16 | INDUSTRY Media news
INDUSTRY By Amit Katwala
THE number of online searches for overseas property rose by 4.8% in December, a reversal of the usual seasonal decline, according to the latest fi gures from website Rightmove. The best performing countries were the USA, which recorded an increase of 16.5% on the previous month, and Germany, which posted a 15.5% increase. Rightmove’s head of overseas Robin
Wilson said: “Typically we’d see a seasonal decline in search activity from November to December of around 5%, so a positive upswing of 4.8% was welcome at year end.” He told OPP: “December this year
was unusual. I think it was just because it was so horrifi c outside and people were snowed in, so there was more web traffi c generally, and people were bored at home and so were feeding the dream of a property in the sun.” He added that the most popular periods
were normally January, Easter and the summer months. He said: “Things always pick up in January because of people’s resolutions and general winter blues. Easter is another big one, and July and August because people go away on
Researching the dream | Poor winter weather may have boosted overseas search
holiday and like what they fi nd. It tends to tail off at the end of the year.” Wilson said the fi gures were not necessarily indicative of sales in the various markets: “We don’t track sales at the other end, so I don’t actually know if our fi gures are linked to sales but it’s certainly indicative of demand. The climbers and fallers that we publish are probably indicative of the mid- term outlook. For example, if Germany (currently 7th most popular) continues the way it is going, it could start rising and competing with 4th and 5th place destinations like Portugal and Italy.” In a press release, Wilson said:
Quality Calif property
A new property web site has been launched to showcase high quality homes and condominiums in Santa Monica and the Westside region in California. Called
www.CarolynDelliSanti.com,
the site features, it says, “a diversity of tools and resources designed to make the home-buying or selling process as smooth and effi cient as possible. It has extensive Santa Monica property listings, including Santa Monica Canyon real estate and homes in other nearby Los Angeles neighborhoods. It also features an MLS search tool, community information and links to area resources, fi nancing information, market and real estate news updates, and much more.” Carolyn Delli Santi, the agent who has
set up the site, told OPP that often “you cannot trust that the information you fi nd online is accurate and up-to-date. This is what drove me to build my site. I want to
provide buyers and sellers with a one-stop real estate hub where they can fi nd relevant information and trustworthy advice on the local markets and lifestyle in the area.” Delli Santi is fl uent in Italian and has
spent many years of her career selling overseas property throughout Europe. She believes that the new site will attract international users keen to see what the local property market offers … not least a wide range of highly distinctive, up-market, architect-designed homes for top level investors.
“Property in Germany remains the undoubted star of 2010, fi nishing up only 23% down on January 2010, compared to France and Spain, both down nearly 40% at year end. Over the last two years it’s actually increased in search activity by 37% on Rightmove.” Quizzed about the puzzling fall
of Cork, Ireland from the highest climber in November to the biggest faller in December, Wilson told OPP: “Ireland stumped us. We think there are sometimes tie-ins with programmes on the TV stimulating searches, and there has been a lot of press coverage of Ireland’s property situation as well.”
Net deals
Web-savvy property investors are focusing their efforts on good deals in distressed markets. Online searches for Spanish holiday
homes now exceed those for French homes by 20% according to Primelocation. These fi gures show the opposite pattern to the previous results, released in April. Spanish property has experienced a 43% rise in interest, compared to a 1% rise in interest for French property. The US topped the list of online
California | Dreaming of a sunny site?
search, with a 90% increase in interest in the last year. Ann Wright, Primelocation’s international development manager, said: “There’s no single explanation for this trend - it’s a mixture of hard-headed commercial considerations as people see bargains in weaker housing markets like Spain and the US, as well as changes in fashion and perhaps the infl uence of politics too.”
www.opp.org.uk | FEBRUARY 2011 Online search bucks seasonal trend
Climbers and fallers in online search
Online search destinations
%
monthly change
Berlin, Germany 31.62% Florida, USA
Auckland, New Zealand 19.46% Canary Islands 18.24% Lanzarote
17.45%
Aquitaine, France 11.15% Dordogne, France 11.62% Murcia, Spain 15.43%
Gironde, France 17.56% Cork, Ireland
45.62% 25.27%
PGA blogs
PGA Catalunya, one of Europe’s leading golf and real estate developers has launched its own “destination blog” at
www.lifeatpga.com PGA Catalunya believes that “2011 will be the year of the blog.” Quoting OPP’s January issue, the
company says that “there has been a notable increase in using the internet as an interactive, engaging multimedia space for professional networking.” According to PGA Catalunya “users
will enjoy an inspiring, attractive and informative platform packed full of need to know information about the resort and surrounding area.” Special features include: • Onsite video footage • Films of recent events • Interviews with key personnel • Restaurant reviews • Photo gallery • Regular construction updates • Golf tips from resident experts • Competitions • Destination breakdowns • Comment from the
www.lifeatpga. com community • Links to PGA Catalunya’s dedicated Facebook page • PGA Catalunya’s latest Twitter posts • Links to online Flickr photo galleries • Fully compatible with i phones PGA Catalunya says that the new site
is part of its “committment to building long-term relationships with guests, owners and residents.”
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