Despite the recent economic downturn, the overseas luxury property market is growing, according to two companies in the high-end sector.

According to the analysis carried out by Luxuryestate.com, one of the biggest online sources of the high-end properties that list 50,000 homes in 50 countries, the interest in luxury properties has increased by an average of 2% during the last year.

From the individuals of countries like Italy and Greece, where the economic situation is extremely instable, peaks of 10% more sales enquires for high-end residences have been recorded.

Engel & Volkers, the 35-year-veteran high-end real estate agent, in its latest-press release has said that they have experienced their best-ever quarter year profit.

The Luxury Estate has identified the trends in demand of luxury properties through analysis of buyer activity on over 25,000 listings, spread across more than 30 countries, with UK leading the chart of countries with the largest demand from individuals.

Greece, Russia and Italy, which all have a massive number of high-net-worth individuals as residents, have emerged as countries with largest increases in demand after witnessing increase of 8%, 6%, and 5% respectively.

The data about most high-end residences for sale is quite interesting as in the economically stable countries; the number of luxury villas, castles and mansions has remained constant on the market or even dwindled.

In contrast, the less economically stable countries like France and Spain, have witnessed a whopping increase in luxury properties on the market during the last 12 months.

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Paris has become the most popular place in Europe for property investment according to a list released by leading estate agent CBRE. The French capital overtook London during the second half of 2011 thanks to deals worth €7.9 billion as opposed to €7.8 billion in the UK capital.  A busy second half of the year saw Paris snapping up 14.2% of international deals as investors rushed to complete transactions before the end of the year and ahead of the closing of some property tax breaks.

In addition to being the most popular place for property investment, Paris is now the most expensive capital in which to rent accommodation after rental prices increased by 4.7% during the year.

The 20 arrondissements of Paris escaped the bombing of the Second World War, which means that new-build developments are rare and property supply is limited forcing up rental prices. The City of London, which has far more new-build properties, has seen rents fall to a 25-year low, although the West End market is still buoyant. New York also saw a healthy rise in rental costs as prices increased by 6.5% during the first half of 2011 and 6.2% during the second half.

However it was not all good news as rental growth slowed in many new world cities such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Moscow during the second half of 2011.

Foreign investors in 2011 were made up mostly of US and Canadian buyers who provided 28% of cross-border transactions, with the US accounting for €9 billion worth of deals. Germany was the next most active buyer taking a 12% market share, while UK buyers came in third place making 9% of property transactions.

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The first quarter of 2013 has seen increased demand for Dubai’s office and retail space, leading experts at Cluttons to say that the improved situation will encourage stalled developments in the Gulf city to restart.

This new confidence is being led by Dubai Mall’s huge pull as a global shopping destination. However, despite the good news, Dubai’s office market continues to be very fragmented with some submarkets struggling to attract tenants.

Rents have increased over the past six months in Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Tecom C, Al Barsha and Business Bay, all areas that had been hit particularly hard by the 2008 property collapse. Rents in these areas fell by as much as 50 percent in 2009.

Cluttons reported that rents were now up by 10 to 15 percent in better quality and completed projects.

Retail also saw increased activity during the first quarter of 2013, according to Cluttons, thanks to increased visitor numbers, high wealth levels in the city and increased consumer confidence. In February, Emaar Properties revealed that visitor numbers to the Emirate had risen by 20 percent in 2012 leading to a retail sales increase of 24 percent.

Annual footfall in Dubai’s malls remained strong, especially in Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdiff Mall, which all target mid to high level income residents and tourists. Their continued success, says Cluttons, is revealed by low to zero vacancy rates.

The property consultancy also noted strong recent interest in community retail units located in high-density residential districts such as the Marina, JLT and Al Barsha.

For more information on the global property market and construction industry head down to MIPIM 2014, at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes. Here at EAS we can promise you the best hotel rooms, the most sought-after rented apartments and even the odd luxury yacht or two. With our expert knowledge we’ll make sure your stay will be one you don’t forget. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

In a bid to curb record property price rises Hong Kong’s government has announced it will supply land for the construction of 3,000 new apartments in the coming quarter.

Asia’s financial powerhouse has seen house prices explode in 2012, with record rises of 20 percent over the last 12 months. Earlier this week the government revealed plans to tender six plots of residential land for the creation of 3,000 apartments.

Hong Kong has done much over the past couple of years to curb its red-hot property market, which has outpriced many local residents. Measures have included increasing stamp duty for short-term transactions, taxing international buyers and increasing land supply.

Paul Chan, Hong Kong’s secretary for development stressed the government’s desire to increase the supply of housing saying that it had already sold 18 sites for 5,100 apartments in the first three quarters of the current fiscal year.

The latest move by the Hong Kong government follows stern advice from the International Monetary Fund that Hong Kong could be in the midst of a property bubble and needs to do more to calm the situation. The fund noted that half of the outstanding loans in the city are currently from the property sector, but added that the probability of a price correction large enough to generate major macroeconomic and financial consequences is “fairly low” in the short term.

Two of the six plots, which are to be supplied in the final quarter, are to be reserved for the apartments of local residents. “Given that land resources is a scarce commodity in Hong Kong, the priority is to always give the top priority to Hong Kong citizens,” Chan said.

