Welcome and Thankyou.
We would like to welcome Mark to the Valencia Property team. He has started working in the office and filling in and will be covering for me on many of the jobs that I currently do. Mark speaks French and Spanish fluently apart from the obvious English, he has the major advantage of also being a Liverpool fan, big thing on the CV, and shares our ideas of how a company should be run for the benefit of the clients in a relaxed atmosphere.

Thanks also go to Cris for her work over the last couple of years and good luck for the future. We hope that your time with us will stand you in good stead in the future and obviously we will be there to help you out and support you in any new ventures when needed.

Investing In Valencia.
If you saw anything in the World’s press last week about the opening of the arts palace which contains a stunning new Opera House in Valencia you will have seen that we now have one of the most emblematic buildings in the World here. The authorities are hoping that it will bring Valencia into the high class weekend trip market and will act as a great complement to and attraction for the America´s Cup yacht crowd that will be here for the majority of 2007. Here is a quick link showing the new building in all its glory. , Go to the photo gallery near the bottom to see it. There is a brilliant aerial view. Nice innit! Also from check out the pictures of the inaugural concert in the presence of Queen Sofia on thisisvalencia.com

Website Apology
We have been undecided about how to proceed with the website for a long time now. We decided to database it but that went nowhere because the database didn’t do exactly what we wanted it to do. In order to keep the site user friendly therefore you should now be looking at the new layout with easier access to the houses and more emphasis on the updates so that you shouldn’t have to wait a month between them as has been the case recently. We hope that you like the new look. If you have any comments, good or bad, send them to webmaster@valencia-property.com

Holidays.
Just in case you are visiting soon bear in mind the following holidays. October 31st and November the 1st are holidays. December the 6th and 8th are holidays but this year as they fall on Tuesday and Thursday you may well find the whole of Valencia closed for a week with the famous Spanish bridges between days this time looking more like aqueducts. We will be closing our offices from the 6th of December to the 11th and obviously we will have some time off over Christmas too. We will also be closed on Oct 31st and November the 1st.

Price rises again
Another report on trends in the housing market in Valencia reports a 25% rise in the year up to September in prices and predicts another 25% for this year as the stimulus and demand is still there. I do not agree. I think that rises will be between 10 and 15% this year and possibly another 10% next before levelling off after 2007. This is still a good time to invest in Valencia therefore and new mortgage products also make it very enticing with up to 40 year mortgages available with interest only for the first five years deals making an appearance.

Obviously the prices could be affected by outside influences such as even higher fuel prices but with Valencia’s climate and lifestyle being described by Unesco as one of the best in the World, it would be no surprise to see the region maintain modest price rises for a few years to come yet.

Investment and Inheritance
There is a proposed new law in Valencia to get rid of inheritance tax and gift tax from the 1st of January 2006. If the law is put in place then it is even more of an incentive to invest in the region as you know that your heirs will be able to take full advantage of your legacy without the taxman getting his grubby hands on it. Some of our clients who maintain houses in the UK have now decided to sell up there and invest in the region by taking on a buy to let place or a city pied a terre in order to have more of their eggs in this particular basket.

Property of the Month
Too many to choose from again though we have had our head turned by a property in Ribarroja which is a credit to its owner. (CLICK HERE) Lovely place that really deserves the price it has got and will soon be very near to the new metro line linking Ribarroja with Valencia. Right at the heart of a huge new development themed around the new Valencia Football Club training grounds this should be seriously considered by those who want to live close to Valencia and just ten minutes from the airport without being in the city itself.

Flights
Jet2 and Thompson Fly are stopping flights to Valencia until the Spring. Strange decision but there you go. So snap one up now while they are still available if flying here from the North West, Doncaster or Bournemouth. Easyjet and Ryanair have some very good offers on at the moment. (Use the Calendar view on Easyjet for the cheapest prices.) Vueling do great flights to Europe for those wanting to get away from Valencia for a few days and Hapag Lloyd Express and Air Berlin are also offering good deals.

Restaurant of the Month.
Orient Express, Calle Roteros, Barrio del Carmen
This is a great new restaurant in the heart of the Barrio del Carmen. Although it's a little clinical, the food is great and very reasonable. Lots of different dishes cooked in double quick time and bought to the long tables piping hot. I know we haven't quoted a phone number - Why? - Because they don't!

From all of us here at Valencia Property all the best and...

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