Edole Castle in Latvia is talking up its unusual history, including a famous “Green Lady” who haunts the halls and staircases.

Edole Castle in Latvia is said to be haunted by a "Green Lady"

Parts of the ten-bedroom castle, on the market with a guide price of £3 million through Baltic Sotheby’s International Realty, date back to 1264. It’s a stunning setting too – the ancient town of Kuldiga – 150 kilometres from Riga – is a well preserved medieval town with bags of ancient atmosphere.

Spooky: the basement tunnels of Edole Castle

The castle, a fixer upper by all accounts which also includes a museum, is said to be haunted by the Green Lady who, according to the property details, is fond of walking up and down the stairways and opening and closing doors.

She’s said to be the ghost of Sibylla Maidel – who lived in the castle and married Johann von Behr in about 1623. There’s a grisly magical legend too, including a love triangle, a duel, a reappearing blood stain on a wall, someone getting buried underneath some church stairs, a gnome king and a supernatural golden spindle.

Looking at the property photographs, there’s no doubt Edole Castle exudes a spooky atmosphere, although whether it’s very own Green Lady myth attracts more interest than a non haunted castle in Latvia remains to be seen.

Find an airport overseas and invariably, as long as the flights are affordable from the UK, you will find holiday homes nearby. This works both ways. Property abroad can rise in value when routes start up, but equally Brits can be left high and dry when they close. So which way will the new routes announced this week go?

The most recent example is Albania, the poorest nation in south eastern Europe and arguably the least secure. Its ‘emerging’ economy hasn’t put off developers building luxury resorts there and with prices starting at €39,000 some investors are piling in. One reason why they’re happy to take the risk and buy property in Albania is thanks to the world’s favourite airline – British Airways this week increased the number of flights between London and Tirana – Albania’s capital – from three times a week to a daily service.

Overall, Albania’s economic indicators are travelling in the right direction. Tourism is increasing for those happy to venture into a country still in the grips of post-Communist architecture – there’s been an 8.5 per cent increase so far this year – and it’s set to join the EU in 2014.

Ravin Maharajah, from Lalzit Bay Resort and Spa – a five-star residential development 45 minutes by car from Tirana, thinks the country’s success is going to continue:

“Interest from international second home buyers is steadily increasing as people realise the buying opportunity is now rather than later when the prices may have gone up.”

At the other end of the property scale, the Alps is another destination to which the number of flights is increasing. It’s one of the most expensive places in the world to buy homes and now budget operator Jet2 is bringing in the Scots – the new services are from Glasgow (to Geneva) and Edinburgh (to Salzburg/Chambery) from December this year.

This is good for those with ski chalets in the Alps as it will increase demand for property at a time when it’s been falling away during the recession. Charlie Williams, from ski property developer Terresens, says: “Giving home owners and holiday makers more choice and more availability to fly is always very positive news. We are particularly interested in the new flights being opened to Chambery.

“This airport is a very key portal to get into the Alps but particularly good for people wanting to ski in the Tarentaise as the airport is only just over an hour from most resorts in this area.  This ski region includes Val d’Isere and Tignes which is undoubtedly one of the largest ski areas in the world.”

This Friday the Channel 4 TV show A Place in the Sun begins its three day tenancy at Earls Court in London and Primelocation International will be there, along with 160 companies offering overseas properties for sale and homebuying services.

Headlining the event will the show’s three most famous presenters – Amanda Lamb (who presents the show’s video, below), Jonnie Irwin and Jasmine Harman – who will be appearing on stage to give advice about buying foreign property and answer questions about their work as TV presenters and signing copies of A Place in the Sun magazine. But they will also be joined by other experts including LBC radio presenter, property investment guru and Apprentice TV show contestant James Maxx.

VIDEO: Watch Amanda Lamb introduce this year’s A Place in Sun Live show

Primelocation International’s property analyst Nigel Lewis will also speaking every day at the show on the main stage, revealing ‘ten things you didn’t know about overseas property’ including which country has the easiest buying/conveyancing process; which town the Spanish holiday home revolution started in, which country offers the best quality of life and which day was the best financially to buy a property in Europe over the past year. Catch him during the show at 11.45am on Friday, 12.30pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday.

And if you want a free ticket to attend the show – follow this link to claim yours.

Primelocation is sponsoring this year’s  International Property Awards in association with Bloomberg Television, the housing world’s answer to the Oscars with a red carpet event to be held on November 25th and 26th this year in central London. 

So could your next home end up with an international gong for its architecture, build quality or a range of other categories?

These awards may not offer the same glamour and stars as the yearly Oscars in Hollywood, but in many ways they are not far off with categories that include best golf development, international property, apartment and interior design.

The event began it began in 1994 and has developed into a global concern with regional heats held across the world during the build up to the final in London. This comes to a glamorous climax at an event attended by the leading lights of the property world and celebrities.

These in past years have included Rick Wakeman of 1970s supergroup Yes, BBC Royal Correspondent Jenny Bond, interiors expert Linda Barker and Location, Location, Location star Phil Spencer. And the awards have high profile sponsors too. As well as Primelocation.com these include newspaper The New York Times, Google, Bloomberg Television and Maserati.

But one thing that doesn’t change is the robust judging process. Every year the world’s industry experts gather to judge - including this time round Primelocation.com’s Nigel Lewis - whether the hundreds of entries from across the globe pass the quality test.

A wide range of residential and commercial properties are judged from grand villas in Dubai to office developments in Budapest, and previous winners have included UK agent Knight Frank, developer Berkeley Homes (for its Sugar House development in London) and the Dunas Douradas Beach Club on Portugal’s Algarve coast. But winners come from a wide range of countries including Panama, Brazil, India, Singapore, South Africa and Cape Verde.

The latest country to join the Eurozone is Slovakia, which officially adopted the Euro in January 2009. This landlocked country in Eastern Europe has already seen prices rise by 100% since 2004 and, in the past, joining the Eurozone has had a positive effect on other countries. If you’re debating whether to take the plunge and invest in Slovakia, then here’s a look at some of the areas worth considering.

Bratislava

Located on the banks of the River Danube and near the foot of the mountains of Small Carpathians, Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, has been experiencing much growth and redevelopment over the last few years. Interest in property here has soared and so too have property prices.

A major selling point for many investors is Bratislava’s prime location. It’s within easy reach of other large cities, such as Vienna, Prague and Budapest, and is only about 45 minutes away from two major airports, yet prices are significantly cheaper than Prague or Vienna.

Kosice

Often referred to as the ‘cultural centre of eastern Slovakia,’ the city of Kosice is the second largest in the country and has a rich cultural and historical heritage. Like Bratislava, there’s been a lot of interest in property in Kosice over the last few years – but prices are notably less than those of the capital. Although still out on a bit of a limb, ease of access to Kosice will be opened up more when extensions to the D1 motorway are fully operational (this is planned to happen next year, in 2010).

Together with Bratislava, Kosice will be hosting the 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship in April and May 2011. As a result, the cities are busy updating and building new facilities, to accommodate visitors and competitors.

The Tatra Mountains

The Tatra or Tatras Mountains are a large mountain range – the highest in the Carpathian Mountains – that acts as a natural border between Slovakia and its neighbour, Poland. They’re a very popular tourist destination, especially during the winter months, when skiers flock to the mountains in their droves, and ski properties sell well here as a result.

For those interested in investing in a ski property, but who are put off by the prices in countries such as Austria or Switzerland, then this area of Slovakia is a good alternative.

If you’re keen to buy in Slovakia, take a look at what’s available.