Estate agents benefit from steady stream of expats
Estate Agents - 07/11/2006 16:41:16
It seems business is booming for estate agents in Australia, Spain and other expatriate hotspots, as government figures show that almost 4,000 people a week left the UK to live abroad last year.
According to the Office of National Statistics, the number of UK citizens leaving British shores to settle elsewhere in the world has increased by around 50,000 a year for the last decade.
The most popular destination for the 198,000 Brits who left the country last year was Australia, followed by Spain and France, the figures show.
For the many UK citizens heading to these countries buying property will be an importance consideration. Indeed for many it is one of the main reasons for moving abroad, as house prices in Britain continue to soar to unaffordable levels.
But the government is advising any Brits who intend to buy property abroad to watch out for rogue estate agents and to do some thorough research into the market before signing on the dotted line.
A Foreign Office booklet titled Going to Live Abroad states: "British nationals purchasing property in Spain are strongly recommended to deal only with established and reputable estate agents or with other contacts whom they know to be reliable and genuine."
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