For those buying a holiday home abroad who intend to make full use of it during the warm summer months, the ultimate must-have is a swimming pool.

There’s nothing quite like having your own, private swimming pool on hand, so you can take a dip and cool off, or get your daily dose of exercise without leaving the confines of your room. Plus, relaxing by the poolside in the sun, enjoying drinks by the pool before dinner or dining outside in the cooler evening air are the ultimate ingredients for perfect holiday living.

If you fancy snapping up your own luxury home with a swimming pool, then here is a great selection of prime homes, all sporting swimming pools of various sizes, located in the popular locations of Spain, France and Portugal. Take your pick!

Spain

Located in Atalaya Park, between Estepona and Marbella, this one-level house with five bedrooms and four bathrooms also boasts a private swimming pool, outdoor sauna and Jacuzzi. It’s on the market for £798,235.

Also available in Spain, is this five-bedroom house situated about five minutes from Palma. It benefits from air conditioning, has a large garden, extensive terraces and that all important swimming pool. It’s priced at £746,585.

France

A sunny six bedroom villa, located in the hills of Golfe-Juan and 10 minutes from Cannes is on the market for £895,994. Outside, it has a private heated swimming pool, plenty of space for relaxing on sun loungers and a stunning Mediterranean garden. Nice International Airport is only 15 minutes away.

An L-shaped, solar heated tiled swimming pool is the star of the show at a five-bedroom house in Montpelier for £861,730. Located in a residential area of a village, the outdoor living elements include a large covered terrace with exposed beams, landscaped gardens and the pool. The house comes with planning permission for an independent guest house.

 
Portugal

A five-bedroom country villa, located in Sta Barbara de Nexe, at Quinta do Lago in Portugal is on the market for £749,402. The house is partly furnished, has air conditioning and outside there’s a beautiful mature garden and lovely swimming pool. Faro International Airport, golf courses and beaches are 15 minutes away.

Elsewhere in Portugal, there’s a luxury villa for sale in landscaped gardens and citrus groves in the hills about Loule. Inside, the villa has underfloor heating, three double bedrooms solar panelling and air conditioning in the kitchen. Outside, it’s surrounded by gorgeous gardens and has an inviting swimming pool. There’s also a covered eating area with its own kitchen, which makes it perfect for outside eating and parties. It’s on the market for £727,803.

There’s encouraging news for anyone trying to claim back overpaid capital gains tax from the Spanish Government, as a British couple become the first successful claimants to win back their money.

It’s nearly a year since Spanish lawyers Costa, Alvarez, Manglano and Associates (CAM&A), and currency brokers HiFX, together exposed the Spanish Government Capital Gains Tax scam. In March 2008, the two organisations revealed that non-Spaniards who sold properties in Spain between March 2004 and December 2006 were charged a hefty income tax rate of 35% on any Capital Gains, despite Spanish nationals only paying 15%.

They claimed that the charge contravened the European Community Treaty rules on discrimination and that it was against the rules for the Spanish Government to have made the charge. Plus, the Spanish Government could have made up to £350 million as a result of it.

To help bring justice to all those affected by the overpayment, CAM&A and HiFX launched Spanish Tax Reclaim last year and encouraged anyone who could have been affected to get in touch with them.

Many people did and, in addition to the successful claimants, 600 other British people are in the process of having their cases put forward to the Spanish Court. Between them they could be in line for reclaiming about £8.4 million, plus interest (the average tax reclaim is £14,100, plus interest). However, it’s thought that as many as 10,000 Brits could still be affected by the tax issue and entitled to claim up to £140 million.

If you sold a property in Spain between March 2004 and December 2006, then check out the Spanish Tax Reclaim website for more details of how to register a claim.

Q. My partner and I are looking to buy a cheap property in Spain with a view to living there permanently and commuting to England via one of the many budget airlines. I’m sure you’re aware that we are spoilt for choice with Spanish property due to the similar national downturn in buyer interest but we are still attracted by competitive ‘off-plan’ deals for newbuilds. Can you advise.

A. A lot of new property in the Eurozone is sold ‘off-plan.’ Put simply, off-plan means when a builder or developer produces plans for a development in advance of construction and starts selling units to buyers based purely on those plans. Usually, the buyer will pay an initial deposit of around 5-10% with stage payments until the property is complete whereupon a final payment is due.

