On conclusion of their study they determined that Spain benefits from a strong ranking in the technicals and earnings categories of the model, coming second behind Switzerland.

Experts in the banking industry stated that estimates on profits have improved in Europe considerably and suggests it will not lose any more ground in the short and medium term. Based on the assets’ behaviour in november 2012, Morgan Stanley experts said that Europe has now overtaken the US.

Spain achieved its best marks since the 3rd quarter of 2009 and has been upgraded on economy rankings to the second position.

This is great news for those currently taking advantage of the very reduced prices being offered here on the Costa del Sol and the Marbella area, for some great deals in property in Marbella including bank repossessions, distressed sales and great bargains contact Aqua Estates now!

Full article: http://www.thecorner.eu/2012/12/switzerland-spain-top-investing-recommendations-of-morgan-stanley/

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The new law announced by The president of the Junta de Andalucia, Jose Antonio Griñan, now makes it possible to regulate the legal limbo situation of more than 300.000 properties on the Costa del Sol. About 20.000 – 30.000 of them are within the Marbella area.

Griñan admitted the complexity of this step. “ It affects the general interest, the interest of many parts, and requires serious reports, because we are talking about thousands and thousands of homes that will be legalized.”

Background: In 2003 the Andalusian government released a law ( LOUA) which put a stop to all the illegal constructions on the Costa del Sol, making it impossible for the errors of the past to occur again and creating a much safer buying environment for future. Although a necessary action, the result of this law was unfortunate for property purchases made in this time in affected properties, where owners were buying in good faith but ending up with a property with legal issues, an occurrence that will no longer happen due to the measures that are now in place.

The only reasonable and correct action to take by the Junta de Andalucia was to not penalize the buyers, who bought in good faith, and legalize the properties in question.

So how does the praxis of the legalization is going to look like? A board will judge “ that this legalization does not conspire against the public interest, that does not harm the environment, the security of people, and once everything is confirmed it will be approved.”

It certainly will take some time until all of the approximately 20.000-30.000 illegal properties in the Marbella zone will get the green light, but the Town Hall of Marbella started strong and legalised thousands of properties over the last year and more are expected to be regulated by the end of 2012.

In conclusion this is great news for all, because it means that future buyers of Marbella property will now have a greater choice of properties that will comply fully with the local planning laws, and of course owners of these previously illegal properties will now be able to sell or fully enjoy their properties on the Costa del Sol. In short, it takes time to fix the mistakes of the past and we are moving in the right direction, with measures now in place to prevent this from happening again.

Contact Aqua Estates now for more information and a selection of the best and legal Marbella apartments, Marbella villas and Marbella townhouses.

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Marbella has long been a favourite destination for Saudi families, following in the revered footsteps of their royal family who regularly holiday here. Before his death, King Fahd would spend many summers at El Rocío, surely the most palatial of Puerto Banus villas, being a sprawling complex of fittingly majestic buildings located on the Golden Mile, and Marbella remains popular with the rest of the Saudi royals. Mayor of Marbella Angeles Muñoz told Saudi Arabian newspaper the Saudi Gazette that she welcomed Saudi tourists to Spain all year-round and announced a special plan to improve tourism in Marbella focusing on “recreational, therapeutic and educational aspects” aimed specifically at the Saudi market.

Muñoz was speaking at the recent unveiling of a project which is sure to attract more Saudi tourists and provide a significant boost to tourism in Marbella, with a knock-on positive effect on Marbella property. The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Tourism Committee and the chairman of Al-Ahlam Marine Tourism Group, Prince Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Mohammad announced plans for an ambitious joint Saudi-Spanish Marine Tourism Project. Meeting with Mayor Muñoz at the Al-Ahlam Marina in Jeddah, Prince Abdullah said that they discussed “the best ways to benefit from the experience in maritime entertainment and sightseeing”, citing the reason for choosing Spain for this joint venture as “although the population of Spain does not exceed 40 million, it receives more than 70 million tourists a year”. With a significant portion of these tourists choosing to come to the Costa del Sol each year, Marbella was the perfect choice for the location of this exciting new venture. Both countries have been equally positive about this new partnership, with Prince Abdullah commenting that “The Spanish government benefits from mild temperatures year round in addition to competitive prices and accommodation rates as compared with other European countries like Italy and France”, and Mayor Muñoz expressing her admiration for the civil progress in the Saudi Kingdom and stating that Spain hopes for more cooperation between the two countries in tourism and maritime recreation.

Owners of Marbella apartments, townhouses and villas available for rent will look forward to the expected uplift in rental opportunities that this boost to Marbella tourism will provide, while ambitious long-term projects such as this Saudi-Spanish Maritime Tourism Project can only help to solidify the capital appreciation of properties in and around Marbella.

To view the latest listings of properties in the area, from compact San Pedro apartments to Puerto Banus villas fit for a Saudi prince, go to http://www.aquaestates.com.

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The Qatari Sheik and owner of Málaga Football Club Abdullah Ben Nasser Al-Thani has invested €400 million in the regeneration of La Bajadilla fishing port, located at the northeastern entrance to Marbella, with work thought to be commencing early next year. Upon completion in 2015, the new port will have more than doubled in capacity, featuring a massive circular wall, exterior dyke and 200 metre quay with capacity for cruise liners as well as superyachts. The marina will boast a luxury five-star hotel and a string of upmarket bars, restaurants, shops and supermarkets. It is estimated that the port will generate 1,500 jobs directly related to the port with an additional 3,000 indirect positions. This is the largest urban project Marbella has seen in its 60 year history and hopes are high for the effect it will have on Marbella property and indeed real estate all along the coast.

