To successfully invest in offplan property you need the right tools and this is why we developed www.offplanpropertyexchange.com.

We are real estate investors who operate in the exciting world of new build with other investors who need the facility to buy and sell offplan property before it is build complete. This is a process known as ‘flipping houses’, ‘house flipping’, ‘flipping properties’ or just plain old ‘flipping’.

This is not the only way to invest in real estate and it isn’t the only way to use the site, but it is the way that we find most exciting and lucrative. Although larger rewards are available to those who wait for capital growth – there is something to be said for realizing a profit.

Traditionally investors have ‘flipped’ property by employing the services of a real estate agent which depending on your character can still make a lot of sense. However; if you feel empowered by the internet, and capable of handling your own affairs – then off plan property exchange will save you a king’s ransom in sales commission, as it costs £1/day per property to advertise.

To make the best of the site, we recommend that you take a good look around on a regular basis. Look at what’s available in your price bracket, then watch and wait. You need to let your head rule your heart and not vice versa. See if any incentives are being offered such as discounts, property furnishings, legal fees paid etc. Look to see what’s sticking – is there a bargain to be had?

Call the sales office and introduce yourself. Tell the sales staff what you are looking for and which properties you have your eye on. You can bet a pound to a penny that someone is due to view your favorite property tomorrow morning, or this afternoon. Play along – watch and wait – but keep in touch.

Some of the best property deals I have had have been long drawn out affairs, there were many times when I thought I had lost, which made the win all the more sweet.

Happy New Year – Happy Investing.

It’s an established fact that the introduction of new cheap flights by budget airlines can cause an influx of foreign property sales, but when you’re keeping an eye on future market prospects, don’t forget to look out for other new transport links too.

The impact of cheap flights on property is commonly called the, “Ryanair Effect,” as a rise in the value of property often correlates with when a new budget airline route is introduced. For example, it’s already happened in parts of France and Spain which have been significantly opened up by easier airline access and property prices have soared. Looking out for the introduction of new routes for budget airlines is definitely a tip worth keeping in mind if you’re a savvy investor looking to make money and be one of the first to buy in the next ‘hot spot’ area. But as well as keeping an eye on flights, you’d be wise to look at all developing areas of transport.

Take the Italian ‘treno ad alta velocità’ or TAV high speed train service. The service already exists much of the way between Rome and Naples and part of a new route between Milan and Turin opened two years ago. By the end of 2009, the rest of the route and the whole Milan to Rome service will be complete and fully functional. In the same way that new airlines boost property, so too can new train routes.

In fact, experts say prices can rise significantly within a few years. “There is a 30% to 40% rise in the real estate values in a few years after opening a new station,” says Carlo de Vito, from the rail company Trenitalia, who are investing €2.5 billion in the renovation of stations in Milan, Rome and Turin and building new stations in Naples, Florence and Bologna. “A new station near the centre of a city makes that area more appealing to commuters and the same is likely to happen with the high speed train.”

As well as increasing popularity with commuters and local workers, the new high speed train service is also likely to open up opportunities for holiday home rentals – both for Italians and foreigners, which is great news to investors. Areas around the coast will also become more easily accessible. As completion isn’t due until the end of 2009, there’s plenty of time still left to explore the various property options available in the areas affected by the new Italian train route.

When the high speed train is completed, it will significantly cut travelling times. A trip from Milan to Turin, for example, will be reduced from 1½ hours to just 50 minutes.