Although without an office for the next month, the telephone lines have been diverted and we can still receive emails at home so we will be contactable. Coral is due to give birth over the next two weeks and will hopefully be back at work in time for the opening of the new office.

As this time of year is generally very quiet anyway, we are busy getting the new website up to scratch and are already doing pretty well in search engines for various property searches. This site is fully interactive with availability charts for rentals and allows owners and agents to advertise sales, holiday rentals or long term rentals. Advertisers have full access to a content management system for their property details and are able to make changes to text or photos whenever they wish. For owners who deal with their own rentals and require advertising only, why not give it a try? Prices start from £20 per year for multiple properties.

Booking enquiries are now starting to arrive for 2006 holidays and from the requests received so far, it appears that people are looking for larger properties as mentioned in last month´s newsletter. We are always looking for new properties to make available to our database of people looking for holiday property in Spain, so anyone considering renting for next season, please do not hesitate to enquire about our rental services - now is the time to begin advertising to ensure a ´full house´ for next summer.

Citrus Iberia has recently featured in Channel 4´s ´Selling Houses´ programme ´House Trapped in the Sun´. Similar to ´House Doctor´, they invited Estate Agents in Spain to put forward a villa that had been on the market a while with the intention of doing a complete makeover to get the property sold. We have been filming for the past few weeks, with the final viewings last Saturday. Although the villa wasn´t sold on the day, we doubt it will be on the market much longer as it is now a real bargain for the price of 325.000 Euros. New photos have yet to be taken of the fantastic ´improved´ version, but take my word for it they done a brilliant job! The show is due to be shown in Spring, although the final date is as yet undecided and I have to say I am very nervous about seeing myself on TV

For owners of property abroad, leaving their holiday home unoccupied for long periods of time can be concerning when the time comes to leave the sunshine behind and return home, knowing your property will remain unatttended until your next visit – whenever that may be. Although there are a number of steps you can take to ensure the property remains secure, there are still risks from burglary as well as other factors such as mould arising from damp, flooding, or high winds here on the Costa Blanca that could cause damage.

There are alternatives to leaving your property to attract damp, dust and unwanted attention. A good property management company covers the care, management and maintenance of unoccupied properties by organising regular property inspections, and keeping pools and gardens in good order. Internal and external inspections of the property can ensure that potential problems are spotted early, and someone is on hand to report incidents to insurers or police, as well as arranging emergency work or general services. Although a yearly management fee is required, this can potentially save the owners a lot of money if a problem is detected before it runs into serious money for repairs as well as provide peace of mind. Citrus Iberia’s annual management fees start at £475 - £9 per week, which includes regular property checks, keyholding and discounted cleaning rates. For those who rent their property, just one week’s rental income covers a whole year of management services. Please do not hesitate if you have any queries about our services.

Sincerely,