Tenerife is still a popular destination for a second home due to the weather and amazing beaches, it almost sells itself, but that’s no reason to take things for granted. It’s good to be flexible and after years of satisfying customers a good name in the property market is invaluable.

Crossley Morfitt & Lennox have offices in La Caleta and Los Cristianos but we like to make it easy for you to contact us and keep up to date with our latest news at your leisure. For fast and easy interaction there’s Twitter, our properties and the natural wonders of Tenerife are always open to viewing at Flickr, for a 3D walk around try You Tube, and you can pop in and chat at Facebook .

Tenerife was made for sharing that’s why Crossley Morfitt & Lennox are reaching out in a choice of languages, our website has always been available in English with Spanish as an alternative. Looking further afield we welcome our Polish friends and with a strong Russian interest in Tenerife we are pleased to also offer that language option.

With a huge database of property for sale and rent in Gran Canaria, including apartments, house & villa plots, apartment complexes & hotel and commercial properties, you will be spoil for choice.  Contact the team at Cardenas at any one of their 3 real estate agencies located in Arguineguín, Puerto Rico and Playa de Mogán.

	Bulgarian		Ceština		Dansk		Eesti		Français
	Italiano		Latviešu		Lietuviu		Magyar		Nederlands
	polski		Russian		Romanian		Slovenšcina		Suomi
	Svenska

Kyero – www.kyero.com
Prime Location – www.primelocation.com
Think Spain – www.thinkspain.com
RightMove – www.rightmove.co.uk
Canary Property – www.canaryproperty.com
Freedom4Sale – www.freedom4sale.com

If you are an Estate Agent selling in the Canary Islands then we could save you time by automatically updating your listings with any of the above property portals.

If you are a property portal, please feel free to get in touch to be included in auto updates.

Full details here – http://www.globaledge.co.uk/news/details/thinkspain-tops-spanish-portal-list/17311

ThinkSpain is amongst the property portals that we can automatically update for you. Anybody interested in joining ThinkSpain should contact Dan at d.wells@thinkspain.com

Just a quick intro as I’ll be managing this blog from now on.

My name is Sam Kennedy. I moved to Tenerife from a chilly Scotland in September ’07 with my wife, Judith, and 2 daughters, Shannon(12) and Robyn(10).

I have recently been working closely with various property portals so that xml feeds can be exported in the correct format.

Feel free to contact me directly with any questions.

Sam.

Up until recently though, no one had ever even heard of Cape Verde or had any idea where it was. Now, with promises of serious capital appreciation over the coming years, Cape Verde is one of the most talked about locations on the map.

Background Cape Verde (Cabo Verde)
Cape Verde is an African country made up of ten main islands and five islets. It’s located off the west coast of Senegal. It shares a relatively similar geographical position to the Emerald Isle – in the Atlantic Ocean at the most westerly point of the continent. Maybe this is part of the attraction to the Irish.

The climate however is a slightly different. Unlike Ireland, where it rains even when it’s not raining and is cloudy even when it’s sunny, On Cape Verde, it’s permanent summer with endless blue skies every day of the year. This I’d imagine, is the real attraction for the Irish.

Cape Verde’s Rental Potential
Cape Verde’s future lies in tourism and to a large extent, so does the success of its property market.

The government knows this and is keen to make sure that the figures keep on rising. Over the past four years, they’ve seen the number of visitors increase by 25%.

The goal is to see “annual tourism figures double to over 500,000 by 2015”, according to Dominic McGlynn of Sambala Developments.

Tourism (or lack of) can have a massive impact on the property market. In Cape Verde’s case it drives the rental market and is the backbone for most buy-to-let investments.

Year-round sunshine means that investors can rent out their properties all year long at tourist prices. With better accessibility and an increasing amount of visitors every year it’s unlikely that there’ll be any periods where the property is left vacant.

Good rental potential is paramount for any buy-to-let investment. Cape Verde’s climate and healthy tourism industry provide investors with a huge degree of stability. They’re both key factors – assuring buyers of Cape Verde’s solidity as a profitable investment location.

Property Appreciation
This is the key to investment security – whether or not you’re property will go up in value and on Cape Verde it’s almost guaranteed. On some of the larger developments prices have already “increased to the tune of approximately 30%”.

According to Maria Rosario de Luz, the adviser to Cape Verde’s minister for economic growth, the Government “permit only low-rise development and promote eco-tourism and its own lively Creole culture”.

On Cape Verde, the government intends to restrict the construction of new developments. They don’t want the overdevelopment problems Spain and various other markets have had recently.

Investors who get in at the beginning will be in a “win-win” situation. With a bigger demand for properties than the amount available, they can sit back and watch their properties go up in value.

The Main Players
Apart from the Irish, who certainly seem to have an eye for a bargain, the English are also swooning over Cape Verde. Although not as accessible as the Canaries, to the north, Cape Verde’s charm seems to have won them over. More recently, the Germans and other investors from the Nordic regions have discovered Cape Verde.

So it’s not just the Irish. Everyone seems to pouring money into this tiny, once unheard of, chain of Islands.

