 545 MILLENNIUM MESSAGES ON TELETEXT SEE ITV p530 Mortgages Savings Borrowing CityP544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:11:17 ————————— ——————— ———————————— BUYING A HOME ABROAD — SPAIN Naomi Greatbanks of property agents Knight Frank says buying a home in Spain and Portugal is simple, providing you find a good local lawyer and the seller's paperwork is in order. "It takes about a month. Provided it's a good property, growth has been about 10% a year with roughly 20% for Majorca," she adds. "Selling" she adds, "can take time. To buy abroad has a lot to do with whim." ——————————————————————————————————3/8—— Are you a Premium Bond winner? 549 MONEY-SAVING OFFERS ON CENTRAL HEATING FROM BRITISH GAS ITV p357 Mortgages Savings Borrowing CityP544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:11:11 ————————— ——————— ———————————— BUYING A HOME ABROAD — ITALY Knight Frank's Josephine Howard advises steering away from properties with complicated legal structures. She stresses the importance of hiring a good local lawyer. Italian agents, she says, do not have a good reputation partly bjcausj some charge a commission from the buzjr, as well as the seller. She says: "Tuscany is a prime area, but houses are a lot less dear in Umbria." ——————————————————————————————————4/8—— Are you a Premim Bond winner? 52: INSHORE FORECAST IS NOW ON p158P544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:15:11 ————————— ——————— ———————————— BUYING A HOME ABROAD — GREECE Greece is a truly romantic choice but a challenge to all but the most determined. It is significant that major property firms such as Knight Frank, Savjlls and Hamptons have no residential presence in Greece. The Greek Embassy will put you in touch with local agents. Famous isles are expensive, but more obsuri places are more affordable. ——————————————————————————————————5/8—— Home loan "best buys" 545 TOTAL ENTERTAINMENT p400 FULL GUIDEP544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:02:13 ————————— ——————— ———————————— BUYING A HOME ABROAD — THE CARIBBEAN Patrick Drink of Knight Frank says that the procedure for buying a home in the Caribbean is similar to the system in the US and takes "about a month". He deals with homes that start at about £500,000 or £250,000 for a plot, but if dealing with local agents on a chosen isand, there is plenty for less. Mr Drink points out that Concorde flies out of Barbados twice a week and says the Bahamas has tax pluses. ——————————————————————————————————6/8—— Credit card "best buy" tables 547 PREMIERSHIP FOOTBALL ACTION p170P544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:15:01 ————————— ——————— ——————————— BUYING A HOME ABROAD There are plenty of international property magazines in newsagents — a good place to start looking. Communicating with agents via e-mail is fast becoming the norm. Buying a second home abroad is an adventure in itself, but always bj sure you know exactly what you want and what you can afford, says Knight Frank's Naomi Greatbanks. ——————————————————————————————————7/8—— How many drachma to the £? 548 TV PLUS p110P544 Teletext 544 Dec42 03:19:21 Advert Property Plus >>> 8/8 Looking for the right mortgage or re-mortgage ? You'll need to buy a copy of What Mortgage magazine, one of the U.K's best selling mortgage magazines. Avbilabli from W.H.Smith, Menzies and leading newsagents evjty month. ^ Mortgages Savings Borrowing City