A word of caution, however, given today’s financial turmoil which is affecting most other Eurozone countries similarly to the UK. Many developers, even once financially sound and profitable concerns are in deep financial trouble and/or have gone bust. Sadly, many continue to give the illusion of still trading, taking deposits off unwary non-national buyers and disappearing into the night with their money. If you can handle the risk of buying property off-plan, always use a fully qualified English speaking lawyer (not one recommended by the developer or agent) who is willing to place your deposit into a bonded account with a solid bank guarantee which, should the developer go bust, means that your money will be safe.

If you’d like some more information, take a look at our guide to buying property off-plan.

In comparison to the most expensive cities in the world where you can buy property, Global Property Guide have also recently highlighted the world’s least expensive markets in 2009. If you’re after a real estate bargain and aren’t too fussy where you buy your property, then perhaps one of these areas may take your fancy.

The prices are based on the average cost of purchasing a 120sqm apartment, in good condition, in a city centre location and the price quoted is the average price per square metre.

The least expensive place to buy property in the world was found to be Cairo, in Egypt, where it would set you back a mere $574 per square metre (approx. £404). Next up was Bangalore in India, where the cost is $657 (approx. £462). The third least expensive city was found to be Concepcion in Chile, where the property cost was $669 (approx. £471).

The rest of the countries making up the top 10 least expensive international cities to buy property were found to be:

4. Quito, Ecuador – $820 (approx. £577).
5. Chengdu, China – $999 (approx. £703).
6. Managua, Nicaragua – $1,080 (approx. £760).
7. Jakarta, Indonesia – $1,102 (approx. £776).
8. Amman, Jordan – $1,150 (approx. £810).
9. Lima, Peru – $1,154 (approx. £812).
10. Santiago, Chile – $1,221 (approx. £860).

It’s true that slick digs in desirable cities often come at a price, but some more than others. Most people are concerned with where you can pick up international property for reasonable prices, but to help you discover where your money won’t stretch quite so far, Global Property Guide have revealed which cities in the world are the most expensive to buy property.

Top of the list of the most expensive cities to buy property in 2009 is Monte Carlo, in Monaco. According to Global Property Guide, the average price per square metre, based on a 120sqm apartment in good condition in the city centre (priced in US dollars), is $47,578 (approx. £33,521). Second on the list – but only just – is Moscow, in Russia, where the cost per square metre averages at $20,853 (approx. £14,676). Closely following on its heels and despite of the global economic effects, is good old London, where the average price was found to be $20,756 (approx. £14,611).

The rest of their top ten is made up of:

4. Tokyo, Japan – $17,998 (approx. £12,670).
5. Hong Kong, Hong Kong – $16,125 (approx. £11,352).
6. New York, USA – $14,898 (approx. £10,484).
7. Paris, France – $12,122 (approx. £8,530).
8. Singapore, Singapore – $9,701 (approx. £6,826).
9. Rome, Italy – $9,166 (approx. £6,450).
10. Mumbai, India – $9,163 (approx. £6448).

It’s 20 years since the infamous Berlin wall came down, reuniting east and west and transforming life in the city of Berlin, Germany.

A recent episode of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location, saw Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp helping a couple look for a home in the UK and an investment property in Berlin. In typical Location, Location, Location fashion, despite looking at some great properties in Berlin, the couple eventually decided that perhaps they wouldn’t buy in Berlin just yet after all. But if it’s piqued your interest and got you wondering about the benefits of Berlin, then here’s a brief rundown.

• Germany as a whole has a strong culture of renting property, rather than buying. Berlin is no different and there’s a low percentage of property ownership – over 80% of Berliners are tenants, rather than property owners. This offers good possibilities for buy-to-let investors, who want to purchase Berlin property for rental purposes.
• The rental culture means that many people rent on a long-term basis, rather than short-term, so you may be able to get a tenant who stays put for a while, reducing the hassle of regularly having to find new tenants.
• There are also opportunities for short term corporate rentals too. Many large companies are based in Berlin and, where they used to house employees in hotels for a short-term basis, the increase in tourism has boosted hotel prices. So, small furnished apartments on short leases are proving a good alternative for business use.
• Some of the prime areas to buy include the up-and-coming central eastern districts, as explored by Location, Location, Location, such as Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg.
• Other more established and affluent areas of Berlin, with more expensive properties, are the central western parts, such as Charlottenberg, Wilmersdorf, Mitte and Schoneberg.
• In the central parts of Berlin, there are mostly flats and apartments available – in old historic buildings, as well as some new builds. If you’re interested in houses, you may need to look towards the leafy suburbs, on the outskirts of the city.

See something you like? Take a look at properties for sale in Berlin.