Buying or Selling a  Holiday Home

Buying a Holiday Home Tips :

1. Location, Location, Location : Whether for personal use, rental returns or capital appreciation, no other single factor has a bigger impact on how satisfied you will be with the buying of your holiday home. Think carefully about the location of your holiday home before you buy.

2. What Type of Holiday Home ? How much space do you need in your holiday home ? Are you planning to have family and friends stay ? What is the rental market like for holiday homes ( apartments or villas) in the location you have chosen ? Do you want or need access to a pool ?

3. Use reputable Estate Agents. When selecting an Estate Agent, get advice from others who have purchased a holiday home in your chosen location to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable company. The right real estate agent will work with you to understand what you are looking for when buying a holiday home and will help you narrow the search to good quality properties that match your needs.

4. Visit a lot of potential holiday homes  .. and return more than once: It is easy to get swept up in the enthusiasm when you view a property that looks like the "perfect" holiday home on a first visit. Second visits will help you more realistically assess whether this holiday home is really suitable. Visiting several potential holiday homes will allow you to compare your options and make sure that the holiday home that you select is the most suitable and represents good value.

5. Benchmark the price of the holiday home you plan to buy: Look for similar holiday homes in the same area to make sure that you are paying a fair price. 

6. Get a professional inspection report from an independent source before you buy your holiday home. Finding any problems afterwards is expensive !

7. Always get qualified legal and tax help. It's worth the money in the long run, particularly if you are buying a holiday home overseas.

Selling a Holiday Home Tips :

1. Use a reputable agent who can market your holiday home to the right buyers.

2. Be realistic on your price expectations. Benchmark what buyers are paying for similar holiday homes in your area, taking care to adjust for any special features.

3. Prepare your holiday home for sale. Minor maintenance and repairs, some paint and even some fresh furnishings can make a big difference to how buyer's perceptions and interest in your holiday home.

3. Timing is everything. You may not get much interest in your holiday home during the off-season , so try to sell when the demand is highest.