The Ultimate Homes Blog

The president of Polaris World predicts that the largest promoter in the Region of Murcia will be handing over more than 3,000 properties to new owners during 2008. The year 2007 has been, as you say, the best in its history. What does 2008 bring? We hope to at least maintain last years results. It is a more complicated market: the customer is no longer as receptive to buying a second home as they were a few years ago and we must target our customer with more accurate communication. But we are still confident we will have a good 2008. How will you survive the "crisis"? Our product is sufficiently competitive to maintain customer interest. The customer remains interested as long as there is a competitive product. In addition the client continues to have purchasing power to acquire the product. The industry seems to move towards a true partnership. How do you see this? There are other builders of similar size searching for synergies and which individually cannot undertake cert...

Just when you thought that every aspect and area of Spain had been explored, every secret delight of this stunning European nation had been uncovered and that each pristine beach, vibrant city and cultural and historic sight had been seen, the Spanish authorities announce that a brand new international airport is to be constructed in a hidden corner of secret Spain. This new airport in Corvera will open up the skies and indeed the entire region of magnificent Murcia to a global audience, revealing a brand new holiday hotspot in one of the leading travel and tourism destinations in the world for us all to explore and enjoy. The autonomous region of Murcia is tucked away in a lesser known and once secluded part of south-eastern Spain. It has a fabulous Mediterranean coastline, an enviably attractive climate, a vibrantly exciting regional capital city, the largest saltwater lake in Europe, a wealthy cultural heritage, property prices well below the national norm and now, an emerging and s...

Polaris World have launched a new initiative called Polaris Collective Inspection Trips which is designed to offer a higher level of support to its agents by offering business class flights to perspective buyers. Open to anyone who might be interested in one of its luxury properties, Polaris World believes it will help to engage potential buyers and those who could not justify the cost of such a trip.“Polaris World will be carrying out the collective inspection trips over the next few months and each trip will comprise of an exciting package to provide an additional incentive for clients to attend,” said a spokesperson. The first trip took place on 16-17 February 2008 and Polaris World arranged for the flights from London Gatwick to take place on ‘La Saeta’ - the exclusive plane of the Real Madrid football team. Also included in the trip is an overnight stay at a 4 star hotel with breakfast, lunch and dinner included courtesy of Polaris World. A limited number of seats are available t...

The Mayor of Benidorm, Manuel Perez Fenoll, claimed yesterday that the British ITV television channel intends to "damage the image of tourism in the city" with the issuance today of a program on crime in the city and thefts apparently suffered by British tourists. The program, which will be broadcast on prime time TV, concerns incidents of robbery committed on British holiday makers during their stay in Benidorm, as well as property break-ins against Brits resident in the Benidorm area. Perez Fenoll alleged that the said station seeks to "damage the image of the city" with "dark interests" as intended "to divert tourists from the UK to other competitors." In terms of the content, the mayor stressed that the program had no basis and was made up of "lies, fabrications and not focused on the reality: we are the safest tourist destination in the world." "Here people are not afraid to go out at night on the streets at any hour, that the...

Spain is still a massive draw for holidaymakers, with statistics showing higher tourism levels than ever. Spain’s tourist board are celebrating a successful year after figures have revealed record numbers of foreigners visiting the country’s holiday hotspots last year. During 2007, 59.2 million overseas visitors descended on cities and coastal resorts, 1.7 per cent more than 2006, with the Industrial, Tourism and Trade Ministry reporting that Andalusia was among the most popular destinations, especially areas along the Costa de Sol. The main market is still the UK, with Britain accounting for 27.5 per cent of all foreign visitors, though Spain is also becoming increasingly popular with North American visitors, with the number of arrivals from the United States rising from 22 per cent to 1.1 million. Britain’s passion for Spain’s holiday and property market is partly due the abundance of low cost airlines linking the two countries, making trips to Spain easy and affordable. Low cost air...

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This has the ring of urban myth, but the number is so huge it seems worth repeating: the API, the trade association for Spanish property agents (of which we are members), is reporting that 40,000 estate agents — half the estate agents in the country — closed down last year, in the wake of the slowdown in the market. As a result, it is believed that as many as 100,000 property agents lost their jobs last year. Many of these "agencies" were likely speculators and “short term profit hunters,” who moved into the market hoping to catch the wave. Many of the agencies may have been nothing more than one person with a cell phone, said API group president Santiago Baena. So, assuming Spain lost 40,000 estate agents last year - that means that there are still another 40,000 of them still in business. My guess is that there are fewer than 10,000 'real' estate agents and that 2008 will see more of the 'man with a cellphone' fade away - I certainly hope so. There's ano...