Cape Verde Lights Up!! Vila Verde has Power!.. What now Dr Frank?!?!

BREAKING NEWS....................................VILA VERDE HAS SEEN THE LIGHT........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At long last Electra - the Utility company for all of the islands in the Cape Verde Archipelago - has assumed responsibility for the connection of the water and the electricity which means the Green Village should soon start resembling the Vila Verde real estate development that is on the website and the original Cape Verde promotional materials!! (Remember them?! – Tom Baker was Doctor Who!! )

Positive news indeed and now that one hurdle is cleared, oh the joys and delights of the Cape Verdean bureaucratic connection system come next!! And if you thought the Indian civil service had a reputation for over staffing………! This is a civil service even Sir Humphrey would be proud to lead around the maze at Hampton court!

Once you have signed your Cape Verdean title deed and are the proud owner of an apartment on the Island of Sal – as many people have already done a long long time ago on the island of Mindelo not so far far away – you will receive the official legal documents stating that you are now the proud owner of your property on the Vila Verde development. These documents need to be taken to the Electra office and produced along with your passport and several other documents to prove you are the legal owner of your Sal property.

From our experience it is always far more effective if you set up a direct debt for the monthly "ish" utility payments. We know some people are wary of using these for the fear receiving query able bills, however better to face this possibility knowing when you arrive at 04.00 in the morning your utilities will not have been cut off from lack of payment!!

You can always query the bill when you are there – or as you are on Sal, and you will become Cape Verdean do what the locals do and get somebody else to go and query it for you! The good news is that, like all things in Cape Verde, even if you don't pay we are told that they sometimes can take up to a year to cut you off! So sometimes the delays work in your favour!

Here at Snagging Overseas we offer a connection service to save you the journey and, above all the queue. So please contact us on info@snaggingoverseas.com and book your utilities with us now. The first 20 clients get a 20% discount!

This is how most people feel after leaving the Electra office….! But at least you’ll be connected!

Life At Lisbon's Legoland!

PALMELA VILLAGE

Yes we are back at the "Pam", one of " Lisbons" most famous resorts!

For those that haven’t had the pleasure of viewing Palmela Village, close to Setubal and south of the capital Lisbon, this development is one for that old adage where you either “love it or hate it”!!

I recall my first sighting some years ago and was struck by the infamous color scheme and the highly unusual design of the properties. Like the “Guilty Pleasure” cd or admitting that you miss Val Doonican at Christmas I confess that my initial opinion has changed quite dramatically over the years.

Whilst I am still not overly convinced that the color scheme actually works and on the wrong day looks like Sporting Lisbon’s Football stadium ( lets hope Everton find the right place! ) but then it was designed by the same architect, Tomás Taveira, of both architectural and amateur movie fame!!

In Palmela Village the use of the living space and internal lighting is extremely effective and the split level mezzanine floors in the Villas does actually justify the price. Sometimes.

Whatever opinion people hold it is certainly a landmark resort and now that the Golf course has bedded in after what feels like 200 years it is starting to resemble the model village we saw years ago! (It wouldn’t be a Portuguese development if some properties hadn't been built incorrectly, or where building had been refused completely because of cork trees where the kitchen was going to be or just not built at all!)

Anyway our Portugal Head office will be closed during the Christmas period to renew our laser guns, rest our cameras and recharge the batteries. Well all of us except Serafina who is, by her own account, going to "catch up on marketing reading!". Sounds brill eh? *yawn*

You can still email us info@snaggingoverseas.com should you have any questions or queries during this time and be sure to visit http://www.snaggingoverseas.com/ to remind yourselves of what we do and where do it.

In the meantime on behalf of all the team in Portugal, Spain, Cabo Verde, Turkey and Dubai may we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.

Have a Snag free Crimbo.

Dads Army Snagging in Dubai,

DON’T’PANIC …!!

We are still " Snagging In Dubai !"

Whilst the world has been held spell bound by the economic excitement in Dubai our boys took it easy dropped their snagging tools and went on holiday! Suffice to say that in the developments we are currently snagging at Dubai Marina, Downtown Burji and out at Al Hamra and the Core Project it seems like a case of business as usual now that the religious holidays are over.

Which was quite unlike the furor caused by Dubai World’s statement that they were “a little short “before closing shop for a few days – it makes it exciting to say the least when comparing the style in which different cultures structure their affairs! (Although they all seem to embrace the word “delay! “ )

Doooommmmm….!!!!!!!!!!!



Speculation is rife that the capital Abu Dabu would shore up the Dubai debt – although it looks likely that they will not inject as much of the readies as its dear neighbour, and cousin, requires. This poses an interesting questionas to what exactly will happen in the short to mid term. Pragmatic observers believe it is merely a downward blip on the Dubai Radar and have advised investors not to panic whilst others have gone Full Dads Army and proclaimed "We're all doomed!"

Our advice : Always check the situtaion with your legal representative and engage directly with the developer where possible - Watch this space for photos of the developments currently under the Snagging Overseas Magnifying Glass.

Branson, Blesson, Bladerunner and Beauty

DUBAI

Following the recent Worldwide property show at the grand Hyatt - green shoots or are they perhaps golden palm trees?! – we’ve been advised that despite the downturn, there is over 900 Billion US still invested in Dubai! It would appear that people are still looking to buy in the UAE. Our contact in Salford has assured us that even Kai Wayne has already purchased in the Jumeirah!

