Praia, Cape Verde, 30 April - Cape Verde expects to approve Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects to the value of 600 million euros this year, representing more than half of the islands’ GDP (Gross Domestic Product), officials have said.

The head of Cape Verde’s CVI state investments agency, Victor Fidalgo, told Portuguese news agency Lusa last week that foreign investment of 180 million euros, equivalent to 20 percent of GDP, has already been made this year. This figure could rise to 1.5 billion euros by the end of the current session of Parliament, he added.

Fidalgo described these forecasts as “pessimistic”, as the interest shown by many countries to invest in Cape Verde suggests that the final figures could be much higher.

Overseas investment in Cape Verde per year was around 30 million euros until 2004 and the current level of 600 million euros would have been unthinkable at that time, noted the CVI chief.

British investors currently top the overseas investment league in Cape Verde, followed by those from France, Portugal, Italy, the UAE and other countries.

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This is just a letter of thanks, for all the hard work, time and patience that you gave to us in the purchase of our apartment in Dinastia, Los Cristianos.

Having had to leave the island through no fault of my own, I always believed that I had a true friend that I could talk to at any time.

I shall be returning to Tenerife as soon as I retire from work, after July and will be requiring a one bedroom apartment in or around Los Cristianos again. I would therefore be pleased if you as a trusted friend would act as my agent once again.

Once again thank you for acting on my behalf in true and professional manner.

Hope to see you soon

Yours truly,

Richard Williams

Just a brief note to thank you for all your help both before and after my purchase of number 8 Tigaday 1.
Despite some problems caused by the vendor you ensured the sale went through as painlessly as possible and I am very grateful for your professionalism and humour displayed at all times, I know that you went the extra mile on several occasions not least with all your help after the purchase. Without your help I would never have been able to settle in as quickly as I have, by taking me around the local area and showing me the local shops and various official buildings you acted well above the service I was expecting and for this I am extremely grateful.

I will certainly recommend both you and your company to anyone who is looking to either buy or sell a property in Tenerife. Once again thank you very much
Neil Nash

Many Overseas Property investors get so caught up in the search for a home abroad they neglect to think about insuring their property, a study has revealed. The research by overseas currency specialists HiFX found that investment viability and…

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With the recently opened Desigual, offering hot Spanish spring dresses, along with the lust-worthy feminine collections from Hoss Intropia and beautiful interior design items from Zara Home; there’s quite a Spanish presence on Regent Street at the moment.

It therefore seems particularly fitting that London’s famous curve will be celebrating a Spanish month this June, which will see Heddon Street, Regent Street’s food quarter, coming alive with the heady tastes, sounds and passions of Spain. Building on the incredible success of last September’s Regent Street Festival: A Walk through Spain, which was enjoyed by a remarkable 500,000 people, the Spanish month will provide an enticing, month-long celebration of the country’s finest foods, wines and festivities.

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Have you ever wondered why your property is still on the market when the one five doors away sold quickly … even though it was slightly more expensive and, if anything, the views were just not as good? Part of the answer could be simple, with an easy remedy: presentation. Everyone is now familiar with the concept of Property Presentation, since it is the subject of perhaps the most popular television programmes in the UK … ever. But can this type of staging help when selling property abroad? You bet it can.

Of course, the first and perhaps most important “presentation” will be in the photographs that should accompany your property details in your estate agent’s window. This is what will get potential buyers into your property in the first place. Make sure that the photographs that appear are those that portray your property in the best light. Does this sound obvious? Well, it clearly needs stressing, because you would be amazed at the numbers of photographs showing cast off clothes and shoes, unmade beds, bathrooms with overflowing waste-paper baskets that are produced … by vendors themselves!

So, whether you are intending to take photographs yourself, or are waiting for the property lister to arrive to take them for you, cast an impartial eye over what the camera will inevitably show. Make the beds, clear away items that are too personal for comfort … and this includes clothes, empty the bins, and draw the curtains back to frame the windows. Don’t take pictures of hallways, or areas without windows … although “transitional areas” matter when conducting viewings themselves, they do not photograph well. Concentrate on giving an overall flavour of the property, and remember that people will often want to see the exterior of a building and communal areas as much as interior shots before they decide whether to view or not.

When your agent brings around clients to view, stage the property in advance to make it welcoming. It is all very well removing all personal items to declutter a UK house, but with a holiday home, this will simply make them wonder who has ever used the property. Here, a few personal items are essential to convey the fact that this is a well loved and well cared for holiday home from home. Moreover, since DIY is often difficult at a distance, or in the restricted time you perhaps have here, don’t try to hide problems … rather confront them. For example, putting lights on to brighten a dark room will not necessarily help here when the outside sun is so bright. And, in any case, people are too used to these tricks of the trade now, and it can actually work against you, with viewers thinking that a reasonably bright room must, actually, be dark if you’ve put the light on! Make an asset of the shade, and remind buyers that the sun is there year round outside, and that inside shade is a welcome relief … look at the typical style of all those Canarian houses!

Similarly, don’t pull curtains to hide a small and drab external area. It will just make the inside of the room look smaller and darker, and people will, in any case, wonder what you’re trying to hide. If there really is a problem area, try to brighten and tidy it up and again deal with whatever positive aspects it does have … perhaps it is a private sun trap, or a small area where the washing can be put out to air away from everyone’s eyes. Do anything rather than trying to hide it, because this will just lead your potential buyers to wonder what else you might be trying to hide. It will make them worry just that tiny bit, and this is the quickest way to lose their interest.

Most important of all, though, remember the one piece of house doctor advice that truly does translate here from the UK: you are selling a lifestyle, and in Tenerife that lifestyle dream consists of sun and relaxation more than any other factors. Concentrate, therefore, on all those aspects of your property that emphasize these two features. Clean up the sun loungers, and plump up the cushions that you scatter on them. Put a small table by their side, and before a viewing, make sure that there you have a couple of drinks ready to provide cooling refreshment. You can always get a couple more glasses for your viewers, and their no doubt thirsty agent, and invite them all into your lifestyle … you might end up with some new friends, as well as buyers!

Hundreds of thousands of Britons who own a holiday home face a tax crackdown if they don’t come clean about their rental income.They could face penalty charges, prosecution and, in some case, could be forced to pay up to double the tax they owe.

HM Revenue and Customs claims to have details of 400,000 people who owe at least £2bn in tax - and it is preparing to get tough. The purge will start on June 22.

It is part of a wider assault on those who have not paid any UK tax due on interest they have earned on their savings deposited in banks abroad, including those in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

But those who receive rental income earned from their holiday home both in the UK or abroad will be caught in the net.

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As destinations go, Tenerife has to one of the best for work getaways. A host of five star hotels are ready to host your corporate conferences or perhaps your retreat would better suit a luxurious private villa with pool?

For an unforgettable incentive trip you can take advantage of all the varied activities that Tenerife has to offer from Quad biking and horse riding to corporate golf tournaments or ocean trips.

The following tips from respected motivator, Ron Kauffman, will help make your retreat a roaring success whether in Tenerife or at your own home office.

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