Many places in the world have quirky, unique properties, but few are more unusual than Puglia’s Trulli.

The Trullo – circular properties with conical shaped roofs – are unique to the area of Puglia, or Apuglia, in Italy (the region that sits at the ‘heel’ of Italy’s ‘boot’). The area has gained world recognition for these unusual circular homes and they’re now even protected by UNESCO. Trulli can be found across the region, where they make a very different type of home or quirky holiday property, but they’re most commonly found in the Itrea Valley and in Alberobello.

Trulli date back to the 16^th and 17^th centuries and were originally built of dry limestone rocks, without the use of any mortar. Their thick walls help keep them warm during chilly winters and cool during hot, dry summers. Peasant families were the key residents in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, but adjacent Trulli used to be used to house their animals too!

Today the Trulli continue to be popular, with many older Trulli having undergone renovation and lots of new versions built to complement the old traditional homes. For a truly (sorry!) unique home that you certainly wouldn’t come across in the UK, then a Trulli fits the bill perfectly.

Trulli on the market

If you fancy investigating Trulli further, or exploring what the area of Puglia has to offer, then here’s a selection of these quirky homes currently on the market.

This Trulli in the Fasano area of Puglia has been lovingly restored to create a three-bedroom home with an entrance hall, lounge/large kitchen, bathroom and storeroom. It benefits from central heating, a carport, a patio and a converted stable, which is currently used as one-bedroom apartment. It’s on the market for £240,965.

This newly restored Trulli  in Ostuni has two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom (it’s worth clicking through and having a look at the pictures of this property, as they show how unique the inside of the building is). It’s located in the leafy green countryside, in an elevated position, and comes with enough land to build a pool outside, amongst the olive groves and pine trees. It’s on the market for £258,412.

This three coned Trulli in Di Sopra, Puglia, has been renovated, refurbished and extended, using local materials and techniques. It now has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two reception rooms, a dining room and large roof terrace with views across the valley. It’s on the market for £268,244.

This unusual five coned Trulli in the centre of Ostuni dates back to the 9^th century. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and one open plan kitchen and living area. There are original frescoes above the front door and 8000sqm of land outside, including a plunge pool built into the rocks. It’s on the market for £212,267.

If you fancy having a go at renovating and restoring your own Trulli, then here’s a potential project. These two Trulli buildings are ripe for renovation – the main house has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and additional outdoor kitchen and the second is a smaller one-bedroom property. They’re set within 8000m2 of grounds, with fruit trees and olive groves, and are on the market for £209,139.

Find more Trulli for sale here.

If I was living abroad (and indeed, if I had won the lottery), a vineyard would be a dream come true. I don’t know all that much about wine, but I do rather enjoy a glass. And there’s something rather romantic about rolling hills and serene countryside. That would be quite a nice view if you coupled it with a glass of white. Don’t you think? So here are my picks of the best vineyard finds.

France

This stunning French vineyard property is just 18 miles north of Bordeaux. It comes with 45 hectares of vineyards (the property has a whopping 75 hectares of land you see). There is potential to develop it into a hotel, and at £14 million you might want to see if you could get some of that cash back, but I can’t quite get past how pretty it is. I’d much rather keep it all to myself. Although exactly what I’d do with 20 bedrooms I’m not sure. Still, if you’ve got a few million quid in the bank, a (very) large family and a penchant for a good bottle of plonk, this place could be for you. Or, you can check out these other French vineyard properties.

 
Italy

We couldn’t write about vineyards without mentioning Italy, could we? We this lovely pile of stone is right in the heart of Chianti (yes, get your Hannibal Lecter impressions out of the way now, go on). And well, it’s not only a stunning building, it produces a staggering 250,000 bottles of first class wine each year. Yet it does that and still manages to look like a charming little Italian farmhouse. Isn’t that clever. I want this one. If you’ve got a spare £13 million then it’s all yours. I might have to save my pennies for a little while first. In the meantime I’ll drool over these too.

Portugal

OK, so I’ve gone a little teensy bit crazy with the pricey houses. And I don’t really need 20 bedrooms. So this Portuguese vineyard property might just be within reach. If you’ve got a million lying about in your pocket. But still, you’re saving heaps if you go for this one instead. It’s got 6 bedrooms, and a circular lounge with an all-important library. Whether or not the books are in Portuguese I don’t know. But there’s a vineyard in the grounds too, which is what we’re after. Great news. You can enjoy a tipple while you’re in the Jacuzzi. Wow.

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.

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.

If you’ve got money to spend and are looking to invest in property, then Spain could be the ideal destination – especially if you love a bargain.

It’s still one of the most popular locations for property investors from the UK, not least because it’s very easily reachable and has a temptingly warm climate. Spain has previously experienced a boom in property purchases and prices rose considerably over the years in some areas. But like the UK, it’s now experiencing a fall in property sales.

Figures from the National Institute of Statistics in Spain show that in November 2008, 32,792 residential properties were sold, compared to 51,753 the previous year. Although it might not be cheeriest of news for property sellers, for buyers it’s got definite benefits.

