The international department will focus on helping UK based residents buy international properties from its extensive portfolio of properties for sale across the globe, with a particular focus on Europe, the Caribbean and America.
The range of properties available is diverse from urban pieds-à-terre to Caribbean beach houses, from penthouses in Florida to Tuscan farmhouses, and from properties on golf estates to ski chalets in the Alps.
With the strengthening of sterling, favourable mortgage rates, increasingly flexible working made possible by the internet, an abundance of regular scheduled flights from UK airports and Eurostar connecting London to Europe it is a good time to purchase a property overseas.
According to research by Rightmove Overseas, the most popular destinations for Britons purchasing abroad are Spain, France, Italy, the United States and Portugal, with those interviewed citing their motivations as wanting to enjoy a better quality of life, to live in a warmer climate with easy access to a beach and to experience a new culture, as well as to live amongst beautiful scenery.
Alpine homes have been also been a big focus for overseas property hunters this winter, especially those in resorts which are as popular in the summer with cyclists and walkers as they are for winter sports.
‘Many of our sellers tell us they aim to live abroad for part of the year and downsize from their main property in the UK, keeping a base here to maintain a foothold in the UK, usually close to family or for easy flexi-commuting,’ said Nicholas Taylor, operations director of John D Wood & Co.
‘Whatever lifestyle you are seeking, we can now help you buy in Europe, the Caribbean and America, as well as further afield, and have a vast selection of properties available from rural renovation projects, lock-up-and-leave apartments with communal swimming pools and detached beachside villas to homes with sporting facilities, castles and ski properties,’ he explained.
‘We understand that having easy access to your overseas home is a key factor in deciding where to buy, so we have designed the search function on our website to include distances to the nearest airports, coupled with details of airlines flying to the UK,’ he added.
