47 percent of potential visitors to the Homebuyer Show, quizzed independently, say that they are sick of the weather and are now looking to buy property in warmer climates overseas.

The most popular destinations for overseas home purchases include the Mediterranean (29%) and Western Europe (21%), particularly those areas located near a beach or village.

The Mediterranean enjoys a temperate climate with annual average temperatures of 20 degrees, just over 6 full days of rainfall per month per year and 7 hours of sunlight per day, says BBC weather, so it is easy to see why people are abandoning the UK in droves to live their life in the sun.

Other reasons cited for moving overseas include:

• Fed up with the Government (13%).
• Want a better quality of life overseas (13%).
• Retirement (11%).
• Rate of crime (11%).
• Fear of terror attack (2%).
• Fed up with UK transport (2%).
• High cost of living in UK (2%).
• Business (2%).

Nick Clark, Managing Director of Homebuyer Events who run the Homebuyer Show and Property Investor Show believes that continued interest in overseas home buying is at a peak during the extreme months of winter.

“With weather like this, who in their right mind would not be considering a move to a warmer climate,” says Nick. “Winter in the UK is a prime time for people to reconsider lifestyle choices, particularly when other frustrating factors such as transport issues come into play.”

“With freezing temperatures and many places throughout the UK in darkness as early as 3pm, clearly places like South Africa, Australia, Continental Europe and the Unites States become far more appealing to people seeking a better quality of life.”

The show, now in its ninth year, will be held from 5-7 March 2004 at London’s prestigious ExCel Centre in the heart of the Docklands. Last year’s show attracted in excess of 22,000 visitors and this year’s show is anticipated to be bigger and better than ever, with a dedicated overseas property section.