For recent investors, this is very reassuring – seeing the property market flourish and the infrastructure develop. For would be investors, this is a sign that it’s now time to make a move!, before property values hit the roof.

Despite being an African country, Cape Verde has a culture, landscape and atmosphere quite unlike anything on the mainland. It’s also widely regarded as 2007’s most lucrative emerging markets.

Economic Boom
According to MacauHub, in 2006 Cape Verde’s economy grew by the highest rate in almost 10 years – 10.8%.

The Cape Verdean government had only expected a growth rate of between 6 and 7% so were pleasantly surprised. Tourism was of course largely responsible for this growth. Jose Maria Neves, Cape Verde’s prime minister calls it the “main engine” driving the economy.

With year round sunshine and a climate slightly hotter and more consistent than the Canary Islands, Cape Verde is a perfect beach holiday destination right throughout the year. It’s no wonder sun-starved Northern Europeans are keeping a keen eye on it.

The property market is booming – Investors and homebuyers are taking full advantage of the island’s excellent value for money properties.

Background
Cape Verde is an African country located off the west coast of Senegal. It consists of 10 main islands and about 8 islets.

This fascinating archipelago boasts some stark contrasts in landscape. It’s home to fierce volcanic landscapes, endless white sandy beaches, lush green forests and vast deserts.

In Cape Verde’s northern islands, Crioulo is the spoken dialect. In the south, they speak Krioulo. One of the recent issues facing the government is the amount of variations of these dialects that are spoken – sometimes up to nine within each individual island. Ever since their independence from Portugal in 1951, there’s been a call for one or possibly two standard languages.

For the moment though, visitors will hear a variation of colonial-era Portuguese with the occasional English or West African words thrown in.

Although Cape Verde is an African country, it’s distinctly different from any of the other countries on the mainland. Cape Verdeans have their own language(s), traditions and music (known as Morna). Most countries in Western Africa are a mixture of Islam and Animism. On Cape Verde, the majority are Catholic Mestizos.

Located so close to Europe, Cape Verdeans have a very broad-minded and European outlook on life.

Cape Verde is often called the “new Canary Islands” as they’re very similar in terms of both landscape and climate. And like the Canaries, there’s a vast degree of difference between each of the individual islands.

They’re also being called the new Canary Islands because agents and developers are selling them as the latest holiday hot spot and this year’s most lucrative investment location – which to a large extent, they are.

As of yet, Cape Verde remains untouched – a natural paradise with an easy way of life, low cost of living, high quality of life and some very affordable properties. Whether or not mass tourism and (perhaps) overdevelopment will happen here like in Spain is hard to say.

It’s hard to categorize Cape Verde. It’s a mixture of African, Brazilian and European yet at the same time it’s completely different from its neighbours. It’s a fascinating and at the same time bewildering country – staggering beautiful and full of exotic charm.

Property For Sale in Cape Verde
Prices are still very low, especially when compared to some of the more established tourist resorts like the Canary Islands, Spain and Portugal.

Here are a few examples of what you’re likely to find online…

Studio, Sal Island
Sale Type: Off Plan
Price: £ 47,894

Studio Apartment, Santa Maria Island
Type: Studio
Sale Type: Off Plan
Price: £ 45,449

Studio, Salinas Sand, Sal Island
Type: Apartment/Condo
Sale Type: Off Plan
Price: £ 46,413
Local price: Esc 7,557,243

Cape Verde’s Future
The hype is phenomenal. It’s been hailed as the “new Canaries”, “Barbados without the jet-lag” the “Caribbean on the cheap” and countless others.

Although mass tourism can bring with it various problems like overdevelopment and crime etc, most agree that the positive impact of tourism on Cape Verde will be largely beneficial.

Through tourism, this once impoverished third world country will see increased employment a better standard of living and should eventually become a much wealthier nation.

“Why would they want to come here? All we have is sun and beaches” one minister is said to have exclaimed when shown plans for a huge coastal development on Santiago.

It didn’t take long, however, to convince the government that this is exactly what sun-staved Europeans wanted – sun and beaches. Once convinced, the government opened their arms to foreign investors and began throwing money into the islands’ infrastructure and development.

Cape Verde offers something more than your traditional retirement destination, like say the Costa del Sol or the south of France. This is Africa – a land of adventure, mystery, intrigue and unmistakably charm.

Background (Cape Verde Islands)
Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Senegal (Africa) Cape Verde is an African country made up of 10 idyllic tropical islands. It’s just over one hour south of the Canary Islands.

The people living on Cape Verde are a mixture of African, Portuguese and Brazilian. Portuguese is the official language but many Cape Verdeans speak crioulo – a local dialect. Most of the people in Cape Verde are Catholic.

Initially it was the Italians who were first attracted to this windswept archipelago. Along with UK and Irish buy-to-let investors, they’ve played a significant part in boosting the country’s economy and infrastructure.

Cape Verde is the closest tropical paradise to Europe. It only takes five-and-a-half hours to fly here direct from the UK, whereas places like Barbados in the Caribbean will take at least 12 hours.

