Most countries have a main property website or two that covers the whole country.
The US also has a couple of major sites which appear to cover the all states (www.realtor.com being the one I have used).
One that summaries all properties for sale throughout the whole European area.
Continue reading The lack of a single European Property Website
Here is an interesting thing I realized recently as a result of living in the US. In the US property depreciates. As a result you can write off the cost of the depreciation against rental income (typically over 27.5 years).
Is it because of differing building standards. Generally more buildings are timber frame in the US verses block build in Europe thereby affecting their lifespan? Continue reading Property Depreciation and why Europeans have never heard much about it!
After writing many blogs stating the advantages and disadvantages of being a Landlord it seemed natural to talk a little about whether it is a good idea or not to become one in the first place.
The first might seem a surprise but I think it so important: your age! Why might you ask? Well in my opinion the job of a Landlord needs energy. As a younger man I loved the challenges associated with it: fix this, write a reference, unblock a drain…. all the usual things. Continue reading Should I become a Landlord?
There is really no way around it, if you are planning to buy a home you will need to have enough for a 10% deposit.
The way things go, you will need to save at least 20k to 30k before you can dream of getting a place you can call your own.
In the meantime, you need to live somewhere and as we all know, rents can be quite hefty. Continue reading Moving back with the parents to save up for a deposit
If you are thinking about buying a home, the first thing you need to do is to put together enough money for a deposit – typically 10% of the selling price and them be able to demonstrate that you can pay your mortgage.
Easier said than done; it may take many years of savings to come up with enough money for a deposit…and as property prices continue to raise the chances to borrow the amount you need may get slimmer and slimmer.
Continue reading Can’t afford to buy a home? What about Shared ownership?
High property prices and hefty deposits meant, for many first-time buyers, putting off the dream of owning their first home. But here is an idea – why not to join forces with a friend or two to get your foot on the property ladder?
Soaring property prices and stagnant wages meant that just over a quarter of those aged between their mid-twenties and mid-thirties can manage to own their own places. Continue reading Buying a home with a friend
Suburbs or city center, close to the park or the shopping center: Before choosing to buy a property, you need to choose the location.
On the outskirts and in suburbs are the typical development areas with charming terraced houses, as well as detached houses of developers. Continue reading Where do you want to live? Suburbs or city center?
In the last few weeks the Irish Government launched a mortgage scheme to help low and middle income families (with salaries up to €75k per annum) get their first home.
The scheme offers very attractive lending rates (as low as 2% fixed for 25 years). Also, applicants do not need to adhere to the strict central banks rules for income.
Continue reading Irish government affordable mortgage scheme