Whilst out and about we popped into The Art lounge at the Grand Hyatt which was recently opened by the Oscar nominated and critically acclaimed director ( and business associate of Richard Branson with Virgin Comics ) Shehar Kapur
Talking of which, Dubai has the perfect comic book BladeRunner ( so was he a replicant?! ) setting with its spectacular futuristic buildings, stunning waterfronts, lunar landscape and the intoxicating smell of heat, humidity, spices and the exotic. You can often see the vapor trails in the air which is consistent with the temperature changes. – just check out The Burj (Which only means he Tower, so no prizes for naming their!) which was due to open its first phase next month. As the world’s tallest skyscraper it’s just slightly more elevated than Nikolay Valuev!

The air temperature combination has raised questions concerning humidity within the propertities we have been inspecting. In general, items identified require re-plastering and repainting with some sealant locks around windows allowing air movement.

We are currently working in Al Hamra Village Resort which blends in extremely well with its setting (ie spectacular!! ) A hybrid of Luc Blesson’s Firth Element meets Beverley hills! We’ll keep you posted.

Have a snag free week….!

Oscars-Shehar Kapur-Hyatt-Al Hamira-Richard Branson-Kai Rooney- Luc Blesson-

Where Eagles Dare - Portugal

……….WHERE EAGLES DARE..........


We are also currently snagging high above Albufeira at Cerro D Aguia.

Loosely translated as “the hill of the eagle” and commonly referred to as” Millionaires’ Row “it was one of the first residential areas lived in by the professional and wealthy classes.

Here, overlooking the Albufeira Marina – or Trumpton as we prefer to call it! - Eagles did once soar and dare and Iberian lynxes hunted without the fear of extinction.

Their habitat has slowly decreased over the decades but still the surrounding area is a blaze of all year round fauna from canary yellow mimosa to the white almond blossom – even in the height of summer the foliage still maintains a green glow despite the warm and temperate climate.

IT’S THE ALBUFEIRA MARINA ….!!!!!!

Historically, the Eagle crest has been closely associated with various important shifts in matters over the centuries with the Spanish using it on their Shield to signify their road towards democracy to Napoleon Bonaparte using it as a symbol of his new French Empire.

Incidentally, if you ever visit the historical second city of the country – O Porto – check out the huge statue of the French eagle crushed by the lion of England and its allies to commemorate Arthur Wesley’s stunning capture of the city from General Shue. Mr Wesley as you know later became more famous as the Duke of Wellington and faced Bonaparte at that one fateful meeting in Belgium.


THE REAL ALBUFEIRA MARINA ….!!!!!! ( and the view from Cerro D’Aguia )

Spain is on the up!

The UK press is responsible for so much, or totally irresponsible, depending on your viewpoint!

For example, many people mention the Spanish land grab. It was hyped in the press. Yet of the 800,000 Brits who purchased in Spain there are only some 55 cases of the LRAU (The law in question) being used against them. And there are strong arguments to support the fact that they, the Brits, may not have been in the right.

So why do we begin with this? Mainly because we have seen a big upsurge in snagging in Spain over the last few weeks and this is an indicator that the UK market is buying there again.

Yet the press would have us believe we were all mad to buy anything anywhere at the moment. Even nipping down the corner shop to buy a bag of crisps could put you in all kinds of danger. So don't do it!

Anyway, if you really are an extraorindary character and have decided to buck the trend and purchase a property in Spain because, well let's face it, it's the absolute best time to do so, please remember that before you go to deeds you should have this property snagged, or inspected for faults, and have the snag list that we produce sent to the vendor or developer.

Where are we snagging at the moment?

Well, in Spain's Costa del Sol we currently have clients who have purchased in El Campanario (The Belfry for those of us who don't speak the lingo). Paraiso Hills (Very nice too!) and Oasis Cala de Mijas.

On the Costa Blanca we have seen some action in Polaris World sites El Valle and also some movement Punta Prima.

Bu of course we will snag anywhere in Spain. We have even done some snagging in Galicia. Hence the photo. This property was sold for something like 55,000 Euros! Not bad, but it's a bit nippy up that way!

Anyway, have a snag free week and don't forget to contact Snagging Overseas for any proerty inspection or advice.

Snagging Overses at A Place in the Sun Live 2009

Well, we all know that Serafina our intrepid, knows-no-boundaries Group Marketing Director, believes that Snagging Overseas should go everywhere for all marketing opportunities. And so she prepared a trip for herself and then fell ill!

Laughed?! We were ever so worried about her health as we changed the tickets from her name to ours and got on the plane for Birmingham.

As you may know A Place in the Sun Live! is held twice a year, once in Earl's Court, London and once in the NEC in Birmingham. Being September it was in Brum.

So we duly packed up all of Serafina's marketing material and jetted off. Turth be told, we did sort of leave a lot of the leaflets in the suitcases but hey, we wanted to look at the public response and attitude to overseas property. We know they will choose us once they have bought something. I mean, why choose anyone else?

We did not, as it appears, and also as some people have tried to insinuate (Not Serafina, of course), just hang around star struck to get photos with Jasmine and Jasmine and Jasmine the three presenters of A Place in the Sun!

So what was the feeling in this edition of A Place in the Sun?

It seems the general consensus from the agents was that there was a good abundance of quality leads. What was interesting, was that this show had the highest ever ratio of visitors to exhibitors.

So, with all this talk of "Green Shoots" and "We're on the road to recovery", let's hope that the results of this show are what everyone wants - that buyers get a great deal, that sellers feel the return to confidence and that whoever buys whatever wherever that they choose Snagging Overseas to get the very best out of the proerty.

The best thing here is that we have got through an entire article about A Place in the Sun without mentioning Amanda Lamb! Oops!