Marbella town hall has a 3% stake in the Port Al-Thani project and mayor Ángeles Muñoz has described it as “an emblematic work that will lay the foundations for a new city model and act as an engine of economic development for the entire coast”. Developers Nasir Bin Abdullah & Sons Consortium believe that this will be “the most important marina anywhere on the Mediterranean Coast”. Whether it lives up to these ambitious predictions remains to be seen, but at a time when many other European towns and cities are suffering under austerity measures, Marbella is looking forward to a future of regeneration and expansion, which can only be good news for owners of Marbella property.

View the latest listings of the best Marbella apartments and villas at www.aquaestates.com

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A Frontur survey carried out by Spain’s Institute of Tourism Studies found that 7.64 million tourists came to Spain in August alone, which is a figure that has broken the record since the Frontur surveys began back in 1995. Of course the Costa del Sol is one of the most visited regions of Spain, indeed such is the popularity of the Málaga province with tourists that the international airport will be extended to include a second runway in early 2012. Málaga airport can now receive a staggering 20 million visitors a year and is the largest non-hub airport in Europe. An estimated 4.8 million tourists visited the Costa del Sol between the months of June and September of 2011, according to figures from sopde (Sociedad de Planificación y Desarrollo) in its Balance Turístico Verano 2011 (Summer 2011) report. During the June to August period, airport arrivals were up by 4.48% with 2.1 million arrivals, 66% being returning visitors. Over 1.8 million visitors chose to stay in hotels and other lodgings, preferring 4-5 star hotels over 3 star, and as a result employment in the Costa del Sol’s tourism sector was up by 4.3%. According to the report, the direct economic impact of this influx of tourists amounted to €3.47 million.

So what does all this good news for tourism mean for Marbella property owners? In short, confidence, something that is in short supply in the world’s real estate market right now. It stands to reason that property in a tourist destination will hold and ultimately increase its value as long as that tourist destination is booming. Whether you’re looking for the best summertime rental yield for your Puerto Banus property or year-round rental potential for a San Pedro villa, the number of people visiting this region is key to your success. Similarly, long-term capital appreciation on any property in and around the Marbella area relies to a large extent on the strength on the local economy, one which is fuelled by tourism. So both current and potential owners of Marbella property can feel confident that investing in property in this tourist region is money well spent.

If you’re looking to invest in property in the region, whether for personal or investment use, take a look at our latest property listings at http://www.aquaestates.com/.

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Real estate investors will always consider the environment in which they are investing. Is an area in decline, or on the up? Are people actively moving to the region or deserting it in droves? Real estate prices rightly reflect the location of the property and this means more than basic amenities and infrastructure – canny investors look to the future. Marbella has a long history of popularity among tourists, but those wanting to buy Marbella apartments or villas for capital appreciation will want to know about the future and not the past.

Therefore the news that Marbella is to have its first international business school is sure to attract the interest of potential property investors. Mayor Muñoz is currently on a tour of the Arabian Gulf with the Marbella Councillor for Tourism in a bid not only to promote the city’s tourism in the Middle East, but also to establish ties with investment groups who wish to embark on business ventures in Marbella. This week, the town hall confirmed that an agreement has been signed with Nest Investments Ltd. of Qatar for an international business school, while Muñoz also met with executives from the respected World Trade Center Company who are said to be interested in building a business centre in Marbella. There has also been interest expressed in enlarging La Bajadilla Port in Marbella.

All of these plans are part of the wider development potential offered by the new General Plan (PGOU), the progress of which will be watched closely by investors in Marbella property.

View the latest listings of the hottest Marbella properties at http://www.aquaestates.com/.

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The Marbella property market has been hitting the headlines in recent weeks, with the ‘International Business Times’ highlighting the town as a ‘safe choice’ for Spanish property investment. Marbella’s micro market is undeniably attractive under the current economic conditions: some vendors are being forced to lower their prices, creating some fantastic bargain Marbella apartments for instance, however the town is as booming as ever. The International Business Times article quotes president of Sotheby’s International Realty Philip White as saying about Marbella: “It has been a major destination for years. It is safe, international, the restaurants are excellent and it has a sense of vibrancy.” The luxury end of the market shows little sign of slowing down, with strong demand for top-end Marbella villas, while the ‘middle market’ continues to bolster the area’s tourism and consequently the more affordable rental properties.

Marbella’s winning combination of reasonable property prices in a sought-after destination is in some way reflected in the wider Spanish property market right now: prices are coming down but the future looks bright. The Wall Street Journal has noted that average prices of property in Spain have fallen by between 15 and 40 per cent since the beginning of the global economic crisis. It’s not just the falling price of property in the country which is attracting investors, however, but also the fact that, according to the Wall Street Journal, there is “still a sense of long-term economic stability” in Spain.

All of this is encouraging news for Spanish, and in particular, Marbella property. Prices are coming down enough to grease the wheels of the real estate market without going into freefall, while economic stability and booming tourism is ensuring a bright future for property in Marbella and the wider Costa del Sol.

Whether you’re looking for the real estate investment opportunity of a lifetime, or a lifestyle property for your own personal use, trust the experts in property in the Marbella, Puerto Banus and Nueva Andalucia area – Aqua Estates at http://www.aquaestates.com/.

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