News

The jewel of Mauritius

Catherine Deshayes — 16/03/2009 13:28:00

Erna Low Property introduces a range of unique investment opportunities at the €1 billion Emerald Heights development in stunning southern Mauritius...

Emerald Heights, a visionary masterplan of freehold properties in the lush serenity of southern Mauritius, has set a benchmark of quality in one of the last remaining sanctuaries in the world.

First phase releases introduced exclusively in the UK by award-winning international agent, Erna Low Property, includes over 30 sumptuous one, two and three bedroom apartments with shared pools; two, three and four bedroom detached villas with private gardens and waterfall pools set within an abundance of tropical landscaping.

Designed and constructed to the highest international specifications, these exceptional properties feature hardwood flooring; spacious, open plan living accommodation; stunning architectural features such as the octagonal entrance atrium and staircase in villa properties; Villeroy & Boch bathroom suites; modern fitted kitchens with island units; air conditioning, satellite TV, broadband connection and 24 hour security.

Properties at Emerald Heights are inspirational while being affordable with apartments starting from €275,000, and villas from €895,000 inclusive of furniture package, taxes and fees.

"The financial crisis may be global - but it is not universal," says Stephen Aldridge FRICS, Lord of Wavendon, CEO Mordaunt Estates.

"Great and successful ventures like this tend to be very simple in their conception but complex in their execution.

Lord Wavendon continues, "We have simply scoured the world to find the right environment for our investment in property development and we have been extremely selective in our criteria: a safe and secure, non bureaucratic democracy with low corruption levels, low crime rates and a well educated population; a robust legal system based on British and Napoleonic rule; a stable and well managed economy which is not tied irrevocably to the dollar or sterling credit crisis; a superb climate with excellent IT, communications and flight connections. We were left with a VERY short list, and Mauritius is at the top."

Situated on the edge of the stunning Black River Gorges National Park in the Mont Blanc valley, the Emerald Heights community is served by the eclectic Trapiche Centre which is richly appointed with boutiques, themed bars and restaurants, gourmet deli and quality food store.

The Centre also offers a professionally equipped gym, treatment rooms for massage and therapy, and many leisure and relaxation opportunities.

Owners of properties at Emerald Heights have unlimited access to the five-star facilities of the private Emerald Lagoon Beach Club only 10km away by private shuttle service. The Club offers fine dining, sports lounges, near-Olympic size beachside infinity pool and the revitalising Gems Ayurvedic Spa.

Ownership also qualifies for privilege membership of the world-renowned Mauritius Gymkhana Club, an exceptional 18-hole international course, while the 18-hole par 72 championship course at Chateau du Golf at Bel Ombre is only 12km away by shuttle.

The Emerald Heights' five-star, 24 hour Concierge service provides a range of facilities including global marketing, inventory, rental and accounting services for owners who wish to let their homes, as well as private catering services, transfers and shuttles, secretarial and business support, leisure excursions and reservations.

Access to Mauritius is easy with direct flights from 38 international cities. Emerald Heights, being the closest property development to the Island's airport, is approximately 40 minutes transfer from Mauritius International Airport.

"This is a unique opportunity to invest in a wonderful freehold property in one of the world's booming tourist destinations, much loved by the English, French and South Africans," says Joanna Yellowlees Bound, CEO, Erna Low Property.

"Under the RES, the Government of Mauritius is attracting high net worth individuals to the Island who will enjoy the amazing benefits of this Indian Ocean paradise of which, most importantly, is the excellent value of the Emerald Heights properties which are sure to exceed every international standard in design and specification."

Construction of Emerald Heights has commenced with completion dates of first phase properties expected by mid 2010. Site visits are now welcome.

To sum up

First phase release of five-star villas and apartments on the vibrant and exotic Island of Mauritius

Elevated position with unspoilt views of the Indian Ocean and silver sands of the Southern Mauritius coastline

Private Emerald Lagoon Beach Club and Gems Ayurvedic Spa

Golf privileges

Five-star Concierge service

Beneficial tax regime

Booming finance and tourism economy

Safe and secure democracy

Perfect freehold investment opportunities

Residential status through the Mauritius Government's Real Estate Scheme (RES)*

Visit www.emeraldheightsmauritius.com, or place a priority reservation on

020 7590 1624, or email: info@emeraldheightsmauritius.com.