Last year, Astraeus Airlines commenced direct flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Cape Verde. They fly once a week.

Investing In Cape Verde
Initially, it was just big investors buying here – often buying in bulk, sometimes up to 10 apartments or more.

Nowadays, Cape Verde attracts a growing number of buyers looking for holiday homes – places they can use themselves for a couple of weeks in the winter and rent out the rest of the year. Unlike Spain and the Canary Islands, there are still not that many UK buyers looking to set up permanent residence in Cape Verde. Not yet…

A lot of the developments in Cape Verde are still under construction. There are only a few that are actually finished. Developers are confident that with a price increase of 18 per cent last year, buyers will be keen to get in quick.

Now is the best time to invest in Cape Verde. If not now, very soon. It’s still an emerging market with low prices, but as can be seen from the increase in property values, it won’t be cheap for much longer.

At the moment, the starting price for an apartment is as low as £30,000. You won’t find this on Tenerife! For a six-bedroom villa, with six bathrooms and a pool, expect to pay less than £350,000.

Why Cape Verde
Firstly it’s politically stable and relatively crime free. It’s also largely efficient and technologically advanced, with a very promising economic outlook.

One of Cape Verde’s biggest attractions for UK buyers and holidaymakers is its close proximity – a tropical paradise on your doorstep.

The climate too, a major factor. The weather on Cape Verde is similar to the Canaries, yet slightly hotter and more consistent. It has a perfect beach climate all throughout the year, making it ideal for sun-worshipers and buy-to-let investors.

Cape Verde is widely regarded as 2007’s most promising emerging market. Anyone who buys now will be getting in at the right time and should reap the benefits of the sharp increase in property values in years to come.

With all the money being pumped into the islands’ infrastructure and tourism industry, property price increases are almost guaranteed.

Up until then, if you wanted to sell property, you had to be a member of one of Spain’s two professional real estate associations – API or GIPE.

Types of Real Estate Agents in Spain
Buying property in Spain is ordinarily a very straightforward and safe process. Nevertheless, there are a few sharks out there, so you have to be careful. Your biggest risk might come from your choice of estate agent, whose levels of competence and ethics can mean the difference between a happy and unhappy investment.

That’s not to say that they are all bad. On the contrary, there are many very highly trained, very competent and caring agents in the Spanish market. The challenge is choosing the right one for you.

Before choosing the type of agent you want, it’s a good idea to get an overview of the different types out there. There are a number of different agent set-ups, all quite distinct from each other.

Foreign Estate Agents
There are hundreds of foreign estate agents set up in Spain and on the Canary Islands – English, Irish, German, Dutch, and French etc…

Normally their target market will be buyers from their own home country. The Irish will try and sell to the Irish, the English to the English and the Germans to the Germans etc. It make sense really, you feel safer with what you’re familiar with.

In most cases, foreign agents will operate through English as their primary language, but will speak numerous other languages.

Since deregulation, no qualifications are required to set up as an agent and the barriers to entry are low. The result of this has been an influx of unprofessional and sometimes unscrupulous agents operating in the very touristy parts of Spain – like the Costa del Sol, Costa de Almeria, Costa Calida and Costa Blanca.

In some cases, they’ll try and charge outrageous commissions while at the same time offering a very low level of service.

Many are ex time-share and still use aggressive sales tactics, which sometimes extend to telling the clients half-truths; anything to close a quick sale.

Unfortunately, such organizations still exist in Spain and on the Canary islands. Thankfully though, these are in the minority – the majority being very professional, offering excellent levels of service.

Spanish Estate Agents
Most of the Spanish agents are affiliated with the API or GIPE professional associations. This indicates a very high level of training and professionalism. Sometimes though, these titles can be abused, making it hard to judge their genuine level of professionalism.

Spanish agents usually sell property within their local area. Some of the larger agents have chains and networks stretching all across the country.

Up until recently, most of the Spanish agents didn’t speak English. Nowadays however, there are more and more Spanish agents who speak English and various other European languages. They’re mostly in the popular coastal areas, like the Costa del Sol etc.

Estate Agents Based in the UK
The UK agents infiltrated the Spanish market after seeing the huge numbers of UK buyers looking for property in Spain. They were also lured into the market by the very generous commissions. The obvious advantage for the buyer is that you can do all the research with an English-speaking agent right on your own doorstep.

Inter-agency Networks
This is a convenient way of matching buyers and sellers with appropriate properties. Groups of foreign estate agencies come together and set up a network where they can share clients and properties as well as commissions.

It’s mutually beneficial for both agents. One might have a buyer looking for a certain property but not the correct property while the other might have the right property but not the buyer. Everyone wins!

The only problem is that although they are meant to split the commissions, what they often do is increase the commission. So, although you might get the property you’ve been looking for, you end up paying more.

With a little extra effort you could have probably found the property yourself – without paying the extra commission.

In Spain, you’ll often see the exact same property advertised at completely different prices from different estate agents. This is largely down to these agency networks. Here’s an example.