You may not have heard of Calabria as it is relatively undiscovered by foreigners. It is in fact the region of Italy that stretches down to the southern most part of the country, the tip of the toe.

The region comprises a variety of different landscapes and including alpine mountain ranges and rolling countryside but the most notable is the dramatically beautiful and rugged coastline which features many amazing cliffs that drop down onto superb sandy Mediterranean beaches.

Everything about Calabria leans towards an of authentic Italian way of life from the historical buildings including ancient ruins and castles from Greek, Norman, Roman and Byzantine times and a variety of picturesque villages all enhanced by the local people, cuisine and atmosphere to enhance the authentic Calabrian way of life and culture.

For many who are in the know Calabria is said to be Italy’s best kept secret.

The investment property market for foreigners in Calabria is still in its infancy as the property prices are still extremely low compared to more established and well known destinations in Italy like Rome, Venice, Milan and Tuscany for example.

A few of the reasons that Calabria property investment is currently very popular has low property prices is that there is quite an inequality or difference with regard to the wealth of the north of Italy and the more southern regions and especially Calabria which has traditionally relied on farming and agricultural sources of income and also because of the previous lack of good access to the region.

Up until a few years ago getting into Calabria was a bit more difficult with lack of good transport system and absence major airports. That was the situation before the regions Lamezia airport grew to international stature in 2006, accepting flights from London Stanstead, London Heathrow and London Gatwick.

However the Italian government have identified the historical and natural resources are well suited for great tourism growth if the access and infrastructure were improved and have already allocated vast sums of EU money to improve infrastructure and have pledged 100 billion Euros-worth of national and EU investment to the south of Italy including of course Calabria as part of a 2007 – 2013 cohesion plan.

Now Calabria is receiving increased exposure and the number of tourists visiting is growth all the time meaning the needs for quality accommodations is also on the rise as well as people looking for holiday homes in the region.

Therefore even though the prices of property are relatively low they are increasing constantly and overseas the past few years some properties have seen capital growth of up to 100%. This trend is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future and the value of properties are predicted to increase by 15 – 20% per year for the next 5 years.

Therefore property in Calabria is becoming increasing popular with international property investors and second home buyers alike. Here are a few of the other attractive factors helping to drive the market.

• A number of leading high street financial institutions offer non-resident mortgages for up to 80% loan to value.

• If you sell your property after 5 years then you don’t have to pay capital gains tax.

• If you leave your property to a family member then they don’t know have to pay inheritance tax.

• People from the EU have no restrictions when purchasing property The Calabria property market is rare as it is a young emerging market with in the well established traditional property market of Italy, and as such is well worth further investigation.

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