The introduction of the three times weekly service between London Gatwick and Sofia, which commences on 6 November, reflects the airline’s continued commitment to growth in Central Eastern Europe and follows the recent announcement that the airline will also enter the Romanian market as well as the introduction of routes to Gdansk in Poland.

The eastern European country has retained its place at the top of Assetz quarterly property investment tracker, giving a total return on cash invested of 100 percent in the past year.

However, bricks and mortar in another recent entrant to the European Union — Bulgaria — are heading for a downturn.

While the country remains a strong position in the tracker, with annual returns of 71 percent, Assetz warns that Bulgarian tourist hot-spots show signs of overheating.

Rental markets are struggling in areas such as Sunny Beach and Bansko, where there is a “severe oversupply” of apartments and lack of demand.

The second quarter figures also show the UK continuing to perform well on the global stage.

The five major UK house price indices point to average annual house price growth of 11.1 percent — equating to an average of more than 20,000 pounds.

As a buy-to-let investment location, Britain also continues to prosper, lying in third place behind Poland and Bulgaria, with gross yields of 6 percent and a total return on cash invested of 68 percent.

France ranks fourth with total returns of 59 percent over the past 12 months, while the newest entrant to the tracker of investment hot-spots, Cape Verde, is also producing rosy returns.

The islands, off Africa’s west coast, have returned 40 percent on cash invested in the past year, boosted by low purchase costs.

Looking ahead, Assetz expects Poland, where a typical two-bedroom apartment costs just 50,000 pounds, to maintain its strong position in the table for the rest of 2007.

New French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s pledge to create a nation of homeowners through a number of tax breaks could spark a mini property boom in France, while the outlook for Cape Verde is also positive.

Stuart Law, managing director of Assetz, said: “Cape Verde is looking like a very interesting prospect, as tourism levels soar and the introduction of mortgages opens the floodgates to investors.”

But he warns investors must take a long-term view and ensure there is a strong rental demand to cover costs.

“Due diligence will become even more important during this next phase of the global property market’s cycle, and investors must be more selective to ensure they are not only buying in the right country, but in the right town or city, in order to benefit from the highest returns.”

The country led Europe’s house price growth in 2006, witnessing considerable property price rises of 33 per cent according to figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).

This was on top of house price rises of 28 per cent in 2005, with Warsaw and Krakow seeing particularly strong growth in the past year.

And according to a spokesperson at property investment intelligence firm Property Secrets, the strong house price inflation could be set to continue this year.

The spokesperson said: “Poland is still an excellent investment option with property price growth set to continue. Supply hasn’t met demand yet, so ten to 15 per cent growth over the next year could be seen.”

Among the best places to invest in Poland are the maturing market of Warsaw, prime locations like Mokotow, and Wroclaw, the fastest-developing city in Poland, the spokesperson added.

realestate.tv

Total annual returns on Bulgarian property have plummeted to 44 percent from 104 percent three months ago, according to the latest quarterly investment tracker from property investment firm Assetz.

Annual house price growth in the country has slowed to 17.8 percent from 36 percent, with the Bansko ski region showing price falls of 2.1 percent.

Property prices in Bulgaria as a whole only grew 1.6 percent in the second quarter, while the oversupply of investment properties has led to fierce competition for rentals.

Stuart Law, managing director of Assetz, said: “This is an interesting time for many overseas markets.

“Bulgaria is facing a period of readjustment after a huge initial foreign investment. While longer-term investors are still set to benefit over the next five to 10 years, as low cost property continues to attract holiday home-buyers, there are no longer instant returns to be made.

“An oversupply of rental properties is being aggravated by stories of dishonest local management agencies, some of which are reported to be letting properties and keeping the cash.”

House price growth in the American property market has also slowed, the data showed. It has fallen to 10 percent per annum from 12.9 percent in June, and is expected to slow further.

LONDON (Reuters) – Overseas property investors should be wary of Bulgaria as market growth collapses and rental competition hots up, but prospects still look good in France and Poland, according to a report this week.

Total annual returns on Bulgarian property have plummeted to 44 percent from 104 percent three months ago, according to the latest quarterly investment tracker from property investment firm Assetz.

Annual house price growth in the country has slowed to 17.8 percent from 36 percent, with the Bansko ski region showing price falls of 2.1 percent.

Property prices in Bulgaria as a whole only grew 1.6 percent in the second quarter, while the oversupply of investment properties has led to fierce competition for rentals.

Stuart Law, managing director of Assetz, said: “This is an interesting time for many overseas markets.

“Bulgaria is facing a period of readjustment after a huge initial foreign investment. While longer-term investors are still set to benefit over the next five to 10 years, as low cost property continues to attract holiday home-buyers, there are no longer instant returns to be made.

“An oversupply of rental properties is being aggravated by stories of dishonest local management agencies, some of which are reported to be letting properties and keeping the cash.”

House price growth in the American property market has also slowed, the data showed. It has fallen to 10 percent per annum from 12.9 percent in June, and is expected to slow further.

He predicted UK house price growth of some 5 percent per annum for the next three years.

By writing & publishing high quality articles in your chosen field you establish a following of readers & become a known voice on your chosen subjects that people become to trust.

Establishing this trust by writing quality content is a great tool for pre-selling your services even before readers have visited your website.

By using the ‘About the author’ box at the end of each article you get the chance to sell yourself & provide links back to your own website where you can sell your services.

By linking back to your website at the end of each article you are helping your own website get ranked higher in the search engines by establishing high quality relevant back links to your own website.

