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December Top of the Props

Friday, January 09, 2009

Egypt made it to the top of the Pyramid in our December Top of the Props chart, followed by surprise entry Thailand, proving that visitors to TheMoveChannel.com are willing to look outside the box when it comes to property investing...

Our Top of the Props chart provides a monthly pop chart snapshot of the most popular countries on the site and last month, Egypt reigned supreme.

Pyramid scheme

Egypt nabbed the top spot in December, generating the most interest from visitors to the site.

The country is fast becoming a much sought after investment opportunity thanks to the efforts made to improve infrastructure and to developments in the country's tourism sector.

The sense of history is one of Egypt's major drawcards and the world famous Pyramids attract millions of tourists from around the globe each year.

The Red Sea and its fantastic diving is another major attraction and the strength of the tourist market means that a solid investment property should provide a strong rental return.

Dan Johnson, Director of TheMoveChannel.com, said, "In order to deter flies from landing on him, Pepi II of Egypt always kept several naked slaves nearby whose bodies were smeared with honey.

"The first recorded use of the flute, clarinet, oboe, and trumpet was in ancient Egypt. Some ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made out of stone.

"These are just three of the many amazing and interesting facts that fill the minds of visitors to this wonderful land.

"With an ancient culture that has stood the test of time, modern Egypt is a thriving 21^st century country, with a property market that looks like being a relatively strong performer in 2009," added Mr Johnson.

Foreigners buying in Egypt now have a much easier time of it - the property purchasing process is now far more straightforward and transparent than it once was.

Thai it for the first time

New to the top ten was surprise entry Thailand.

The country has been topping the charts as one of Asia's top tourist destinations for some time now and offers very strong rental potential if you were to purchase an investment property.

So much of the Thai economy is tied up with the tourist industry and recent political protests - which hit the global headlines - were extremely damaging to Thai tourism.

But the beautiful unspoilt beaches, stunning natural scenery, tropical climate and low cost of living will continue to appeal to millions of holidaymakers each year.

If you are considering more than just a holiday and want to invest in Thai property, the country is a promising bet - it is the largest growth market in Asia and has become one of the Asian economic leaders, with strong business links with China.

Property prices also remain lower than in more established markets.

Vive la France!

France is a well established investment property location and, thanks to its enduring popularity as a holiday destination, rental potential should be strong too. The country took third place on December's chart.

Those not looking to take risks with their property investing could consider France as it is a solid market and easily and cheaply accessible from many European countries, with numerous budget airlines offering flights to many French cities.

France also has a vast array of natural and cultural attractions and a well established infrastructure and transport set up. The cosmopolitan capital of Paris is a major drawcard, offering great shopping, sightseeing and dining opportunities.

Popular leaseback schemes offer tax incentives to purchasers, with minimum risk and guaranteed rental income. Capital gains tax on housing has also been halved to 16 per cent and mortgage facilities are strong as the market is so established.

Surprise, surprise

December's Top of the Props chart revealed that the United Arab Emirates had dropped four places, sliding from top of the props down to fifth place. Whilst the Dubai market has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late, this is still a big slide from the top.

Portugal seems to be on a downer at present, dropping from second place in October to seventh in November and to eighth in December.

Whilst Cyprus made its first appearance in the top ten in November, scraping in at number ten, in December's lineup, the country was ousted by Germany and didn't feature in the top ten atall.  

Other movers and shakers

Turkey climbed two places to take fourth place, whilst Brazil fell two places to take sixth place and old favourite Spain scraped onto the list in ninth place.

Picture by Darcy McCarty

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Overall Enquiry Volume for December 2008
Rank	Country		Change	Comment
1	Egypt		Up 14	1 month in top spot And New to top 10!
2	Thailand		Up 10	New to top 10!
3	France		Up 2
4	Turkey		Up 2
5	UAE		Down 4
6	Brazil		Down 2
7	USA		Down 5
8	Portugal		Down 1
9	Spain		Down 6
10	Germany		Down 2
11	India		Up 14
12	Costa Rica		Up 8
13	Italy		Down 4
14	Cyprus		Down 4
15	Canada		Down 4
16	Czech Republic		Up 1
17	Panama		Up 2
18	Bulgaria		Down 4
19	Argentina		Up 10
20	Sweden		Up 3
21	Morocco		Up 9
22	Romania		Non-mover
23	New Zealand		Down 5
24	Mexico		Up 17	Highest climber
25	Trinidad & Tobago			Highest New Entry
26	Switzerland			New Entry
27	Montenegro		Up 8
28	Uruguay			New Entry
29	Australia		Up 17	Highest climber
30	Greece		Down 3
31	Israel		Up 12
32	Malaysia		Down 8
33	Cape Verde			New Entry
34	Anguilla		Down 21	Biggest faller
35	Botswana			New Entry
36	Chile			New Entry
37	Croatia		Up 11
38	Indonesia			New Entry
39	Gibraltar		Down 6
40	Netherlands			New Entry

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