Author: Helen de Beer

How to make the most out of an overseas viewing trip

Posted on by Helen de Beer

At the OverseasGuidesCompany.com, we regularly speak to readers who are about to embark on property viewing trips abroad. The success of a trip of this nature largely depends on the steps that travellers have taken beforehand. To help travellers prepare for such an excursion, we have compiled some of our top tips for how to make the most out of any international viewing.

Prior to booking your ticket, be sure to sit down and establish a number of things that you want to achieve during your trip. Although it’s a wonderful luxury to be able to visit your country of choice with no real plan or wish list, if – like most people – you’re on a budget, it pays to be informed. To prevent yourself from wasting your time looking at areas that aren’t suitable, grab yourself a cup of tea, sit down, and work out answers to the following questions:

Where do you want to buy?
You can’t plan a viewing trip without knowing your destination. You don’t need to know the exact street you wish to move to, but take some time to read up on areas that have piqued your interest so you can narrow down the borders of your search. If the internet doesn’t provide you with the answers you need, chat to a property agent from the region in question – they could suggest areas that you may not have thought of.

What is your budget?
From the get-go, you need to know how much money you would like to spend. First, you’ll need to work out exactly what your budget is once it’s been translated into the local currency. Second, you’ll need to factor in the various taxes and fees that you’ll be charged on top of the asking price. Knowing your entire budget from the outset means that you can avoid wasting time viewing properties that are out of your price range.

What type of property do you want?
There’s no point viewing rural properties if you want to be within walking distance of your morning coffee fix. Working out what kind of property you want and all of the specific features that you desire will help your agent to narrow down the search. The more detailed you can be, the better.

Once you know exactly what you’re looking for, you need to seek the right team of people to help you get it. The following factors are so instrumental to a successful viewing trip that we’ve dubbed them The Golden Three: if you have these three elements in place prior to flying, you’ll be in a strong position to make an offer while on your viewing trip.

The Golden Three

1: Find the right agent
The right agent is worth their weight in gold. Not only should they listen to your needs and do everything they can to find properties that really suit you, but they should also be a font of knowledge on the local area.

To establish if they are the right agent for you, double check that they cover the areas that you are interested in, and that they have the kinds of properties you are seeking on their books. Don’t be afraid to test out their service: drop them an email or give them a call and gauge how helpful they are. Don’t be afraid to seek references too. A good agent should have numerous satisfied customers to call upon in this instance.

2: Organise your currency exchange
Before you can make a purchase abroad, you will need to transfer your money into the correct currency. If you don’t manage this exchange process carefully, you can lose money as a result of adverse exchange rates. This can easily put a property that was well within your budget completely out of your reach.

We recommend chatting to our trusted partner, Smart Currency Exchange, prior to your trip. The company will offer its expert knowledge and lock in favourable exchange rates in order to help you to set a budget. It will also be able to make fast transfers for you, should you need to complete the process quickly.

3: Secure a good solicitor
Buying a property anywhere is a complicated process, but when you factor in international laws and language barriers, it really helps to have someone who understands how things operate on your side. We recommend that you seek an independent, bilingual solicitor who is well versed in property sales to help guide you through the process.

When you’re seeing multiple properties over the space of a few short days, you’ll find that they blur into one. This means it’s vital to be organised: be sure to take notes and photos of each property to refer back to later. It’s also beneficial to take a friend or family member along with you – having someone to seek a second opinion from, bounce ideas off of, or simply talk things through with will help keep you on track. Your companion might also notice things that you may not have done, or think of questions that you might not have considered.

Don’t be too polite to fact check – your developer might tell you that your balcony is south-facing, but until you pull out that compass app, you won’t know if they are telling the truth or just looking to make a quick sale.

It’s also a good idea to visit the property out of hours: yes, the street your potential new property is on might be lovely and peaceful at 10am, but what about at midnight? It’s worth swinging by just to make sure that it doesn’t become the loudest street in town as soon as the sun goes down.

 
By Elaine Ferguson, Head of the Resource Centre at OverseasGuidesCompany.com

 

Why the happiest expats can be found in Spain

Posted on by Helen de Beer

At the Spain Buying Guide, we have been helping people to set up their new lives in Spain for over a decade. We have seen first-hand the results of successfully settling into a new Mediterranean life – and so it was no surprise for us when the HSBC Expat Explorer 2015 survey revealed that Spain is the country where British expats are happiest.

Here we round up just a few of the reasons why life in Spain is an ideal location for Brits looking to find a better life abroad.

