For many people, the prospect of buying a property in the sun, is an appealing idea.  Many of you may have thought about it, or indeed done it.

When making such a significant purchase it is important to do your homework.  We spotted two news stories over recent days, where you have to feel some sympathy for British ex-pats, who thought they had done their homework, only to find their dreams end in tatters.

The stories concern people who invested in Spain, and in Northern (Turkish) Cyprus.

At the hotel we stayed at, we were struck by the number of property sales people who were hanging around, grooming potential buyers.  We spoke to some of these holidaymakers, who were enthusing about how they were being wined and dined, and taken on day trips, by their new 'friends'. 

They explained how they had received assurances about the property issues, relating to the Greek/Turkish conflict.  We did a little online research ourselves, and concluded that this was a time-bomb waiting to explode.  It seemed to us, that investing in property in Northern Cyprus was high risk.  It looks like the risk has now crystallised into a major issue.  

Click below to read the news articles:

BBC News Online: Northern Cyprus Court Ruling

Times Online News: End of the Spanish Dream

Kalkan Turkish Local News has some advice on buying property in Turkey, which can be found in our Knowledge Bank.  Members can click here to read the articles.