Guide to Property for Sale or Rent

Want your own currency converter so that your visitors can make their own currency conversion?The GLOBAL CURRENCY EXCHANGE NETWORK currency converter provides real time currency-to-currency conversion in the form of a popup tool that can be easily added and integrated into any existing website.

This will allow visitors to your site to make a currency coversion. It is possible to have it automatically convert prices shown on your site, but you’ll need to contact the webmaster here for the code.

This version will add a standard pop-up currency converter to your web site.

On computers where a popup blocker is enabled the Ctrl button may need to be pressed or the popup accepted (yellow line notice) before the screen will appear.

The code for currency converter is:

<a href=”http://www.gcen.co.uk/cc.php?r=18-100” onclick=”window.name=’cc-main’;window.open(this.href,’converter’, ‘toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars

=no,resizable=yes,width=400,height=500′);return false;”><img src=”http://www.gcen.co.uk/images/cc4.gif” width=”138″ height=”34″ border=”0″ /></a>

Select ALL of the script above (take the gap out between the word “scrollbars” and the next symbol “=”, then paste it in a page where you want it displayed. 

This is what the icon looks like when it appears on your site:

Any problems… email me.

When buying a property in Portugal, it is worth contacting a Portuguese bank with regards to the mortgages available as they can often offer superior rates or conditions than your local bank.
We recommend that you contact an independent mortgage advisor prior to buying a property in Portugal. They can  find the best deal for you. There are many companies that provide this service but, as with all matters in life, the quality of service and advice can vary wildly.

Gatehouse International have been selling property in Portugal for over 15 years and we have an excellent local company that provides comprehensive advice on gaining mortgages & financial advice for those wanting to buy a property in Portugal. They do not charge a fee for their services and by contacting them you will not have to navigate your way around the banking system if you have limited Portuguese. They work independently and are able to offer a great range of mortgage and investment products through a number of well known financial institutions here in Portugal. As well as mortgage advice, they are able to offer a range of services such as investment advice, home, car and life insurance and foreign exchange transfers.

When you buy a property in Portugal, you’ll need to gather together some paperwork in readines for your application for a mortgage in Portugal.
General documentation required to apply for a mortgage in Portugal is listed below.
• Portuguese tax number (the company can arrange this for a small fee)
• Copy of ID card or passport
• Last 6 months of bank statements (current and savings)
• Birth certificate
• Last years tax return (P60)
Further documentation will be required with regards to your current employment status. Mortgages for non residents can be up to 80% loan to value. The borrowing level is based on the house valuation and not the purchase price.
Please contact us if you would like more information and we will be pleased to ask a representative to contact you to discuss your mortgage requirements further. You can email us, or call on our UK number 01480 477773. This will divert free of charge to our office in the Algarve.

Currency conversion is often considered a ‘black art’ when really it’s very simple.
Most individuals consider using currency conversion when they are about to buy a property abroad, or maybe import a car, or looking to buy a different currency for their holidays.The most common way to perform a currency conversion is to use your own bank to make the conversion.

Think again! Most high street banks make a charge to transfer the money.
With our currency conversion service, the tranfer of the money is usually free!
Where the greatest difference occurs is when you compare the exchange rate offered by a bank against our rate. Like the little travel currency booth you see at airports, the banks buy the money from the Treasury at a low rate and sell it on at a much higher rate.
It is likely that a bank could make as much as £3000 in the currency conversion, with an exchange of £200,000.

How do we make the currency conversion so much cheaper? Lower profits! We still buy the money from the Treasury (through the World’s largest bank), and sell it at a much lower profit margin, saving you a fortune in the meantime.

If you are looking to exchange one currency for another, then try our online currency converter first.

If you would like us to quote a price, just call 01480 434290 and ask Zoe if you can speak to a dealer, or use the online registration form within the currency converter.

How to buy Euros. If you live outside the ‘Euro zone’ and you need to buy Euros, there are various options available to you:

- Use your local Bank. You can walk in, buy euros at the published rate, and walk out. Or, for larger sums, you could request a transfer to be made after the bank has exchanged your currency to euros. Either way, this is likely to be an expensive option. Local banks tend to make large profits on the published rate of exchange, and, they charge to transfer the money for you!
- You could buy your euros from one of those kiosks you see at the airport. These are great if you have a relatively small amount of cash, but the exchange rate generally offered will give you less euros for your currency unit.
- The answer is to use a specialist currency exchange broker. They exchange so much currency, as it’s all they do. As a consequence, they buy money at a cheap rate and only make a very small margin on top.

If you are looking to buy euros, for anything such as buying a house, boat, car, then start by getting a quote from a currency dealer. It’s quick and you are likely to get many more euros on the currency exchange.
For advice on this 0044 7802 520 370

or visit:

Save Money On Currency Exchange.Gatehouse International has partnered with a well known Foreign Exchange dealership in order that our customers can have the benefit of the Best possible rates at any time, with the least inconvenience.