Life outdoors

It is hardly surprising that one of the areas in which Spain came out on top was for its active outdoor lifestyle. There are parts of Spain that experience close to 3,000 hours of sunshine every year, and there are countless sports and other activities you can take part in during this time. Furthermore, even those who are not into exertion can boost their vitamin D levels by sitting outside in the garden of their local bar.

The sports that are particularly popular in Spain – cycling, tennis, walking, kayaking, water skiing and surfing, to name a few – can all contribute to helping expats feel fitter, healthier and happier. What’s more, when you take part in these activities you are likely to meet people with the same interests as you, helping you to make new friends and feel more integrated in your community. This will also help you to feel more settled in your new life in Spain.

Months of sunshine

Of course, the sunshine itself is a good reason to be happy. While at the Spain Buying Guide we are keen to remind our customers that they will of course experience some cloudy days in Spain, those days really are few and far between. Having the brilliant Mediterranean sunshine hit you as soon as you open your shutters in the morning will boost your mood exponentially, while hopefully encouraging you to get out there and enjoy the weather.

Furthermore, in most parts of Spain you will also find that the sunshine doesn’t dim during the winter months (although, naturally, the heat usually does), meaning that you won’t experience that dip in climate and in mood that you may have become accustomed to from living in the UK.

The Mediterranean lifestyle

Good health is intrinsically connected to feeling happy and satisfied, and so indulging in the Mediterranean diet alongside your outdoors activities in the sun will certainly give you a boost. Spaniards usually eat fresh, high quality produce, making use of olive oil and plenty of fish and vegetables.

You may also find that it suits you to eat your main meal at lunchtime, instead of a heavy supper later in the evening – especially as you will soon find yourself adjusting to the unique Spanish meal times, where friends will often gather to have a dish or two of tapas at around 10pm.

For more information about life as an expat in Spain, visit www.spainbuyingguide.com

 

How Airbnb is helping travellers to mix business with leisure

Posted on by Helen de Beer

According to the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company, it is increasingly common for business travellers to partake in what is known as ‘b-leisure’: extending work trips in order to fit in a holiday at the end of a long business commitment.

In fact, on average, business travellers who book their trips with Airbnb choose to stay twice as long as they would in a hotel – around 6.8 days in total.

This, according to the online travel company, suggests that more and more business travellers are looking to mix business with leisure. Using the extra time to get to grips with a new city, travellers may take some of their annual leave in order to pair their work trip with a vacation.

Furthermore, more and more companies are now using Airbnb for Business to book accommodation for their employees, according to the website. This business travel portal of Airbnb was launched in July last year and gives employees the opportunity to choose from a wider selection of places to stay during their work trips.

Increasingly, staff members are opting out of staying in hotels. What is more, employees that choose to book with Airbnb are able to save around 30 percent on average when compared to traditional accommodations.

“Since introducing Airbnb for Business, we’ve seen the number of companies using it grow tenfold”, said Chip Conley, Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy at Airbnb, in a statement. “Businesses have clearly been longing for a better way to manage their employees’ travel needs, and business travellers seem eager for change from the traditional business travel accommodations.”

In the six months since the site launched, more than 50,000 employees from over 5,000 businesses have completed bookings.

 

How will the currency markets be affected in 2016?

Posted on by Helen de Beer

If you plan on spending a lot of time travelling between countries, one of the most important things that you will need to consider is the constantly changing currency market.

These markets were volatile in 2015, with many political and economic events causing significant fluctuations for many currencies. The ramifications of these variations are certainly expected to continue throughout 2016, with further global events that are likely to affect the markets already lingering on the horizon. In order to make the best of any currency transfers that need to be made while abroad, it is vital to have a good understanding of these market changes.

Will the UK’s European Union referendum take place?
Negative sentiment has already surrounded the British currency this year as a result of the possibility that the UK’s much-talked-about EU referendum could finally take place in this year. There has been mounting speculation about the possible results of this conference and their far-reaching implications. We can expect these suppositions to continue throughout the year, affecting both sterling and the euro until any decision had been made.

There has also been discussion that this referendum could take place in June of this year. UK Prime Minister David Cameron is already working hard on a potential deal with the EU, one that is favourable towards the UK remaining within the EU. The next EU summit will take place in February, and is expected to be particularly influential to these discussions, and so will certainly affect when the formal voting will take place.

