Freedom4sale isn’t a real estate agent. It’s an independent property company that works with some of the best English-speaking estate agents on mainland Spain, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. They’ve recently branched out and now include new emerging markets in their magazine and website.

How it works
Online you’ll find a specific property search function, where you can search through a vast range of properties right throughout mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. You can also search properties via a certain estate agent.

Other online feature include; a property Forum – where you can discuss property issues with other website members; information on investment property; a newsletter; property articles; local information; property statistics; and mortgage & finance information.

The magazine & Website (www.freedom4sale.com)
The magazine is free and the properties on the web site are updated by the estate agents themselves, ensuring up to date and accurate information.

Since the beginning (over seven years ago) Freedom4sale have built up a wealth of information about property in the Canary Islands, including; maps, buying advice and local information.

The website is very user-friendly. They’ve made it as accessible as possible for the first time user and at the same time have drawn back many returning visitors.

Featured Article – Successful Buy-To-Let
A recent article by Lee Grandin of Landlord Mortgages, comments that in the UK, “People looking to make a success of buy-to-let will have to be in it for the long term, with rental yield the bottom line and the possibility of capital appreciation an extra something special”.

Buy-to-let has been a popular and successful investment option (both in the UK and Spain) over the past few years. Basically it involves buying a property and renting it out, letting the rental income cover the cost of your mortgage.

But as the UK property market is apparently “on the wane”, investors have to be more vigilant and do more extensive research.

After the dreadful performance of the stock market, there was a large increase in property investment, new developments in particular. The logic being, that property is a more stable option than stocks and shares.

New developments however, can be saturated with buy-to-let investors, and when the properties do eventually come on the market (at the same time) they often drive the rental yields down.

What buy-to-let investors need to determine before they take the plunge is how much rental income is this property “likely” to guarantee and for what period of time.

Handy tips
“The most successful buy-to-let investors purchase property close to where they live”.
Why? Because they know the area – the market.

Nowadays, research is the only way to try and ascertain whether a buy to let investment in a particular area will succeed. It’s absolutely essential for any buy-to-let investor to keep a keen eye on the locations that they are interested in.

If you’re investing abroad it might be impractical to go and live there just to get to know the place (unless of course you’re very well off). You can however go online and access a wealth of information from most community websites about your chosen location.

Asking the seller for information about the property and surrounding area is often pointless, as they’ll invariably point out the good points and conveniently forget the bad.

The same goes for letting agents. Don’t pay to much attention to promises of high rental yields. Try and speak to the tenants and find out how much people generally pay in that area.

Freedom4sale Magazine
If you’re considering buying a property anywhere on Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote or Gran Canaria or want information about upcoming markets, investment options (anything property related) you should set up your own freedom property account.

With this you’ll be able to keep track of the properties you are most interested in, stay updated with the latest properties coming on to the market and much more.

About the team
They’re an independent property company that work with some of the best English-speaking estate agents on mainland Spain, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. With over 10,000 estate agent properties in the magazine and online, Freedom4sale is an absolute must for anyone looking for property for sale in the Canary Islands. They’ve recently branched out and now include other “hot” investment areas around Europe.

Featured Article – Emerging markets & established locations
As the world’s beaches are becoming more and more congested, people are looking further a field for their dream home in the sun.

Recently, British estate agents have begun marketing beachside developments in places like Cape Verde, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Belize, Brazil, Réunion and even Nicaragua. But some traditionalists, most British buyers in fact, continue to look to more established locations, like Spain, the south of France and Greece.

Paradise found (In Europe)
If you’re lucky (and have millions of pounds to spend) you can easily purchase that luxury dream villa, just steps from the beach, in stylish St Tropez or racy Monte Carlo. If not, extensive research is the answer to finding your dream property.

The Algarve, in Portugal, is a popular choice for buyers on a fairly standard budget. Here, £300,000 will buy you a place fit for a king. This area is less densely developed than Spain but has the same climate, a very sophisticated infrastructure and some truly amazing beaches.

In Portugal, properties are well built and the government has limited the number and scale of new developments, meaning less likelihood of the overdevelopment problems they now have in Spain.

In Quinta do Lago (just 20-minute drive from Faro airport) you can buy a two-bedroom villa with a terrace for between £270,000 and £350,000. This area has become very popular with English, Brazilian and Portuguese buyers. Ayrton Senna (the racing driver) once owned a villa here.

Spain and the Canary Islands still have a massive range of coastal properties available. On the mainland, however prices have dropped by as much as 20% from their 2006 highs, whereas on the Canary Islands prices still appear to be rising. Many investors are now pulling out of the mainland and investing in the Canary Islands, Tenerife in particular.

Cyprus also has a large volume of coastal properties and they’re going incredibly cheap. For a large house or villa in the Paphos and Limassol area you’d pay as little as £150,000. The south of Cyprus is now heavily developed. Properties are a lot cheaper in the north but ownership issues remain a problem.

Another area where you can find your dream villa at realistic prices is Sardinia. This is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets, but not for long! In Costa Paradiso, in the northwest of the island, you’ll find three and four bedroom villas for just £250,000. For one and two bedroom flats, prices start at as little as £90,000.

Freedom4sale Membership
If you’re serious about buying or selling anywhere on Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote or Gran Canaria you should set up your own freedom property account. With this you’ll be able to keep track of the properties you are most interested in, stay updated with the latest properties coming on to the market and much more.

John and Rosalyn have been running this property magazine for over seven years and it is one of the most established property magazines available on the market.  If you are thinking of buying property in the Canary Islands then you would do well to look for property and Estate Agents in this well documented and widely distributed property magazine.

Contact John or Rosalyn:

By Telephone or Fax:
(0034) 922 724 169

info@casa-post.com