And the world's best building is...

Catherine Deshayes — 27/10/2008 12:38:00

The first ever World Building of the Year Award winner has been announced, beating off more than 700 other entries from 63 countries...

You may well wonder what a Spanish rubbish dump, the Royal Danish Yacht Club and a Japanese Dental Clinic have in common.

I'll put you out of your misery- they were all shortlisted for the first ever World Building of the Year Award, which celebrates architectural prowess.

Entries consisted of buildings that were new, restored, rehabilitated or converted and completed between January 1st, 2007 and June 20th, 2008.

Paul Finch, Editor of The Architectural Review and Programme Director of the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards, said that the most significant building in the world in any given year was not necessarily one of the most high-profile.

"It could be that a primary school in Glasgow or a small church in Peru is actually the building doing most to alter the way we think about the building type," he said.

In the end, Dublin based Grafton Architects' new faculty building at Milan's Luigi Bocconi Free University grabbed gold at the awards in Barcelona.

The University dates back from 1902 and has grown in the past 100 years from a privately funded institution to an international university for business, economics and law.

The campus now comprises an entire neighbourhood within a residential and commercial district.

The winning faculty building contains new conference and lecture rooms, auditorium and research offices for 1000 professors and postgraduate students.

Pic: Bocconi Free University's new faculty building

The 722 entries were split into different categories according to the building's purpose, ranging from learning, civic, culture, shopping, sport and pleasure. The winning building fell into the ‘learning' category.

Each of the categories chose a winner, and then the overall winner was deemed the ‘World's Best Building for 2008.'

The aforementioned Spanish rubbish dump, (which had been transformed into a green terraced agricultural landscape) won the Energy, Waste and Recycling category.

The judging panel, which was headed up by Robert Stern, who replaced Sir Norman Foster at the last minute after one of his designs made it to the final, was looking for ‘architecture that thought about complex issues in an imaginative way.'

The ‘totally 3D' building was chosen as the overall winner as it ‘fitted within the urban landscape but still stood out.'

Mr Stern said, "The use of space, light and local materials captured the essence of the city and the desire of the university to be connected with its surroundings.

"We were impressed by the building's physical and conceptual density," he added.

The new faculty building will have its official opening later this week.

Picture by pontuse

Stop searching! New SEO service is here!

Catherine Deshayes — 27/10/2008 11:19:00

Now is the time to get your website ready for the New Year revival, with TheMoveChannel.com offering an SEO service designed to help you plan and implement the right strategy to attract more buyers when the market bounces...

We all know that things are quiet right now and it's tough to justify dipping into the pockets to spend money.

But once Christmas is out of the way, interest levels will surge - they always do.

The chart above shows search volume trends for property terms over the last three years.

It's clear that the overseas property market is highly seasonal and tails off during the final quarter, with activity jumping sharply as January gets out of the way.

Act Now or Miss Out

Investment returns from SEO are probably the highest of all marketing activities right now - pound for pound, euro for euro, or dollar for dollar, nothing else can deliver you leads as cheaply as ranking number one for a relevant term.

But achieving those results takes an initial investment and results don't happen overnight, so it's no use waiting until the New Year to make sure your SEO strategy is in place.

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Good SEO companies are hard to find, particularly with knowledge of the property sector.

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This would lead to a series of recommendations and an SEO Implementation Plan, which covers:

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Link Building Strategies & Tactics

At this point, you can then either commission us to put the plan into action, or implement it internally.

Depending on the scope and extent of work to be done, we work to budgets of £500, £1000, £2000, or £5000 for the initial implementation plan, with the same figures for ongoing work if this is also required.

