Welcome to 1st offplan news

Buy property direct from the developer!
Buying direct from the developer is the best method of investing into property abroad. You get to buy at the lowest prices, chose your position on the development and in some cases you are also able to chose styles for tiles and kitchen layout etc.

Developers often do not have the people skills or recourses to provide buyers with the level of service expected when investing thousands of pounds into property in a different country. Also, over the construction period and beyond, buyers need a service that they probably would not receive from the average developer direct.

Here at 1stoffplan we improve the service from the developer so you receive a five star service, we also stay with you after construction to sort out those little problems that always crop up, we sell at developers prices. In fact, you are more likely to receive discounts - we guarantee it.

We are not estate agents but we are more than just a web site. All our developers are under contract to us.

To find out more, why not start with why buy off plan? Our membership is also recommended!

Online shopping in the UK set to hit £40bn
A recent survey showed that online shopping is set to hit £40bn in the UK as more and more consumers turn to the Internet when looking for products. A separate study revealed that online Christmas shopping will reach 13.8bn this year; the boom is being fuelled by cheap broadband deals with more than three quarters of British homes now having a fast broadband connection.

1stoffplan have been working now for a number of years to build up investor confidence in its business, to the extent where clients invest into off plan contracts online. We are beginning to achieve this with the help of our investor membership; the membership allows our clients to get to know us first before investing, also the level of service and benefits has helped to increase investor confidence to the point that clients are now investing every week with our online service. See our membership page.

Barbados with 100% mortgage facility
1stoffplan are offering 5 star offplan investments in Barbados, with a complete finance package that will repay the clients deposit on completion, the development also offers a guaranteed rental agreement that should make the mortgage payments, reservations can be made with just £1,000, for more information you are welcome to email us info@1stoffplan.com

Dubai bridge collapses
A bridge under construction has collapsed in Dubai killing seven workers and injuring 15, the bridge was being built in the Dulia marina, a new project in the United Emirates city.

More than 40 people were working on the bridge at the time. Foreign workers in Dubai recently went on strike demanding higher pay and improved housing for working on prestige projects such as Burj Dubai - set to be the world's tallest building. It was estimated the workers earned on average 9,600 dirhams ($2,615; £1,240) a year. Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, but safety on construction sites has been the subject of much debate.

Bulgaria investment news
In its first three months as an EU member, Bulgaria has seen an average residential property price increase of around 9 per cent. With nearly 30 per cent of all property sales in Bulgaria being made to foreign nationals. The capital Sofia has become popular with investors due to the high demand for high quality western style rental accommodation, from both the local domestic population and foreign workers.

Customers who bought offplan pre EU accession are already seeing the value of their properties show a healthy increase.

In addition to rising prices, Bulgaria is expecting more tourists than ever before with visitors in 2007 expected to be well over 5 million, an 8 per cent increase compared to 2006. The majority will visit over the summer months and will be heading for the costal resorts, data reveals that prices on the Black Sea, Verna in particular where prices have risen by 16 per cent the first quarter of 2007 despite concerns about over development. All this adds upto an excellent investment opportunity for the serious investor and holiday home hunters alike: Now is the time to buy!

Now is the time for investors and property hunters to buy in the USA
With the exchange rate reaching its highest ever point recently and an oversupply of housing, now is the time for overseas property investors to pick up a bargain in the US. Now is the time to buy in locations such as Florida for example, but for investors looking for the preferred time to exit an investment in the US, the advice is sit tight and wait for the market to become more favorable. In short it is a buyers market at the moment with many properties selling at knock down prices, fueled by the glut of new property and the hope of attracting buyers on the back of the exchange rate phenomenon.

Spain is just as popular as ever!
Spain is just as popular as ever when it comes to investing in second homes abroad, with a huge 71 per cent of investment, activity is still focused on the traditional coastal areas.

As far as visitor activity goes, the most popular provinces between March and May 2007 were Granada, Alicante, Malaga, Valencia, Almeria and Tarragona. Almeria itself accounted for 9 per cent of total visitor interest in the country, and is now the fastest growing province with a 1.6 per cent increase in popularity relative to the rest of the country. Property prices currently sit at an average €198,000 – well below the national average of €250,000 – “Almeria province has really come into its own in the last couple of years. Property buyers have been slow to recognize the beauty and unspoilt nature of this province, but improvements to the infrastructure and low property prices are attracting more and more buyers each year.” click here to view Almeria developments

Gibraltar property owners news

Pilar Fernández, spokesperson for the Spanish “Agencia Tributaria en Andalucía, Ceuta y Melilla” has warned that her department will be registering all property owners who claim to be non-residents from Gibraltar, in order to slam down on fiscal fraud.

In what is one of the clearest warnings to stop the so-called abuses of the non-resident Gibraltar status Fernandez has warned that from “now on” the Spanish authorities will be studying all claims made by non-residents to establish whether they meet the necessary requirements.

Amongst the sanctions will be monitoring where funds originate from, and their use, as well as establishing if people who claim to have non-resident status from Gibraltar meet the criteria set out and recognized by the Spanish authorities.

Other areas which will be looked at will be whether third party or companies are being used to buy properties, and establish if there is any possible abuses of the system.

The clamp down comes as Fernandez warned that there has been a marked increase in property development in the coastal and tourist areas in the Cadiz and Malaga area, with the non-resident Gibraltar status playing a major role in such growth.

For advice and possible solutions email us on info@1stoffplan.com we have experts on hand to help!

Scandal in Marbella crisis
The situation in Marbella has obviously been a concern for hundreds of foreign home owners now for many months; it’s natural with so many high ranking local officials languishing in jail who would not be concerned.

The news over the past few months has been a little alarming to say the least, but there is light at the end of this rather murky tunnel.

In our opinion mass demolitions are very unlikely, we may see a few isolated cases, but the majority of properties will remain untouched.

One word of advice when buying in Spain, ensure the home work has been done by your legal representative, make sure you have the national plan checked on your behalf, this will show whether your development has been built on public land or not, if it has, do not buy under any circumstances.

Any questions we will be happy to help!

1st Offplan moving forward in 2007.
The year has gotten off to a fantastic start with many changes and developments, our new professional Associate program takes off at the end of the month, keeping us very busy, we are sure this will ultimately introduce many new Members throughout the year, our new Associates training program will ensure that all are professional and well informed.

We have also had a flurry of enquiries after the holiday which is great news, add this to a number of new sponsorship deals for 2007, full details will be announced soon.

1st Offplan signing new contracts;
We are happy to announce the completion of Contracts in two new locations for the start of 2007, first the exciting new destination of Cape Verde, also an addition to our Spanish portfolio the wonderful island of Fuerteventura both new destinations should be available on the website this month, existing Members will know about 1st Offplan and our phenomenal development over the past few years but new visitors can start to get an idea where we are coming from by starting here! Click about us