For more information on the world’s real estate markets make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to mix with the movers and shakers of the global property and construction industries at MIPIM 2014 in Cannes. If you’re after the best hotel rooms, rented apartments and even luxury, private yachts in the heart of the city, look to EAS for all your accommodation needs. We can also help you with restaurant bookings, nightly entertainment and will organise all your transportation requirements. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

For the first time since 2010 investor confidence is on the rise in Europe’s three largest economies Germany, France and the UK and 2013 should see an increase in investment according to a survey by Union Investment.

The study, which involved a representative survey of 165 investment decision-makers in Germany, France and the UK, also anticipates that real estate markets in Turkey, Poland and Ireland will emerge stronger in 2013.

Investors still raised caution regarding shrinking credit markets with 70 percent expecting loan rates to rise, while others highlighted higher taxes in France as an added burden.

Some 85 percent of those surveyed said the euro crisis would lead to a stronger focus on core products, such as those with long leases, central locations and high-quality assets.

In addition only 30 percent of investors now expect a Europe-wide recession. This compares with 42 percent when the survey was last conducted. While a mere 3 percent still believe that there is real possibility of the euro-zone collapsing, compared with 12 percent previously.

The news comes on the back of positive results from Europe’s commercial real estate sector. Investment volumes in European commercial real estate hit nearly €44 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, the highest quarterly level since 2007.

Cross border investment rose by a healthy 19 percent last year and according to property consultants Cushman and Wakefield, it could rise by 6 percent to €141 billion in 2013 despite the still-fragile economic recovery in Europe.

“Cross border investment was the biggest area of growth last year, it outpaced the domestic buyers,” explained David Hutchings, head of European research at Cushman & Wakefield. “In any country in the world you will find people shopping for property in Europe.”

Property investors are still focusing on the larger markets of France, the UK and Germany, which make up 61 percent of the market share. However, the Nordics have seen their slice of the pie increase from 15.3 percent in 2011 to 17.9 percent last year.

For more information on the health of Europe’s real estate market and construction and property news from around the world check out MIPIM 2014 held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, 5. For all your accommodation, transportation and entertainment needs look no further than EAS, the local travel agents you can trust. Whether you’re after rooms in some of the most centrally located hotels, your own private apartment or villa, or are looking to charter a luxury yacht for upscale entertaining, we have the answers you are looking for. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

The world’s property markets are becoming more transparent according Jones Lang LaSalle’s latest Transparency Index.

The global real estate services firm reported that almost 90 percent of the countries surveyed revealed greater transparency within their property sector over the last two years.

The index, which rates the ease and safety of buying properties across the globe, named the United States as the most transparent market. The top of the list is made up of traditional established markets with the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand making up the rest of the top five. Canada, France, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden are also named “highly transparent” markets.

But emerging markets are catching up fast with a number, including Romania, Croatia and Indonesia, placing much higher than in recent years. Mexico and Brazil were singled out as locations that have improved their performance significantly over the past two years, while Turkey was named as the country that has made the greatest strides in improving the transparency of its real estate sector.

According to the report more still needs to be done within the real estate markets in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Although Craig Plumb, head of Jones Lang LaSalle Middle East and North Africa, believes that big changes will be seen in the Middle East in the near future. He claimed that policymakers in the region are starting to take note that greater transparency leads to greater overseas investment and a larger number of multinational companies moving into the market. Watch this space to see how the Middle East real estate market changes over the coming year.

For more information on the transparency of the world’s real estate markets make sure you don’t miss out on the chance to mix with the movers and shakers of the global property and construction industries atMIPIM 2014. If you’re after the best hotel rooms, rented apartments and even luxury, private yachts in Cannes look to EAS for all your accommodation needs. We can also help you with restaurant bookings, nightly entertainment and will organise all your transportation requirements. Click on this link to fill in our request form.

The sale of existing homes in the US rose slightly in July, as did house prices, showing that the worst of the housing crisis may be coming to an end in the world’s largest economy.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said that existing home sales rose by 2.3% from June to July, meaning that 4.47 million units were sold over the last year. The average house price nationwide was $187,300 in July, up 9.4% on prices from the same month last year.

Job creation, low borrowing costs and a small supply of properties for sale have been providing the foundations for price gains within the market. Regionally, existing home sales rose in the Northeast by 7.4%, in the Midwest by 2% and in the South by 2.3%, while sales in the West remained unchanged during July.

The length of time houses are on the market is also decreasing as NAR president Moe Veissi explained. “Correctly priced homes, regardless of price range, are selling quickly these days. A third of homes purchased in July were on the market for less than a month, and only 21% were on the market for six months or longer.” According to the NAR, house sales in 2013 are likely to reach five million.

Meanwhile rents increased nationally in July also, with 70% of the metropolitan areas surveyed experiencing rental increases from June to July. Chicago, Providence in Rhode Island and Baltimore experienced the highest increases posting double digit rises of around 12%. This is mainly as a result of continuing high foreclosure levels in these areas, which has boosted rental demand.

Nationally the number of foreclosures continued to decline, however, with 5.7 out of every 10,000 homes in the country being foreclosed. That was down from 6.5 out of every 10,000 homes in June.

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