Buying Guides
Title Insurance and Ownership Security for Overseas Property: Do You Need It?
Title insurance protects against defects in property ownership discovered after purchase — from unknown liens to planning irregularities and inheritance disputes. Whether you need it depends heavily on which market you are buying in and how robust the title investigation has been.
Read guide →Buying GuidesProperty Investment Scams: Red Flags Every Overseas Buyer Must Know
Property fraud and mis-selling cost international investors significant sums every year. Understanding the most common scams — and the protections that actually work — is essential before committing to any overseas purchase.
Read guide →Buying GuidesHow to Negotiate Overseas Property Purchases: Market-by-Market Tactics
Negotiation norms in property markets vary dramatically across cultures — what works in Spain is wrong in Thailand, and what is standard in Greece might offend in Dubai. This guide covers the tactics and expectations for each market.
Read guide →Buying GuidesInternational Property Due Diligence Checklist: 50 Checks Before You Buy
Buying property in another country carries risks that simply do not exist in your home market. This 50-point checklist covers every critical check — legal, financial, physical, and practical — before you commit.
Read guide →Buying GuidesInternational Mortgages: How to Finance Overseas Property as a Foreign Buyer
Financing overseas property is more complex than a domestic purchase, but more options exist than most buyers realise. This guide compares local mortgages, international lenders, developer payment plans, and remortgaging across the international markets we work in.
Read guide →Buying GuidesHow to Verify a Property Developer Before You Buy: 15 Essential Checks
Off-plan property purchases carry developer risk that completed properties do not. These 15 checks will help you assess whether the developer behind a project is credible, financially sound, and likely to deliver.
Read guide →Buying GuidesGolden Visa Programmes Compared 2026: Which Country Offers the Best Deal?
Golden visa programmes vary enormously in cost, speed, and what you actually receive. This guide compares every major residency-by-investment route relevant to international property buyers in 2026.
Read guide →Buying Guides · United KingdomFull Buying Costs Breakdown for UK Property: Every Fee Explained
Buying UK property as an overseas investor involves several layers of tax and professional fees that can add 3–5% or more to your purchase price. This guide breaks down every cost so you can budget with confidence.
Read guide →Buying Guides · SpainFull Buying Costs Breakdown for Spain Property: Every Fee Explained
Spain's property buying costs are among the highest in Western Europe, typically adding 9–14% to the purchase price depending on the region and whether you are buying a resale or new-build property. Understanding every fee is essential before you commit.
Read guide →Buying Guides · GreeceFull Buying Costs Breakdown for Greece Property: Every Fee Explained
Greece's property buying costs typically run to 7–12% of the purchase price — but understanding how the 'objective value' system works can materially affect your actual outlay, and the Golden Visa programme remains one of Europe's most attractive for qualifying investors.
Read guide →Buying Guides · EgyptFull Buying Costs Breakdown for Egypt Property: Every Fee Explained
Egypt's property market offers some of the lowest entry prices among international investment destinations, and buying costs of approximately 5–8% are moderate — but the registration and legal process requires careful navigation, especially for overseas buyers unfamiliar with the Egyptian property law framework.
Read guide →Buying Guides · United Arab EmiratesFull Buying Costs Breakdown for Dubai Property: Every Fee Explained
Buying property in Dubai involves a mandatory 4% DLD transfer fee plus agent commission and registration charges that typically push total acquisition costs to 6–9% of the purchase price. This guide explains every fee in detail.
Read guide →Buying Guides · CyprusFull Buying Costs Breakdown for Cyprus Property: Every Fee Explained
Cyprus offers one of the most transparent and investor-friendly property buying frameworks in the Mediterranean, with total buying costs of approximately 5–9% for resale properties — rising where new-build VAT at 19% applies, though a 5% reduced rate is available for qualifying primary residences.
Read guide →Buying Guides · Bali, IndonesiaFull Buying Costs Breakdown for Bali Property: Every Fee Explained
Buying property in Bali involves unique ownership structure considerations as foreigners cannot hold freehold land title directly — but once the right structure is in place, total transaction costs of 6–10% are competitive for Southeast Asia. This guide explains every fee and structure option.
Read guide →Buying GuidesFreehold vs Leasehold Property Around the World: An Investor's Guide
Freehold and leasehold mean different things in different countries — and in some markets, foreign buyers have no access to freehold at all. Understanding tenure before you buy could save you from a very costly mistake.
Read guide →Buying GuidesDigital Nomad Visas and Property Ownership: A Guide for Location-Independent Investors
Digital nomad visas have transformed the options available to remote workers, but property ownership, tax residency, and legal compliance on the move require careful planning. This guide covers the major markets where we work.
Read guide →Buying Guides · United KingdomCurrency and International Transfer Considerations for UK Property Buyers
For non-UK investors buying British property, GBP exchange rate movements can add or subtract tens of thousands from the effective purchase price. Understanding your FX options before you commit is essential.
Read guide →Buying Guides · SpainCurrency and International Transfer Considerations for Spain Property Buyers
Post-Brexit, UK buyers face real GBP/EUR currency risk on every Spanish property purchase. With GBP/EUR having swung from 1.05 to 1.20 in recent years, a forward contract can protect tens of thousands of pounds on a mid-range purchase.
Read guide →Buying Guides · GreeceCurrency and International Transfer Considerations for Greece Property Buyers
Greece uses the Euro, so UK buyers face GBP/EUR currency risk on every purchase. Greece has fully lifted its capital controls since 2019, and EUR transfers now flow freely — but Greek tax compliance, AFM registration, and bank account requirements need careful advance planning.
Read guide →Buying Guides · United Arab EmiratesCurrency and International Transfer Considerations for Dubai Property Buyers
The AED's fixed peg to the US dollar eliminates one layer of currency risk for USD-based investors, but GBP and EUR buyers still face meaningful exchange rate exposure. Understanding Dubai's transfer and escrow rules is essential before committing funds.
Read guide →Buying Guides · CyprusCurrency and International Transfer Considerations for Cyprus Property Buyers
Cyprus uses the Euro and imposes no capital controls, making transfers straightforward. For UK buyers the GBP/EUR rate is the key variable, while Cyprus's non-domicile tax regime creates important planning opportunities for those considering relocating alongside their investment.
Read guide →Buying Guides · Bali, IndonesiaCurrency and International Transfer Considerations for Bali Property Buyers
Most Bali property transactions are denominated in USD rather than Indonesian Rupiah, which simplifies the currency picture for many buyers — but IDR management, Indonesian banking compliance, and withholding taxes on rental income all require careful planning.
Read guide →Buying GuidesCurrency Hedging for Property Buyers: How to Protect Your Investment from Exchange Rate Risk
A 5% move in the exchange rate on a £500,000 overseas property means £25,000 gained or lost before you have even picked up the keys. Currency hedging lets you lock in a rate and remove that uncertainty. This guide explains how.
Read guide →Buying GuidesCitizenship vs Residency by Investment: Understanding the Difference
Citizenship and residency by investment are often confused, but they are fundamentally different products with very different costs, benefits, and implications. This guide explains what each delivers and which markets offer which.
Read guide →Talk to a property investment adviser
Our advisers help international buyers navigate property purchases, ownership structures, financing, and residency-by-investment programmes across multiple markets.