Property Market

Hi Everyone,
We hope to move to Malta early next year. We have picked up lots of information from this forum and wondered if anyone could help explain the current situation regarding the property market. Assuming that exchange rates, etc., remain level, we would have approx. Euro 300k to spend. We have contacted 2 agents who really weren't interested (we are 6 months away from being able to buy)one said the market is flat the other said it is very busy and properties were selling daily and prices would be substantially higher by next Spring.

We have been keeping an eye on a couple of sites and have noticed that many properties have been advertised for a couple of years.

Also how do estate agents work in Malta - is it like the UK - a buyer goes to the selling agent of each property they are interested in.

Like Spain or like America or something completely different.

When you buy in Malta, you goto the agent or look in the magazine "Owners Direct".

You will have notary fee's to pay and a tax on the property (Stamp Duty) to pay aswell.

When we purchased our first property we purchased from the owner and the second was Dhalia who are in my opinion very good.

should you need any futher assistance then please dont hesitate to pm me

all opinions are my own and should be treated as such

Hi dolfin and welcome to Expat.com! :)

Harmonie.:)

dolfin wrote:

and prices would be substantially higher by next Spring.


funniest comment of the week - I would give that agent a wide berth

prices have prob dropped 20% from their peak 2-3 years ago, and based on the massive oversupply and the low rental yields, I think a further 20-30% is on the cards.

dolfin wrote:

We have contacted 2 agents who really weren't interested (we are 6 months away from being able to buy)


- agents here only think about next week

Thanks everyone,
This has been really helpful.
Looking forward to coming over in September to do more research.
Jane.

Hi Jane,

that is the best thing you can do !

Take your time and research. I agree with George that the prices quoted are fictional asking prices and only time will show the real value. Maybe we will know it in one or two years.

It is very easy to buy but very,very difficult to sell propetty for a decent price here in Malta.

It really is a place to rent , especially while you are looking around for the right home. You can rent furnishied places for 3, 6 or more months and really go it safe before you buy. Always look into the area around places. Building permits for neighboring sites, noise levels at different times of the day and even seasonal changes and so on.

And many of the properties shown on websites are from the past and havn't been available for a long time. They just make the companies list look impressive - window-dressing!

Regards
Ricky

I so agree with ricky on this one as once you have bought it is so difficult to sell if its the wrong house, the wrong location, not so nice neighbours - or there is lots of noise or the services arent as you thought...

Live (by renting initially) in the area you decide upon and only buy if its EXACTLY what you want - it might take a while but its so much safer to do so especially when spending the sort of money you are talking about.

good luck