I haven’t written for ages as I have had my hands absolutely full running the fabulous Palazzo Cairney, as well as restoring a charming property in Nardò for a family to use as a holiday home. I have decided to … Continue reading
Puglia, as a region, is very diverse . Historically, it was know as ‘Le Puglie’ – the Puglias. One of the things I love is that each little town has it’s own character, and its own signature dishes, which could … Continue reading
I have been out and about looking for properties for my new Puglia property investment fund (see previous newsletter for details). I have also had some requests for properties similar to Palazzo Cairney, so was killing two birds with one … Continue reading
Readers of my latest Property news will know that we have just finished work on a large project in the historic centre of Nardò and that it is now available for holiday bookings : We had nightmares with the chamber of commerce and the local council which meant that we had to delay formal bookings till now, so there are great last minute offers for August and September.
It has been an amazing, exhausting and exhilarating experience working on the house and Lorna (see below) has been the perfect client. I have to say, at this point, that the fact that the house is called Palazzo Cairney is my fault – I started calling it that as a joke and it stuck! Scroll down for before video and visit the Palazzo Cairney youtube channel to see the final result here and for more detailed room before and afters (with somewhat amateurish voice overs)… Continue reading
Many dream of a little, or even large, place in the sun. Owning a holiday home for your own exclusive use comes with it’s own problems though. It always seems as if at least the first few days of any … Continue reading
This is the first property newsletter in a very long time – mainly because I have been rushed off my feet finding and restoring properties for people! I now have more help, however, and will try and make it at … Continue reading
I recently received a phone call from someone asking for my opinion about a property they were considering purchasing. I spent a long time talking to them, although they are not an existing client, or likely to become one, because, potentially they were about to make a big mistake. Almost half the property they were considering purchasing appeared as deposito or agricultural storage on the land registry. Their agent had told them this was for tax purposes and wasn’t a problem.They were also told they should be able to extend the property by 20%. It is not that simple. Continue reading
This is slightly different from the last property newsletter in that there are very few properties in it because I haven’t been on many general property viewing trips yet this year – January has been taken up helping people on … Continue reading
You will note that the purchase price of all these properties is under 200,000, but I have tried to factor in any necessary work or modernisation, All of them are in good structural condition, most are at least habitable as they are, but new kitchens or bathrooms may be needed, or are probably desirable, some may need rewiring and so on. See also properties under 150,000. Only two properties need no work, not because you can’t find modernised properties for this price, but because properties needing some work usually offer much better value for money. Continue reading
In early October we took a stand at the A Place in the Sun show in Birmingham – the first time I had ever actively promoted our property search/project management service. Up until now most clients have either come via word of mouth, or because they were existing holiday clients. It was slightly daunting jumping in at the deep end but the fair turned out to be busy, informative and thoroughly enjoyable.
It was encouraging to see so much interest in Puglia, and there were definite trends: by far the majority of visitors had a modest budget (under 150,000€) and people mostly wanted properties that were either in a small town, with an outdoors space, or on the outskirts of a town or village. Even those looking for a rural property wanted basic services within walking distance. Everyone wanted to be close to the sea, but in Puglia that bit is easy! Continue reading