What is the likelihood that the UK will raise interest rates this year?
Speculation abounded throughout 2015 that the Bank of England would announce a rise in interest rates, alongside – if not before – an announcement of a similar sort from the US Federal Reserve. The likelihood of this occurring decreased as the year went on – particularly when the Fed’s decision to implement a slight hike was announced in December – but speculation nonetheless continues. Various experts have different ideas on whether this could happen and, if so, when, but all agree that, should a decision be made, sterling would follow the same trajectory as the US dollar and strengthen accordingly. However, this is dependent on other events in the market at the time, and the strength of other currencies frequently paired with sterling.

Will the European Central Bank make further changes to the Quantitative Easing programme, and if so, how easy would any predictions be?
The European Central Bank (ECB) introduced its quantitative easing programme in January 2015, which had a tremendous effect on the euro’s journey throughout the year. The euro was affected further in December, as the ECB President, Mario Draghi, announced that he would be discussing this programme in more detail. Investors speculated that he would increase the economic stimulus, and, as a result, the euro weakened.

Draghi’s eventual announcement that he was merely extending the programme by six months was unexpected, and caused the euro to strengthen significantly. Should more unpredictable changes be announced by the ECB in 2016, we could expect more volatility in the rates.

Will the US presidential election affect currency rates?
By the end of 2016, the US will have a new president, and as the voting gets nearer, we can expect the strength of the dollar to be affected by the happenings in the polls and the campaigns of the candidates – particularly as we would expect monetary and economic policy to be a key focus of these campaigns. A Republican victory will affect the rates even further – as we know, any change in the norm generally cause large fluctuations in currency strength.

 

SmartCurrencyExchange.com can offer expert currency guidance to anyone who needs to make international transfers – helping their customers to minimise risks and maximise their savings.

Why do banks keep trying to ruin Jules Gray’s holidays?

Posted on by Helen de Beer

Going abroad presents plenty of hurdles to intrepid travellers like myself: cultural differences, language barriers, unfamiliar climates and barely edible food are just some of the obstacles that can make leaving the familiar borders of your home country seem like a form of enforced exile.

While having to acclimatise oneself to the difficulties of a new location is obviously arduous, the task can be made easier – as with most problems in life – with money. Indeed, the one universal language that can get you out of any fix is cold, hard cash.

But in a supposed effort to stop overseas fraudsters from siphoning money from customer’s pockets*, banks have placed all manner of digital tripwires around accounts. So efficient are these security measures that it seems the mere suggestion that a bankcard might potentially cross over a national border will set alarm bells ringing and put a block on any attempt to withdraw money.

Seeing the red mist
Sometimes it takes mere moments from stepping off of a plane for the money woes to begin. Recently, after a tortuous 12-hour flight from London to Los Angeles, where all attempts at sleep were impeded by an elderly woman’s apparent amazement with the touchscreen entertainment system residing in the back of my seat, I was understandably desperate for a very strong coffee. Off I rushed to the nearest airport café to obtain the much-needed cure to my sleep deprivation – only to be told upon trying to pay that my card had been declined.

Panicking, I rushed to an ATM to try and get some cash out. No such luck. Instead, I was informed by a helpful notification that a block had been put on my card, and I was to call my bank immediately. Unfortunately for me, I was 5,437 miles away from home, and so the phone call would likely be quite expensive.

Around half an hour of listening to turgid hold music went by before finally someone at my bank deigned to pick up the phone. Thus began the tedious process of the security questions. Each drawn out question added further expense to my overseas call, but the employee was determined – until eventually, the crucial question came: “Sir, are there any large purchases you’ve made with this card in recent weeks?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” I replied. “I bought an £800 airline ticket to Los Angeles. Where I am currently calling you from.”

“Ah yes, sir. Very good. I’ll lift the ban right away”, came the chirpy response. “Now, may I please ask how useful you found this call and if there’s anything else I can help with?”

Attempting to contain my rage, I responded, “Yes – maybe you can reimburse me the small fortune I’ve wasted on this phone call?”

A bit of common sense
Obviously, the purpose of such stringent security is to prevent a traveller from being defrauded, but in this highly globalised world, it is somewhat baffling that banks are so surprised when people decide to travel abroad.

So that people are at the very least able to enjoy a coffee after a long and tedious flight, banks should perhaps monitor what the money is being spent on. A coffee and a taxi from the airport: fine. A $20,000 bar tab in another country: considering a journalist’s salary, quite clearly not.

I fully appreciate that organised people would have exchanged some cash into the local currency before departing in order to avoid such problems, but us incompetent folk are many – and we deserve to enjoy our holidays just like anyone else.

