European property investors 'safe for the near-future'

Investors looking to purchase a new European property via an international payment can hope to get the most for their money over the coming years.

Those who invest now and look at a five to ten-year view will find their financial investment is safe as the market has changed from the time when people quickly converted off-plan for an immediate profit, it has been suggested.

Richard Way, editor of A Place in the Sun Magazine, commented: "The days of buying off-plan and turning it over for a quick profit are gone and certainly for the time being, it is not that kind of market. It's over."

He added that buyers could consider markets where prices have fallen heavily alongside more stable options depending on how much risk they are willing to take when making their international payment on a property.

"If you stick to the key principles of good infrastructure, good rental potential, good accessibility and, if you are buying buy-to-let, a targeted rental market, then you should be okay," Mr Way stated.

Earlier this month, Knight Frank reported that more than 80 per cent of destinations saw negative price growth in the last quarter of 2008. The statistic compares with the figure of 27 per cent during the same period in 2007.