Many properties for sale across Spain are being reduced in price, meaning that if you’ve got cash ready to spend, it could well stretch much further. Figures in the region of €50,000 are reportedly being slashed off properties in the lower to mid end of the market, with up to €1m being taken off top of the range, high end and luxury properties.

So, what can you get for your money?

• If your budget is up to £300,000, you could buy your very own two-bedroom, three storey house in the city of Barcelona, two minutes walk away from the marina and beach (£299,811).
• With a budget of up to £500,000, you could purchase a three bedroom house next to the golf course at Santa Ponsa, about 18km from Palma (£499,685).
• If you’re spending up to £800,000, you could buy a three-storey villa near the heart of Javea in Alicante, with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a large garden and pool (£799,995)
• If you’ve got £1m to spend, you could buy a brand new finca in the countryside at Portol, on the island of Mallorca, with four bedrooms, two reception rooms, three bathrooms, air conditioning and a large pool (£999,369).

There’s more good news on the horizon for yachting fans and boat owners, as the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is turning its sights to creating several magnificent new marinas.

With the increasing appeal of marinas and marina property, a number of new top notch marinas are being created on the island, to help boost tourism and interest in property. The new marinas are set to be located at the major resorts of Limassol, Larnaca, Ayia Napa and, Paphos, plus a smaller marina at Zygi, and between them will create thousands of new berths for yachts, plus high class leisure facilities and new property.

Various consortiums of private companies are involved in the creation of the marinas, with some still in the tendering process. The biggest by far will be at Limassol, which has recently been awarded to the Zenon consortium, and construction starts in early 2009.

The grand plans for the Limassol marina include a man-made artificial island, with 600 berths, plus 400 berths on the mainland. It will be located near the centre of Limassol and carefully designed to complement the old harbour, old town and medieval castle.

At the new Larnaca marina, which is expected to have at least 900 berths, it will also be able to accommodate the so-called super yachts, measuring over 35 metres in length, and host a terminal for cruise liners. Larnaca is already an important port on the island, but can only accommodate 200 boats, so it will be a massive improvement.

If you’re considering investing in a golf property, or buying a home near a golf course, it can be mind-boggling trying to decide where to choose, as there are so many top notch overseas golf courses these days. But inspiration is at hand, thanks to the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), who’ve recently assessed thousands of courses around the world and named the winners in their prestigious annual awards.

The annual IAGTO awards recognise the outstanding golf destinations in five regions of the world – Asia and Australasia, Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf States, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and Europe. In addition, the International Association of Golf Travel Writers, a sister organisation of IAGTO, which represents over 100 members in 27 countries, awards a prize for the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year.

The awards celebrate the destinations which are making waves in the golf tourism world and the results are invariably of interest to property investors, as they highlight areas where golfing properties may do well, either currently or in the future.

The results of the 2009 IAGTO Awards are in:

New Zealand picked up the award for the Golf Destination of the Year: Asia and Australasia.

The European award went to Andalucia, in Spain (no surprises here).

The Africa, Indian Ocean and Gulf States award was picked up by Dubai.

The Latin America and Caribbean award went to the Dominican Republic.

The North American prize went to South Carolina.

As for the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year, it went to Kenya, which was noted for having 40 golf courses across the county, located in very diverse areas and with wonderful wildlife in close proximity.

An often-cited reason people buy abroad is the dream of buying a house and land to run as a business – most typically, it’s a vineyard property.

The quintessential dream usually involves finding your dream home abroad, moving to live in it and start a new life, happily tending vineyards to earn a living or fund your retirement. Of course, sadly it’s not always as easy or straightforward as that and heading abroad to embark on running a vineyard can be very hard work, especially if it’s a complete change of life and new career. Long hours are likely to become the norm, if only as you get the business established, and if you’re starting from scratch, it can take a while to learn everything and yield any returns for all your hard work.

But despite the potential problems, many people do take up the challenge and try and make their dream a reality – and some are very successful. If you don’t have previous experience in the wine world, it helps to buy an already established business which may come complete with customers, so you don’t have to learn the ropes and do extensive marketing. Plus, some vineyard properties are sold with all the necessary equipment included, which can save time and money in the long run.

Alternatively, if you want to be able to get away from your work some of the time and don’t want to live on site, there are options to buy a vineyard and a house nearby.

If owning a vineyard and making wine is part of your dream, then there are plenty of prime properties around the world that could fit the bill. Here’s some insight into what your money could buy you in various countries.

France
Located near Sauveterre de Guyenne, in the Dordogne area of France, is a wine property with 15 hectares of Bordeaux vineyards. The stunning 17th century house, plus gite for wine guests, is surrounded by vines dating back 20 years, including 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. It also comes with longstanding customers and is on the market for £968,415.

Italy
A wine estate in the Massa Marittima area of Italy, with 19 hectares of land, is on the market for £1,642,095. It currently produces 50,000 bottles of rose and red wines a year, one of which is prize-winning, plus oil, honey and Grappa. The large wine cellar that comes with the property is being sold with all the wine-producing and packaging equipment.

New Zealand
At Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand a vineyard nursery set on 11.3 hectares is for sale. The successful nursery comes with buildings, plants and machinery and the existing nursery manager (18 years of experience) is keen to keep her job. It’s on the market for £795,000 – £900,000.