A small villa by the beach in Spain is the most coveted overseas property, according to a new Overseas Desirability Report from thinkproperty.com…

According to the new Overseas Desirability Report, which was conducted amongst more than 2,700 home owners nationwide, over 40% of UK home owners long to buy a second-home overseas, with Spain being the favoured destination.

The Report focuses on the popular elements investors look for when it comes to finding their dream home, and the lengths they will go to achieve their dream.

An idyllic location is the most important factor; indeed, the results show that 45 % of respondents would love their home to be located by the beach/sea, followed by:

• Town location – 15%.
  
  
• Village location – 13%.
  
  
• In the hills – 11%.
  
  
• In a ‘tourist’ area – 9%.

35% of respondents would choose to live in a small villa whilst 20% prefer apartment living.  Large villas took 17% of the vote, whilst just 8% would be happy to live in a townhouse.

Demand for overseas property ‘growing’

Mark Goddard, Managing Director of thinkproperty.com commented: “Our new Overseas Desirability Report gives a good indication of what home owners want from a property abroad, giving estate agents a clearer picture of what consumers are looking for.

“We have found the demand for overseas property growing steadily over the past six months, and predict that it will continue to rise”.

Mr Goddard continued: “thinkproperty.com now has the largest choice of overseas property compared to any other online property portal, including Rightmove – we listen to what home movers are looking for from a property portal and provide it accordingly.

“Our Overseas Desirability Report highlights the increasing demand for overseas property, and we are proud to offer home movers the widest choice available via a property portal.”

Features that make or break a sale  

The most important feature for homeowners when deciding to buy is the overall location (100 percent), followed by:

• Close proximity to local amenities – 88%,
  
  
• Central heating/air conditioning – 65%
  
  
• A good sense of local community – 57%
  
  
• A quiet area – 50%

35% of respondents would buy a property overseas as a holiday home with one quarter wanting to live abroad permanently.  A further 22% would invest for buy-to-let purposes, with 15% preferring to buy for when they retire abroad.

Source: Press release – http://www.ResponseSource.com