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If surveys show 40 percent of the UK adult population would like to make an overseas property investment, why have only four percent actually done it?

This is one of the questions which Richard Brady of Olive Tree International hopes to find an answer to. He said: “Buyers looking to invest abroad are often daunted by the wide choice, particularly as the world has opened up so rapidly in the last five years.

“ With pensions floundering and plenty of up-beat articles in the press extolling the virtues of buying overseas it seems the obvious place in which to invest but of course many are concerned about adverse press such as land grab and therefore although opinion polls show a large number of UK citizens wanting to buy abroad only a small percentage actually purchase overseas.”

Brady says the majority of people who take the overseas investment plunge can benefit enormously. He cites diverse examples such as Bahrain where properties have risen 35 percent in the last five years, Spain, despite recent bad press, still has an annual growth rate of around 20 percent and Turkey which has seen growth rates of around 20 percent pa.

Following the opening up of many Eastern European countries and old favourites such as Portugal and Italy, the choice can be confusing.

This is why choosing the right agent is paramount; says Brady who advises you pick one that belongs to an associated body such as The Association of International Property Professionals AIPP, or the National Association of Estate Agents incorporating the Federation of Overseas Property Developers, Agents and Consultants, or FOPDAC. “Where you see the term ‘due diligence’, remember that this could be subjective, particularly if the ‘diligence’ is intimately linked to the developments because they are the builders or the builders agents”, warns Brady. “If your agent is in the pocket of the developer you run a great risk of them not being impartial.”

Most people start their overseas search via the web site but just typing in ‘overseas property agent’ can result in an inordinate amount of companies – Yahoo brought up 8.3m sites in a recent test.

Brady offers the following advice. Read the web sites carefully. ‘Stunning scenery’ needs to be backed up with facts and figures. You need to gain as much information as possible about any given development.

Full story from fly-2let.co.uk