The home view from abroad

The number of overseas properties owned by UK residents rose by 7% in the year to mid-2008, to 410,000. The average price of second homes abroad for UK residents is currently averaging around £135,000, according to official data, which is notably lower than the average for second homes in the UK. Many overseas markets offer attractive growth potential relative to the UK. The long-term potential for residential investment overseas is significant. By 2020, an extra four million Britons will retire abroad, according to a 2004 report by Alliance & Leicester International. However, other cou...