Getting off the property ladder

I’m thinking of selling my home.  The reason for this is winter is on the way and I’ve noticed a distinct chill in the air as I walk the dog in the fields behind Rob Towers.  So the lure of living abroad is getting stronger again.  Also I have just had a bellyful of politicians on the television AND the expenses scandal has resurfaced.  I am sick of this country and my urge to  get somewhere warm is very strong indeed.

 Alas so is the Euro.  So I suspect that any mortgage news on getting a bit of help buying a place abroad is not going to be good news.  But one day soon I think I will make the plunge.  The trouble is – as you already know if you plan to sell your house now is not a good time for me to be thinking of selling my home

But is there ever a good time?  Well yes – there is as it happens.  The best time to sell your home is when there are people who want to buy it.  And that can happen any time.  You don’t need hundreds of people walking around your house, sneering at the kitchen fittings, coloured bathroom suite or lack of white paint – you just need one person who actually wants to buy your house. 

So how about paying more attention to the owner rather than the house?  Maybe we identify with a house because we have a load in common with the owners.

So if I was an estate agent (which thank god I am not), I would make a simple rule to sell your house as I believe it will be very important in selling my home.  Make a connection with the potential buyer.  If they are remotely like you they will probably like the reasons you bought your house.  And if they are not – you know it is a waste of time.

 Can I patent this idea?  Think of the benefits of matching owners rather than house requirements.  Less wasted time, less time spent complaining to real estate agents – and more time looking at a house you actually want to buy.

The world’s best investment

The Panama Canal must be one of the world’s best ever investments.  On a par with the USA purchasing Alaska from Russia perhaps.  But the thing about the Panama Canal is that it offers a short cut that effectively misses out all of South America.  Not good news for an entire continent perhaps – but pretty handy just the same.

  I noticed that when that teenager sailed single-handed around the world the other day,  he seemed to go through the Panama Canal and missed out on the dubious excitement of rounding Cape Horn.  I’m not sure how easy it is to do a spot of sailing on the Panama Canal though.  He must have cheated and used his engine.

There is something about Panama and epic journeys.  That canoeist who disappeared off the beach near Harlepool turned up in Panama.  It sounds a long way to paddle – but his rather bizarre subterfuge was just an excuse to invest in Panama real estate.  I would imagine the grieving offspring were a tad surprised to see their presumed-dead Dad gurning with a Panama real estate exec in the daily papers.

 But I don’t think you have to go to the extreme of faking your own death to invest offshore.  Most weeks my post contains at least one unmissable offer from the world of offshore financial service. 

Usually these are high street banks and building societies urging me to get a foreign currency current account.  Sometimes I get delightful brochures on picture-perfect foreign holiday homes, without which my life would apparently be incomplete. 

 But we live in an era when even a bit of spare cash invested with Ing is effectively an offshore investment.  And going offshore is surely one of the key benefits if you invest in Panama real estate.  Thanks to the Panama Canal – you can set sail for the Pacific or the Atlantic just by turning right or left when you leave the marina.

 There can’t be many places in the world which offer you such a great choice.  A wonderful climate, excellent real estate – and the opportunity to sail around the world almost at the end of your garden.

Ever been to the Philippines?

I’ve just been looking at last minute holiday offers in the Sunday Times.  Amongst the plethora of cheap deals to Turkey, Majorca – or more expensive offers to faraway places, one stood out.  The Philippines.  I started to delve a bit further.  The island destinations are fantastic.  The culture and cuisine are varied – and you can even get cheap flights.

In an era where the Far East is a must-visit area, with the likes of Cambodia and Viet Nam taking over from Thailand as groovy destinations, why is the Philippines more or less ignored?  With over 7,100 islands to chose from there are some real desert island castaway locations.  And it’s a big country in every sense of the word – one of the world’s top 50 economies.  I’m not sure the NHS would function any more without Philippino  nurses.  But as a holiday destination – the Philippines doesn’t seem to be on many peoples’ radar. 

Why would you go to the Phillipines?  Well its got some great locations for water sports at a price that won’t make your eyes water.  Despite centuries of exploitation there are also virgin rain forests, some of which are home to a living national treasure, the Philippine Eagle, one of the most spectacular birds on the planet. 

But why stop for just a holiday?  You could do worse than settle in the Philippines.   I found myself looking at the idea of buying a property there.  Just one click on Google took me to a  selection of Philippines real estate.  For example – where else could you get an exotic far eastern island hideaway for under £64,000.

Sounds a bargain to me.   I wonder if many Brits have jumped on this particular holiday bandwagon.  It’s not quite as exotic as a Palm island purchase in Dubai.  Nor as familiarly reassuing as a place in Provence or Tuscany perhaps.  But at these prices you don’t have to be a lottery winner to give it a go.