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The 10 best places to retire overseas

admin — 09/05/2011 11:51:00

There are parts of the world where riding out the economic storm in retirement is going to be a lot more enjoyable than in Britain. Savills estate agents’ latest Global Residential Review reveals that an increasing number of those in their more prosperous fifties and sixties are looking for a foreign retirement bolt-hole where the living is easier than in Britain.

Here are 10 hot spots for anyone looking to buy and retire overseas:

America

Florida, really. On average the climate’s a lot warmer than Britain’s, so you’re guaranteed sunshine. Property prices have fallen by 30-70 per cent over the past four years.

Barbados

Britons are the biggest expat community in Barbados. Celebrity owners include Sirs Cliff Richard and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as Cilla Black and Simon Cowell. Estate agents Cluttons (www.cluttons.com) report a 70 per cent increase in sales in 2010, compared to 2009.

Cyprus

It’s not just the sunshine that makes the Greek part of Cyprus a haven for Britons. Spend more than 183 days on the island, in one financial year, and you become a tax resident, liable for as little as five per cent income tax.

France

Brits tend to opt for coastal properties (39 per cent), rural (37 per cent) and mountainous (19 per cent), which means the likes of Aquitaine, the Dordogne and the Languedoc remain popular. But the prospect of spending a year (or longer) in Provence, à la Peter Mayle, is as attractive as ever. Overall, prices in France are eight per cent down on their 2007 peak.

Italy

You won’t find stacks of cheap, soulless, little modern apartments in Tuscany and Umbria. But you will find lots of rural residences with character.

Prices are between 5-20 per cent lower than September 2008, so for £150,000 you can buy a pretty, stone-built Town house in the village of Collodi Castello.

Mauritius

Picture postcard beaches, and an expat-friendly Integrated Resort Scheme, whereby you, your spouse and offspring enjoy not only residency status, but freedom from inheritance and capital gains tax. This is provided you buy a top-end property such as at the (288-villa) Valraiche development next to two golf courses (with another planned). Prices start from £500,000 for a two-bedroom villa (www.cluttons.com)

South Africa

Cape Town is where most Brits gravitate, with its equable climate and fine beaches. Prices can be 50 per cent less than the most expensive parts of Europe, too.

Spain

Murcia, in south-east Spain, was the original star of Spanish golfing properties. It now has more links-Side homes for sale, at below-par prices. Property sales in Majorca are also up (by 14.5 per cent in 2010), as is the number of Monarch Airlines flights from Britain. You can buy an (as yet unbuilt) two-bedroom beachside villa at Cala Anguilla for £180,900 (www.taylorwimpeyspain.com).

Switzerland

“Switzerland was generally unaffected by the recession and the property market remained buoyant,” reports Hannah Coppersmith, managing director of Pure International (www.pureintl.com). The company organises free seminars to help with the laws on purchase in the cantons.

Turkey

During 2010, property sales to foreigners rose by 40 per cent on the year before, totalling £2.5 billion. Not quite as good as the 3 billion of the boom years (2006-08), but enough to persuade accountants Price Waterhouse Coopers to name Istanbul the best European city for investing in property during 2011.

Source: Telegraph Online

Fringe benefits and tropical wonders for Mauritius buyers

admin — 14/03/2011 11:26:00

THE first shot speared to the right, arcing through the air to land with an audible "plop!" in the water. Moments later the second followed it, the ripples from the first ball joined by those of its fellow. My playing partner, who worked for a golf magazine and whom I'd met a few days earlier, looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I went on to lose three more balls and abandoned the game on the ninth hole, leaving my partner to continue alone, his eyebrows now permanently arched.

My sole consolation was that I had played the worst golf of my life on one of the most scenic courses in the world, each green offering sweeping views of the coastline of Mauritius, the indigo blue of the Indian Ocean etched with the white of surf breaking on coral reefs.

Mauritius is most definitely an ethnic melting pot, for invaders and colonisers have swept through this mountain-studded emerald dot in the ocean for centuries. Now another invasion is taking place, one led by golfers wielding nine irons rather than swords. And with them architects clutching plans for multi-bedroomed villas; behind them the honeymooners and the Parisians escaping the harshness of a French winter.

