The economic future of Europe is not as cloudless thisyear as we would like it to be. Analysts forecast a recession. Investors andwell-to-do people are trying to hide their capital in the most profitableplaces. Bricks and mortar have become the best place to save money.

There has been an increase in direct investments intocommercial as well as residential real estate in Europe since the spring of2011. Cash flows are going into different directions. While the demand forproperty in Southern Europe decreases, there is quite a big demand forproperties in the Scandinavian countries. Swedish realtors are happy to note a 46%increase in earnings from selling different local properties. A new markettrend of 2011 is an active buying up of real estate in Turkey. It is notexpensive yet, but quite promising.  

Property in London is still in high demand. Russiansset the tone for the market. Elite properties in the capital of Great Britainare easily sold to non-resident buyers. You may ask why?

The reason being, the United Kingdom remains the mostreliable place for keeping assets in these European economy “hard times”.Approximately 500 million Euros were invested by Russians into the propertymarket of Great Britain. Sales are increasing, because the number of offers inthe premium property sector is limited. There are not enough castles foreveryone in the countries of the United Kingdom.

Russian buyers have been in a hurry lately, asanalysts note. The lack of offers is not the only reason. The Politicalsituation in Russia makes many well-to-do people move their capital abroad,according to experts. The British market happened to be the most favourite andthe best known for such clients. Nobody lost by buying a property in the UnitedKingdom. Investments into English bricks and mortar never lose their value; onthe contrary they keep growing.

Austrian property is another reliable investmentoption. Russians especially favour properties at Austrian ski resorts.Stability, tranquility, and opportunity to earn profit from the property areamong the main advantages.

Experts also consider buying property in Italy as successfullong-term investments. Current prices in the Apennines are relatively lowcomparing to neighboring Austria, Switzerland, and France. Elite Italianproperty is much cheaper, because Italy has its own technologies and materialswhich make a property cheaper in the end. From the legal point of view, almostevery foreigner can buy property or land in Italy. However, it was almostimpossible to get a property for a non-resident previouslyin Italy. At the present day good apartments with a sea view in thesouth of Italy are much cheaper than an apartment in Sochi. The reputation ofthe region plays a very important role in Italy. The North of the country ispopular among Englishmen and Americans, and constant demand keeps the pricesup.

Buying a property in Berlin will be a much cheaperalternative to buying properties in London or Paris. Cheap prices might come asa surprise considering the fact that Berlin is the capital of the country withthe greatest economy in Europe. However Berlin is more of a “clubbing city”than an industrial city, and practical Germans reflected this peculiarity inthe price of a square meter.

If you do not have millions in your pockets, abandonthoughts about living like a lord. There are many available properties inEurope that are within your reach. A hundred thousand Euros is more than enoughto buy an apartment in Europe. You should be actively searching for suchoptions among mortgaged properties. It is quite common that the owner of theproperty cannot pay the mortgage and offers the property for sale. Buying sucha property you do not take any risks, on the contrary it is a good opportunityto invest money. The price for mortgaged apartments is sometimes half of themarket value. 

At the present moment the cheapest property in Europecan be found in Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Croatia. But it is only for now.These countries have very good prospects and entering the Schengen zone willhave a direct reflection on the prices for property.

The present state of the Latvian market is consideredby many experts ideal for investments. It is not prestigious, you might say.May be for somebody it is not. Buy buying residential or even better commercialproperty in Latvia gives the owner an opportunity to get a EU residence permitand thus free access to European banks. And all these with relatively minimalcosts!

Before making a decision to buy a property in Europe,you should study not only the prices, layout, design, and architecture, butalso the maintenance costs, as not every realtor will tell you the truth. Makesome inquiries about the household running costs. Find out about the reputationof the place you are going to buy property. Stay aware! Spare no resources fora competent lawyer; check that the deal is transparent. As for the rest –Europe will be yours.