Why You Should Consider Buying Morocan Property

The interest in buying property in Morocco has been partly due to the widespread media coverage that the area has been receiving recently because of the Vision 2010 economic development plans. The emergence of Morocco's property and tourism market has ensured healthy investment opportunities.

Television has certainly picked up on this trend and as a result programmes are being produced to meet the viewer demand for information about when, where and how to invest in property in Morocco.

Currently 1 in 5 African properties owned by British buyers are in Morocco, proving that the nation is of serious interest to UK based investors - whether it's an investment property, a holiday home in the sun, or simply a new home overseas they are looking for.

The number of British owning Moraccan property will increase as more investment pours in from the UK. The market is showing an annual capital appreciation of 15% - 30% and rental yields are set to increase with tourism which, between now and 2016 is set to grow by 4% a year.

And the British are not the only ones who have spotted the potential of the Moroccan property market and to be taken in by its appeal; according to The Observer newspaper so too are the Spanish, French and Italian buyers. French is a common language in Morocco, due to the long protectorate that France had over the nation. For this reason, the French have flocked to Morocco, finding the Costa Vista and the Mediterranean Rivera region similar to their own.

The stunningly beautiful, historically and culturally rich region of Costa Vista is one of the most attractive parts of Morocco - both literally and in terms of the developing opportunity it offers investment and lifestyle home buyers. According to local expert opinion, it is also the top centre for expatriate inward migration in Morocco and where a large concentration of brand new property development interest has centred.

Located directly opposite the Costa del Sol and separated from Spain by just a thin stretch of the Mediterranean Sea, it is impossible not to draw comparisons between the Costa Vista and the Costa del Sol. Both offer up a fabulous climate, a stunning landscape, pristine beaches and a fantastically laidback lifestyle, but this is where the positive comparisons end.

Whilst the Costa del Sol is suffering its worst winter sun season according to Spain's Association of Hoteliers, the Costa Vista and Morocco enjoyed the highest visitor numbers last year for forty years. Additionally, the Sunday Herald revealed recently that property prices in parts of the Costa del Sol have declined, whereas, according to The Times, some investors have benefited from up to a doubling of property prices in Morocco.

It's of little surprise therefore that the Costa Vista is being heralded as the 'next big thing' in the world of overseas property investment.

MOROCCO: BUYERS' GUIDE

* Average summer temperature = 38°c.
* Purchase tax 1.1% or purchase price.
* Government registration fee 3.9%.
* Legal fees 0.5%.
* Estate agent commission 2.5%.
* Owners pay annual property tax similar to UK council tax.
* Rental income taxed at 13.5%.
* No tax on rental income for the first five years.
* 20% Capital Gains Tax if sold within 5 years, 10% to 10 years, 0% thereafter.
* Casablanca and Marrakech buying prices tend to average around ¬2,000 per square meter.
* Normal local rental market yields around 6% (Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech - 100m² = 7.2%, 150m² = 6%, 200m² = 6.55%).
* Property prices increase by as much as 40% in prime areas.

Banking Keeps Up With Current Events

The internet has changed the way we do things, the way we look at things and the way we handle our personal business. The public usually responds positively to anything that makes life easier, and when it comes to banking, maintaining your finances is definitely easier.

The fastest, most convenient way to access your bank account information is via online banking and it comes as little surprise that it has gained widespread acceptance for its ease, accessibility and security. From a home computer, users can log onto their bank account and complete a variety of transactions at any time of day, seven days a week.

For numerous reasons online banking has gained its reputation as the new and, for many, only way to bank. Firstly, it's convenient as account holders may access their information at anytime and from any computer with a basic internet connection. Also, users can save time avoiding frustrating bank queues and conduct their finances from the comfort of their own armchair at a time that suits them.

Most importantly, online banking has become increasingly secure and most of the initial apprehension surrounding this self-banking process has now dissolved into warm acceptance. High levels of security have increased privacy and protection of account information making a current account online a true winner for personal banking.

As a result of the explosive growth of online banking, users have become increasingly concerned with the implications of fraud and identity theft. This has become a hot topic in the media and people are now seeking assurance that online banking is safe. Banks have responded by developing and upgrading effective security features, creating peace of mind for customers and a wall of protection against identity theft.

Credit Crunch Impact on Copier Industry

There seems to have been an increase in first time enquiries from three main industries in the last quarter, these include; debt recovery agencies, nursery schools, and letting agencies. This influx of enquiries indicates that these industries are in fact prospering during the credit crunch and have expanded enough to justify owning or leasing a photocopier. Infor­mation like this can go some way to judge how the credit crunch is affecting Britain's industries. A high percentage of businesses (almost 38%) that have sent notice of going into administratio­n within the last quarter have come from the consumer industry, suggesting that consumers are being more careful with their money. When this is compared with the increase of enquiries coming from debt recovery agencies within the last quarter, it is obvious that there has been a definite shift in the economy.