We aim to provide the very best exchange rates, therefore saving you money. Our Foreign Exchange partners will designate you your own currency dealer who will guide you through the whole transaction and explain the various methods of purchasing foreign currency, to help you get that better exchange rate!

If you are even considering buying in a currency that is different from your source bank, it will be worth your while just getting a free quote from one of our Partner’s dealers, at no cost to you.
Foreign Exchange prices vary every few seconds. Over a very short period, the price of your chosen home can vary wildly. By the time that you come to complete the purchase, we have known people to have lost out by as much as £10,000 just due to exchange rate fluctuation! Of course, prices can go up as well as down. However, in order to minimise the risk, we recommend that all clients at least register with us and get a quote today so that they can compare it with their bank.

Once you’ve decided on your dream property, you may possibly need foreign currency to make your purchase. Gatehouse International can provide you with:

• Superior commercial foreign exchange rates
• No fees or commission
• No telegraphic transfer costs
• Your own currency dealer
• Forward buying of currency
• Opening of foreign bank accounts
• Regular monthly payments for pensions and mortgages.

More on this …

At the start of 2008 UK prices started to fall, partly due to long term price increases that had become unsustainable, and partly due to the credit crunch. For many home owners this is the worst possible scenario, their mortgage costs are increasing (due to credit shortages) and house prices are falling. In short they are trapped, unable to ride a market downturn due to high mortgage costs, their only option is to sell.

But, selling in a falling market with shortage of mortgage funds for buyers is not easy. For some home owners this means they will end up defaulting on their mortgages and then get repossessed. And of course the repossessed properties will go on the market at a discount price, having the effect of pulling prices down further. For some people there is a way out of this dilemma, they can find a company that will get them a private investor who can achieve a quick house sale, often within a few weeks. In some cases these private investors will even allow the homeowner to sell then rent back their house.

So, what needs to happen to stop house prices plunging? In short it is market confidence, and a key factor to that will be the cost and availability of mortgages for both home owners and prospective buyers. As 2008 rolls out that facts will become clear, but hold tight for a very bumpy ride.

Use an estate agent, or sell your own property (FSBO)

With costs rising all around, we are looking to save money. The cost of selling your property can be significant. It’s not only the estate agent’s fees that are significant. The Government have introduced the Home Information Pack ( HIP’s) which most homeowners will now have to buy, before they can even place the property on the market. The conventional property lawyer’s fees are also significant and savings can be made here by using an online conveyancing service.

Read the rest of this entry »

On-line conveyancing

Save yourself a great deal of money. The traditional ways of having your house sale legally processed have long gone. With the advent of on-line shopping, banking, blogs, forums etc, we are all now used to secure server log-ins and generally feel more in control when we are able to track progress on-line.

House sale conveyancing has come of age. You can now order your free quote for selling, or buying, on-line. You can even order your Home Information Pack (HIP´s) and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) on-line.

Gatehouse Estates are able to provide quotataions for HIP´s, EPC´s and Conveyancing packages. Once you have decided to go ahead with a Conveyancing deal, you will be allocated your own log-in username and Password. From this point forward, you will be able to remove a great deal of the frustration that people have had to endure in the past, namely waiting for an update about the next stage in the process of buying, or selling, your home.

Want to know more? Call 01480 434290 or email zoe@gatehouseestates.co.uk

When buying a property in Portugal, it is worth contacting a Portuguese bank with regards to mortgages available as they can often offer superior rates or conditions than that offered by your current bank.

We would recommend that you contact an independent mortgage adviser in order that they can establish your particular requirements and find the best deal for you. We currently recommend such a company here who are based in Almancil although they are happy to meet you in any area of the Algarve. They do not charge a fee for their services and by contacting them you will not have to navigate your way around the banking system if you have limited Portuguese. They work independently and are able to offer a great range of mortgage and investment products through a number of well known financial institutions here in Portugal. As well as mortgage advice, they are able to offer a range of services such as investment advice, home, car and life insurance and foreign exchange transfers.

General documentation required to apply for a mortgage in Portugal is listed below.

• Portuguese tax number (the company can arrange this for a small fee)
• Copy of ID card or passport
• Last 6 months of bank statements (current and savings)
• Birth certificate
• Last years tax return (P60)

Further documentation will be required with regards to your current employment status. Mortgages for non residents are offered up to 80% loan to value. The borrowing level is based on the house valuation and not the purchase price.

Please contact us if you would like more information and we would be pleased to ask a representative to contact you to discuss your requirements further. You can email us on gatehouse@sapo.pt or call on our UK number +44 1480 477773. This will divert free of charge to our office in the Algarve.