*Shortly after this article was published, the author had £900 siphoned from his account by someone in Puerto Rico, somewhere he’s never been. He would like to thank Barclays for reimbursing him and praise it’s security measures that detected the fraud.

How to stay social after moving abroad

Posted on by Helen de Beer

When you decide to move abroad permanently, one of the major differences that you may notice is how people of different nationalities socialise. Even in other English-speaking countries, the shift from what you’ve been used to your whole life can take a little getting used to. Elaine Ferguson, Head of the Resource Centre at OverseasGuidesCompany.com, outlines what can be expected in the countries that are most popular with British expats.

France

Socialising in France tends to revolve mostly around gastronomy. Food is a huge part of French culture: with restaurants catering to all budgets, dining out is accessible to everyone, and expats will find that some of the finest wines and cheeses will barely break the bank. Away from the dining table, the French will often socialise at sporting events, the theatre, the cinema, concerts and exhibitions.

Ireland

As might be expected, much of Ireland’s social life can be experienced in its pubs. In the country where going for a pint is a national pastime, there are well over 10,000 pubs to be explored, with many offering varied menus to cater to families and friends. Music is also an important part of Ireland’s culture, ranging from live folk music to large-scale music festivals or concerts, while sport is another vital part of everyday life: whether you decide to try your hand at hurling, Gaelic football or camogie, if you don’t mind a run around, you’ll find yourself a new gang of friends in no time.

Spain

The social structure in Spain revolves around the family. This means enormous, long meals where multiple generations come together to eat, drink, and dance. Dining out and going for drinks with friends are popular social activities and, much like in France, fantastic cuisine and small bites are affordable to all.

Portugal

Portugal’s social mentality isn’t dissimilar to Spain’s, in the sense that family is the foundation of the social structure. Much socialising takes place over long lunches and dinners, or at sporting functions. Friends will meet for coffee or drinks, where they will often be treated to live music. There is also a big arts scene in Portugal, and you can readily find exhibitions, plays, dances or spoken word performances to suit your interests.

Italy

There are various ways to socialise in Italy, but locals often choose to meet at the various concerts, exhibitions and festivals held across the country. In the bigger cities, friends like to hit the shops together, before refuelling with a sweet Italian pastry and a strong espresso. It should come as no surprise that food and drink rank highly in Italian people’s idea of a good time, with restaurants and cafes to be found on every corner.

It should come as no surprise that food and drink rank highly in Italian people’s idea of a good time

Greece

Traditional households in Greece tend to house several generations, and so family time forms the basis of much of the country’s social life. Food is also central to daily life: locals and expats get together at tavernas to catch up on all the latest news, and even if you’re just grabbing a quick glass of wine, people tend to complement their tipple with some olives, stuffed vine leaves and other small, healthy plates. Greek people are incredibly hospitable, so expect to receive invitations on religious holidays or special occasions – be sure to take with you a gift of liqueur or something sweet.

Cyprus

To experience bigger events in Cyprus, you’ll need to head to one of the island’s main resorts, where you’ll find that concerts and exhibitions happen regularly. Cyprus is known for its cosy local tavernas, where expats congregate for beers and a chat. Getting together for an aperitif in the early evening is a favourite way for people to catch up with friends.

Turkey

The climate of Turkey means that many spend their days out in the sunshine, whether at the beach or doing something more active, like cycling, jogging or snorkelling. The country’s established expat population means that you are likely to find social clubs catering to all interests, which are great for meeting people with similar ideas of a good time. Expats in Turkey often reside in complexes, which may even have their own social agenda, including quiz nights and barbecues.

The US

Social life in the US tends to revolve around sporting events. When temperatures dip and the NFL season starts, groups of friends will get together on Sunday afternoons to watch the football and eat a meal, while in the summertime people will head outdoors, frequenting the beach or going out on hikes. Finding societies and clubs to join will be a doddle in most states, and as there’s no language barrier, you’ll be making friends in no time.

Australia

The social lives of those living in Australia aren’t too dissimilar from those in the UK – aside from the luxury of far better weather in which to enjoy them. Whether you are grabbing a coffee or a meal, friends regularly get together to eat, drink and enjoy a traditional Aussie barbecue. If there’s a sports game on the TV as well, it’s all the better. On the whole, Australians are a healthy bunch, so expect to make friends through sports clubs, exercise classes, or even while out walking your dog.

New Zealand

Kiwis believe that life is for living, and they like to get out there and make the most of their beautiful country. Make friends through sporting activities such as rugby and cricket, or for something more serene, find a hiking group and discover all the best local trails.