Egypt made it to the top of the Pyramid in our December Top of the Props chart, followed by surprise entry Thailand, proving that visitors to TheMoveChannel.com are willing to look outside the box when it comes to property investing…
Our Top of the Props chart provides a monthly pop chart snapshot of the most popular countries on the site and last month, Egypt reigned supreme.
Pyramid scheme
Egypt nabbed the top spot in December, generating the most interest from visitors to the site.
The country is fast becoming a much sought after investment opportunity thanks to the efforts made to improve infrastructure and to developments in the country’s tourism sector.
The sense of history is one of Egypt’s major draw cards and the world famous Pyramids attract millions of tourists from around the globe each year.
The Red Sea and its fantastic diving is another major attraction and the strength of the tourist market means that a solid investment property should provide a strong rental return.
Dan Johnson, Director of TheMoveChannel.com, said, “In order to deter flies from landing on him, Pepi II of Egypt always kept several naked slaves nearby whose bodies were smeared with honey.
“With an ancient culture that has stood the test of time, modern Egypt is a thriving 21st century country, with a property market that looks like being a relatively strong performer in 2009,†added Mr Johnson.
Thai it for the first time
New to the top ten was surprise entry Thailand.
Despite recent upheavals, the beautiful unspoilt beaches, stunning natural scenery, tropical climate and low cost of living will continue to appeal to millions of holidaymakers each year.
If you are considering more than just a holiday and want to invest in Thai properties, the country is a promising bet – it is the largest growth market in Asia and has become one of the Asian economic leaders, with strong business links with China.
Property prices also remain lower than in more established markets.
Vive la France!
France is a well established investment property location and, thanks to its enduring popularity as a holiday destination, rental potential should be strong too. The country took third place on December’s chart.
Those not looking to take risks with their property investing could consider French property as it is a solid market and easily and cheaply accessible from many European countries, with numerous budget airlines offering flights to many French cities.
Popular leaseback schemes offer tax incentives to purchasers, with minimum risk and guaranteed rental income. Capital gains tax on housing has also been halved to 16 per cent and mortgage facilities are strong as the market is so established.
Surprise, surprise
The United Arab Emirates has dropped four places, sliding from top of the props down to fifth place. Whilst the Dubai market has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late, this is still a big slide from the top.
Portugal seems to be on a downer at present, dropping from second place in October to seventh in November and to eighth in December.
Whilst Cyprus made its first appearance in the top ten in November, scraping in at number ten, in December’s line up, the country was ousted by Germany and didn’t feature in the top ten at all.
For more information on Egyptian properties and the market in general, please visit http://egypt.themovechannel.com/
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
TheMoveChannel.com is a property website that was founded in 1999 as an online resource for buying, selling and learning about property. It now receives as many as 300,000 visits per month and advertises over 50,000 properties in nearly 90 countries, which are listed by over 500 partner organisations.
For further information as well as images and interview possibilities, please contact:
Dan Johnson
Managing Director
www.themovechannel.com
0207 952 7650
