Calling all investors checkout http://tr.im/qhJC

Up your game with Britain's major players http://tr.im/oTNN

Coming soon! Invest in commercial property from as little as €6,000!

More to Malta Property Investment

A traditional favourite with British holidaymakers, the small island of Malta is hoping to attract the luxury property investor. Once home to mass-market developments, Malta has learnt from its mistakes in the past and is now concentrating on high-end developments.

The Maltese emphasis is on the luxury sector, perhaps nowhere more so than in the capital, Valletta, whose Grand Harbour waterfront is currently seeing the fruits of a long restoration project. Costing around €25 million, Valletta Waterfront has been transformed from dilapidated rows of warehouses into a buzzing restaurant and retail area and a top tourist attraction. Near the Waterfront is the main quay, the principal entry point for the increasing number of cruise liners that include the island on their itinerary. The quay has just been lengthened to over 300m at a cost of €2 million and now allows larger cruise ships to dock.

Luxury property development is centred around specific areas on the island. Tigne Point is one such example. This rocky outcrop, which looks over to Valletta on the other side of the water, is a focus for luxury apartments. Construction at Portomaso in the St Julian’s district in the north of the capital includes a private marina.

Between joining the EU in 2004 and adopting the euro last year, property prices on Malta increased by around 8% annually. However, in common with many countries, Malta has seen a decline in its property market since 2008. According to the latest Knight Frank Global Price Index (Q1 2009), prices on the island experienced a year-on-year fall of 5.6% with a 1.7% drop in the first quarter of this year.

Maltese property is popular with foreigners who make up between 30% and 40% of buyers, with the British dominating the foreign buyer market. However, buying a property on Malta usually involves applying for a permit and the island implements strict purchase regulations for non-Maltese nationals. There are also rental restrictions – second homes cannot generally be let unless they are a villa with a pool or come into the category of “first-class luxury flat”.

“Malta has many attractions including its year-round climate and the increased availability of low-cost flights,” says James Gonzalez, Market Analyst at Obelisk Investment Property, “but it’s a small island and doesn’t suit everyone. And its purchase and rental regulations also restrict investment.”

For more information on overseas property investment and to find out about Obelisk's latest projects, contact Obelisk free on 0808 160 0670 (UK) or 1800 932 514 (IRE). From abroad:(+34) 952 820 319.

Obelisk also produces its Absolute Guide Series which contains the most recent investment information on 30 of the world’s top emerging markets. They can be downloaded free of charge at http://www.absoluteguideseries.com.

Email: info@obeliskinternational.com or visit our website: http://www.obeliskinvestmentproperty.com.

Property Investment Gets Flexible

If the idea of owning a luxury asset to use occasionally appeals or if your budget does not stretch the whole way, fractional ownership may be for you. For a fraction of the price of the whole, you can own part of the asset. For many, this investment vehicle offers the gateway to investment in luxury (including property investment), allowing those without seven-figure bank balances to enjoy high-end assets.

Flexible freehold ownership, also known as fractional or collective ownership, has been a popular concept in the US for many years because it offers an innovative alternative to investors. Not surprisingly, the idea is fast catching on in the rest of world.

Flexible or fractional ownership involves buying part of an asset (usually luxury) – for example, property, private jets and cruisers, racehorses or even a vineyard – for a small part of the cost of the whole asset. Investors purchase a part and can sell, donate or bequest this at any time. Since investors are direct owners of the asset, they also benefit from increases in the value of the asset should they decide to sell it.

Although fractional ownership is sometimes confused with timeshare, it is radically different. Investors in flexible ownership directly own a part of the asset. Participants in a timeshare scheme do not own any part of the asset – just the right to use it at an allocated time – nor do they benefit from any increase in the asset’s value. Timeshare is a cost, not an asset.

Another fundamental difference between timeshare and fractional ownership is that no financing options are available for timeshare. On the other hand, many banks and financial entities will provide loans for purchases of fractional ownership. Since fractional ownership is an asset owned for perpetuity and is ‘sellable, giveable and willable’, it is no different from outright ownership.

“While fractional ownership doesn’t suit everyone,” says James Gonzalez, Market Analyst at Obelisk Investment Property, “it does mean that you can get a bite of the luxury cherry without paying the full price.” James recommends choosing a fractional ownership investment very carefully – “You might not be buying 100% of the asset, but due diligence and research must still be absolutely 100%.”

For more information on overseas property investment and to find out about Obelisk's latest projects, contact Obelisk free on 0808 160 0670 (UK) or 1800 932 514 (IRE). From abroad:(+34) 952 820 319.

Obelisk also produces its Absolute Guide Series which contains the most recent investment information on 30 of the world’s top emerging markets. They can be downloaded free of charge at http://www.absoluteguideseries.com.

Email: info@obeliskinternational.com or visit our website: http://www.obeliskinvestmentproperty.com.