It is clear that the housing market has been affected in a big way by the credit crunch, especially now that mortgages are less readily available. This has been reflected in the photocopier market, with less business coming from the housing construction and development industry, but a substantial increase in enquiries from letting agencies. These changes support the fact that people are choosing to rent property as the market is not stable enough to buy.

The idea of leasing rather than buying is also reflected in the photocopier industry, with more busin­esses choosing to take out lease agreements on photocopiers rather than purchasing these devices. This could be a positive outcome of the credit crunch as leasing office equipment can not only give peace of mind but also allows businesses to keep up with the very latest technology. Although there has been an increase in difficulty in getting companies passed for lease clearance, there does not seem to be a slow down in the photocopier industry as people are still upgrading to new models to take advantage of lower running costs and reduced leasing charges as well as greater energy efficiency. Many companies are also finding that they need to do more marketing to reach sales targets and so are making good use of their in-house colour facilities.

Credit Repair During a Credit Crisis

These days, people are finding that their once solid credit rating has fallen faster than the stock market, and they are in danger of spending the next few years dealing with high interest rates and credit rejections. Millions have been foreclosed on, gone bankrupt or fallen behind on their bills during these tough economic times, and they are looking for a way out.

Your credit is not written in stone. Your FICO credit rating can change based on how seriously you take the task of repairing it. While you may have a FICO score of 500 right now, through hard work you can get that credit rating back up to 650 or higher in no time. In fact, repairing your credit is a step-by-step process that can be made very easy when you know how to do it.

First, you need to cut out all the expenses you don't need. Renting a movie or going out to dinner a few times a week may be nice, but it's unnecessary. Instead, save that money and put it into a savings account so that you can build a float that will help you pay your bills. Why are paying your bills important? For the simple reason that one missed payment can lower your credit rating significantly. Paying your bills is incredibly important, which brings us to our second point of credit repair.

Second, pay your bills on time with as much as you can. When you pay your bills on time, your credit rating will improve because you are showing a payment history where you make regular payments on time and for how much you owe. It can be hard to pay your bills of course, but that is where minimum payments come in. By making minimum payments on your bills and credit card, you can keep the interest from piling up. Even making minimum payments on your credit card will help improve your credit rating. That being said, you cannot rely on minimum payments forever. You will have to continue to save your money in order to pay everything off.

Third, limit your credit cards to two. Having one credit card can hurt your credit score because it will look like you are inexperienced with credit, while having four credit cards will make you look like a compulsive borrower. Therefore, limit your cards to two or three and make sure you always make at least the minimum payments on all of your cards every month. The worst thing you can do for yourself is to fall behind on credit card payments.

Lastly, you should always know what your credit rating is. This means getting your credit score report on a regular basis and finding out what your score is. When you know your score, you know what kind of interest rates you will get on loans, whether you will get a loan and what kind of terms you will have on it. People don't realize that applying for credit and not getting it can also hurt your credit score. Only apply when you know your credit score is good enough. Checking your credit report will also allow you to look for errors that may be on the report. This is very common and as many as 75 percent of all reports have errors on them.

It may seem like you are drowning in debt and your credit rating is falling faster than you can repair it, but by taking the time to sit back, look at what you owe and begin repairing it in a concise fashion, you should be alright.

Is Your Bank Safe - Does Size Matter?

With the failure of several large banks in this country, concern over the banking industry is merited. Since size doesn't seem to be an issue, both small and large banks cannot be immune from the possibility of failure.

Fortunately we have safeguards in place to protect and insure funds on deposit. Deposits are insured by the FDIC up to a limit of $100,000 per depositor. The question in considering your bank and other banks is how do you know if it is safe? While no method is foolproof, there are indicators of trouble or potential trouble. I want to be perfectly clear that these tips are only indicators and do not mean anything other than an overall indicator of issues. A simple solution is to spread your deposits over several banks to take advantage of the FDIC insurance limits per bank.

The first indicator is the amount of risk (loans) the bank has to its available capital. Most banks have minimum of 6% of reserves available for loan defaults. The more capital reserves a bank ahs may be an indicator of more financial strength. The higher the reserves, generally the better. Banks often refer to this category as the Total risk based capital ratio.

The second indicator is the loan to deposit ratio. The lower the ratio the better indicator of the strength of the bank. Banks can over loan and reduce ratio which would be an indicator of possible problems. A reasonable ratio is 95% of deposits to loans.

A third indicator is the percentage of loans in default of 30 days or more. These loans would be considered non-performing loans and would have an effect on the reserves of the bank and explained above in the risk capital ratio. Any percentage below 5% is a manageable number and will generally not affect a bank's ability to perform.

Even with FDIC insurance and other government agencies in place to assist and protect the consumer, it is important to know as much about your bank as possible. All banks will provide you the needed information for you to make the smart and correct decision.