The annual property and construction industry ladies’ ski challenge has taken place for a fourth year on the pistes of Les Gets in France.
Due to its success this year, the event is planned to run again in 2011. The five-day challenge is now in its fourth year and over 40 competitors took part.
“It has been a success – recession withstanding – and gives women in the property and construction industry the opportunity to network and discuss business whilst improving their skiing,” said Chapman Consulting director Sarah Chapman.
Women of the property and construction industries competed for prizes including Best Technique, Most Improved Skier and Bravest Descent of a Black Run.
Companies represented at the challenge included Team Prosail, Paragon Management, Costalita Apartments, Robert Bird Group, Structuretone, sq-m2, Chapman Consulting and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

Source:http://www.nce.co.uk/5214261.article

The competition is open to all women skiers across the industry who enjoy informal networking, and is organised by Robert Bird Group consultant Lynn Keenan.

Next year’s trip commences on Jan 16 2011 and options on places will be agreed as soon as possible. For further details call 020 7592 8000.

Banks could hold the key to what will happen with Bulgaria’s depressed real estate sector in 2010, it is claimed.

There are concerns that if they decide to start selling foreclosed properties this will lead to prices falling even further.

Along with foreign real estate investors banks have had a major impact on the country’s property market offering low interest rates at a time when home ownership was encouraged.

But the global economic downturn has meant a drop in incomes and led to a rise in loan defaults and foreclosures, according to Address, one of Bulgaria’s leading real estate companies.

The banks have been trying to stay away from an overall policy of foreclosing, but if 2010 proves to be a more difficult year than 2009, banks might change this policy and appear on the market as one of the big players.

‘If banks start selling foreclosed properties in search of quick returns there is a serious risk that the property market could collapse altogether,’ said a spokesman.

According to its statistics, prices in 2009 dropped by 28% on an annual basis, with 47 % of buyers paying in cash, while 22% of deals were financed with bank loans.

The concerns come at a time when analysts are predicting further price falls in the Bulgarian real estate market. According to Colliers International prices could fall by another 10% in 2010 although it predicts that prices will stabilise in the second half of the year.

In 2009 real estate prices dropped by about 20% on average nationwide, compared to 2008 figures, according to Colliers data.

Some analysts believe that there would be an increase in demand prices and meet buyers expectations of finding a bargain. The worst hit sector has been new builds along the coast and in the ski resorts. There are also a lot of so-called distressed sellers who are forced to sell at levels even lower than 50% of values.

Stephane Lambert of Stara Planina Properties reckons that on average prices have fallen by approximately 35%, based on actual sale prices not asking prices. ‘This is important to highlight because many properties are still marketed at pre-crisis prices and there is a margin for negotiating down the asking price,’ explained Stephane.

Source: http://www.propertywire.com/

UK residential property prices rose for a seventh consecutive month in January, increasing by 0.6% but the outlook for the year is flat, according to the latest index to be published.

Mortgage lender Halifax said that prices have now risen 9.9% since the lows of April 2009 and they are up 3.6% on the same time last year.

But the figures show that the price increases are slowing with January’s rise more modest than in any of the previous six months. Halifax also expects prices to remain flat in coming months as more properties are coming onto the market and it has been a lack of supply that has been driving prices upwards.

So although the pace of the recovery in the property market has surprised many commentators and means property values have retraced almost half their August 2007 to April 2009 decline there are now checks on growth.

‘A further increase in the supply of property is possible over the coming months, which would help to curb the upward pressure on prices,’ said Halifax economist Martin Ellis.

The Bank of England’s decision yesterday to put its quantitative easing programme on hold and keep interest rates at the historic low of 0.5% means rates are likely to remain low until the second half of 2010.

‘The marked reduction in interest rates over the past 15 months has, from a low base, boosted housing demand from those with a sufficient deposit to enter the market,’ said Ellis.

Others agree that price growth is likely to be muted. ‘We are sceptical that the marked rises in house prices seen since early 2009 can be sustained given a still far from favourable economic environment,’ said Howard Archer at Global Insight.

‘Future developments in unemployment, earnings and interest rates will be key factors to future movements in house prices,’ he added.

The average price of a house is now £169,777 compared with £154,490 last April. ‘Overall, our current view is that house prices will be flat during 2010,’ added Ellis.

Source: http://www.propertywire.com/