To experience the appeal of the villa invasion, I spent a night at one of the newly built Villas Valriche, looking out across the greens of Le Telfair's golf course and the ocean beyond. They have been approved by the Mauritian Government under what it calls an Integrated Resorts and Real Estate (IRS) scheme.

Under the rules, villas must be built to international standards with facilities such as golf courses, marinas, private pools, restaurants, sporting complexes and fitness centres and cost a minimum of $US500,000. Under IRS rules, buyers of the villas automatically obtain a Mauritian residency permit for as long as they own the property. It was all very nice, with my own butler on hand to prepare dinner, and a private plunge pool and more bedrooms than I could count.

Source: Adelaide Advertiser

Global phenomenon

Catherine Deshayes — 11/11/2008 10:45:00

Worsening economic conditions have now taken a toll on almost every commercial property market in the world, according to a global survey of real estate surveyors...

The past few months have seen a sharp deterioration in performance and demand for real estate in many regions that had previously appeared resilient to the credit crisis, in particular parts of Asia and Eastern Europe.

The slump in commercial property is well established in mature markets such as the UK and US, but a report today from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors shows that there are few property markets in the world that remain unscathed by the economic crisis.

The net balance of movements in global rents turned negative for the first time in the survey's history, led by weakness in the US, Japan, Spain, Ireland and India, while property values also worsened markedly in the third quarter.

The report, which measured sentiment among surveyors about the value and tenant demand for property, singles out the Indian market as being particularly hard hit. The region has attracted many overseas investors hoping to tap into the property needs of a previously booming economy.

Rising interest rates, higher inflation and a lack of liquidity is affecting confidence in the country, says the report, and 45 per cent more surveyors reported a fall in occupier demand compared with six per cent in the last quarter. The balance of surveyors reporting investor purchases plummeted from zero to minus 73.

The biggest slump in capital values has been in Eastern Europe, a marked turnaround considering expectations of growth only three months ago.

Source: The Financial Times

New property sites launched

Catherine Deshayes — 10/10/2008 09:49:00

TheMoveChannel.com, the leading international property portal, announces the launch of over 80 country specific property sites...

Each country site features in depth property listings that can be filtered by a multi criteria search engine. The investment opportunities listed include both residential and commercial properties, land and more unique property types.

Developers, estate agents and private owners who advertise with TheMovechannel.com will double their exposure by appearing on both the main TheMovechannel.com international property portal and the relevant country portal that their properties are located in. Advertisers however will not be charged any fee for this additional coverage.

Buyers can gain a valuable insight into countries through the dedicated country news, features, email newsletters plus online buying and selling guides.

Dan Johnson, Managing Director, comments, "We've recognised in the toughening real estate market, investors are adopting a more sophisticated and informed buying process.

"The new portals not only provide detailed information on the property stock available in a particular country but also fill in the gaps in investors' knowledge of a market through reference materials and frequent news updates," added Mr Johnson.

Source: www.themovechannel.com

Mauritian development proves popular

Jude Buttle — 02/09/2008 13:08:00

Villas Valriche, a luxurious residential golf development in Mauritius, has sold almost all of its first phase properties, according to reports by Cluttons Resorts.

The estate agent claims that 95% of the 132 villas launched in phase one have sold and that those investors who purchased property early on in the development - situated on the south-west coast of the country in the Savanne region - have already prospered from significant capital appreciation.

The project, which is set around an 18-hole championship golf course, will feature a total of 288 Mauritian plantation-style villas set across 525 acres, with stunning views overlooking the Indian Ocean.

Villas Valriche is part of the Mauritian Government's Integrated Resorts Scheme (IRS), which allows foreigners to purchase Mauritian property and provides automatic residency to freehold homeowners and their dependants.

Although income tax is charged at around 17.4%, Mauritius is a tax-efficient destination, where domiciles are not charged capital gains or inheritance taxes.