Property Overseas

The south east of England has one of the highest costs of living in the world. London, alongside Tokyo and Moscow, is considered to be one of the most expensive cities to live and work in. The flipside of this is that there is a great deal of money to be made living and working in London if you are dedicated or just plain ruthless enough. Property in London, however, is now out of the reach of all but the wealthiest people, or those who already own property. This leads many people to look abroad for low deposit property investment in the hope of saving enough to get that all-important foothold on the bottom rung of London's increasingly distant property ladder.

Eastern Europe is the main area where young Britons are now investing. The volume of Sterling plied into Pamporovo property and Romania property in recent years has proved a double-edged sword for local people. Foreign investment has made some local property developers very wealthy and brought extra cash to the region, however the massive inflation of house prices and the cost of living has distorted local economies for working residents who can no longer afford to buy a home in places their families have lived for generations.

This is also a problem concerning property investment Brazil. While the country is extremely attractive to British investors because of its seductive lifestyle, sexy residents and - in parts of the country - perpetual, equatorial summer, the majority of Brazilians live in poverty. It is not unusual to see a gated compound five minutes from a favela. This is also true of Morocco property; less developed nations do throw up some tremendous bargains but also offer a way of life quite distinct from that in the UK. If the thought of seeing poverty on a daily basis is unappealing, a Dubai apartment might be more to your taste.

The most traditional market for Brits is Spanish property investment. Britain and Spain share a large cultural tie, not to mention fantastic transport links. An increasing number of Brits are actually commuting from Spain to work in London. With a return air fare from many parts of Spain costing less than a train from the Midlands to Central London, it's little wonder people are considering their options and cashing in while the going is good. This is not usually an option for people seeking their first property.