Fancy yourself as a publisher / author ? Well this offers a great way to publish your work free of charge & potentially get noticed by companies looking for professional writers / publishers.

The articles that you publish here get reproduced on 100’s of other websites increasing your exposure vastly on the world wide web & gets your name and brand about in places that were previously unaccessible to you!

Get writing & publishing your articles now and open up a new world of business opportunities! Click Eastern Europe Property Articles to open you free account.

EastEuro Link is proud to invite you to its forthcoming international forum on real estate and construction for the region of Central and Southeast Europe. Following the successful concept of bringing together regional government representatives and key industry figures, this event is tailored to provide knowledge and tools.

the Second Annual Real Estate and Construction Conference for Central and Southeast Europe

REGION UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Hilton Hotel, Sofia, Bulgaria
31. March 2006.

www.realestate.easteurolink.co.uk

Hear the very latest about the real estate and construction industry development in Central and South Eastern Europe. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet CSEE key stakeholders and discover the long-term vision for this rapidly transforming region. The conference will provide a superb opportunity to gather information and build new business relationships with the key players in the CSEE market.

Who will come?

· High Government Officials

· International Real Estate and Construction Organizations

· Property Developers

· Project Managers

· Financiers & Lenders

· Portfolio and Fund Managers

· Lawyers in the practice of real estate and property development

· Investment Advisors and Consultants

· Hedge Funds

· Insurance Companies

· Investment Executives

· Regulators

· Prime Brokers

Key topics to be discussed:

· The Role of governments in real estate and construction development

· Market regulations and legislative development in CSEE

· Comparison of investing in commercial, residential, industrial and infrastructure sectors

· Comparison of investment opportunities in different CSEE countries

· Overviews of real estate and construction markets in the region

· Financing issues for investing in CSEE property markets

· PPP environment in CSEE

· Future trends in property development and investment in CSEE

Network with your peers, competitors and future partners at the leading event for those interested in meeting the key players in the local market.

For the latest information regarding list of speakers and agenda visit
www.realestate.easteurolink.co.uk

Exceptional promotional opportunities available now!

TO BOOK YOUR PLACE, please contact Ms Alexandra Z. at:

Tel:+381 11 328 6 515

Fax: +381 11 20 26 115

e-mail: alexandra.zivkovic@easteurolink.co.uk

All attendees at the conference will receive a FREE CD ROM of conference material containing ministerial presentations and other conference material.

As the largest of the 10 new Countries that joined the EU in 2004, Poland stands out as offering significant growth opportunities for property investors.

As yet, Poland is relatively “undiscovered” but is considered to be one of the best places for property investment in the whole of Europe.

Think Eastern Europe property investment and you may normally think of countries such as Czech or Hungary. You’re right but you should also be thinking of Poland!

Residential property in prime areas in cities such as Warsaw offers the investor both the opportunity for a steady rental income AND significant capital appreciation.

While property prices in some of the larger cities have doubled over the past few years, prices are continuing to increase by over 10% pa. Warsaw in particular has seen strong growth and developments in prime areas of the city are much in demand and will continue to be so.

BUT…..

The challenge is to select property that offers such potential and Xact Property can assist.

Firstly, let’s look at why you should consider Poland – and indeed Warsaw – as part of your portfolio.

With a population of over 38 million and a growing liberalised economy following EU entry, Poland is set to be the powerhouse of Eastern Europe. (Compare this to Czech with a population of only 10m and this gives you an idea of Poland’s size)!

GDP/ capita is circa $12,000 (2005). Again compare this to Czech GDP $18,000 (2005) and you can see that Poland has a lot of catching up to do!

EU membership removed the obstacles that previously prevented foreigners from purchasing property there.

Massive EU funding is generating significant impetus to the development of the economy, as Poland seeks to establish itself as one of the major players in the expanded EU.

Economic growth at circa 5.5 % in 2004 and 3.3% in 2005, is among the higher growth rates in the expanded EU and well above the EU average as a whole.

The population of Warsaw is growing rapidly, so demand for affordable but quality housing will remain high. (Since 1999 the population grew from 1.6m to well over 2.0m by 2005).

Demand for residential property is increasing and in many areas, demand outstrips supply.
In Warsaw property prices have doubled over the past two years and may double again over the next few years.

For investors, new build properties are free of tax, if held for five years!

Demand for quality housing is rising

Many International Companies have been attracted to Warsaw by the educated workforce and lower overheads associated with running offices or Companies there. With more Poles and expatriates being attracted to the city, demand for premium residential apartments is likely to remain high for the foreseeable future, providing significant opportunities for the investor interested in the buy-to-let market.

Some forecasts suggest that property prices may double in some areas of Warsaw over the next five years, and this coupled with the prospect of excellent rental returns make for an opportunity not to be missed for the overseas property investor.

A further point is that there is the possibility that VAT on property purchases may increase from 7% to 22% in January 2008. Obviously, if this happens, this will push up completions in advance of this date, providing a further boost to property investors.

Warsaw investment opportunity

Xact Property offers a number of exclusive new build developments in the best locations of Warsaw. These offer the investor the opportunity to benefit from longer term rentals AND the anticipated rise in equity.

So, if you are considering investing in property overseas, Poland has to be part of your portfolio!

Contact us now for more information on the developments we offer in Warsaw.

Email: Poland@xactproperty.com or visit the Xact Property website now…….

Xact Property Limited
First Floor East
Fountain House
Great Cornbow
Halesowen
West Midlands
B63 3BL

Tel: +44 (0) 121 504 4919

www.xactproperty.com

www.PropertyandInvesting.com