Snagging Overseas

Tortugas Beach Resort

2010-04-22T01:05:00.001-07:00

Snagging Overseas has now begun snagging Tortuga Beach Resort and Spa, the development being finished off by The Resort Group on Sal Island in The Cape Verde Islands.

As experts in snagging overseas property, Snagging Overseas were nonetheless delighted to be hired by clients to take on the inspection of their Cape Verdean property.

Close to Ponta Preta beach, the resort is looking very good and its location is second to none.

Many clients will know that the Tortuga Beach Resort and Spa is to be managed by the very professional Spanish hotel company Sol Melia. This is good news for any client who wishes for a solid return on their investment. This is a plus for the island of Sal as well. It will be a top notch, 5 star operation guaranteed to attract quality tourism to the country.

For more information on our services, please check our our website www.snaggingoverseas.com where apart further information on Snagging Overseas you can see the pricing for snagging and cleaning here: http://www.snaggingoverseas.com/paypal.aspx

Snagging OverEaster - Deep in the Heart of Catholic Ibeira

2010-03-31T04:40:00.000-07:00

A typical Easter sunday afternoon on the beach.........

Last Sunday highlighted the interesting Paradox between events held in the Algarve. On the one hand you could witness the sheer power of the World Class Super Bikes held at the ever so spanking new Portimao Motordrome…or a few minutes over the river you could indulge in cultural excellence in the form of the Moldavian National Opera House with their outstanding performance of “ Carmen “

Set in Seville this world famous opera has been performed all over the world – and this weekend in Seville sees the semanta festival which is one of the most important in the Spanish calendar.

In view of the many fiestas taking place in this most important snag free weekend please note the Snagging Overseas head office here in Portugal will be closed over the Easter break from Thursday 1 April until Wednesday 7 April. If you have any queries in the meantime you can direct email traffic to info@snaggingoverseas.com which will be monitored and in emergencies contact 00 351 289 586 581.

We hope at some point during the Easter break that we will receive divine snagging intervention that will clear up the ongoing Electra and utility connections saga!

On behalf of all the worldwide snagging team have a great Easter (and not too much chocolate!)

Snagging In the East - Algarve at the Marina Village

2010-03-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Snagging on Roof’s with views…….

When I first came to Portugal 20 years ago it would be fair to say that Olhao would not have been high on the Algarve’s list to snag and clean!

Typical Algarvian and because of its close proximity to the capital Faro more residential than touristic, Olhao is renowned for its fish market, restaurants and it’s striking distance to one of Portugal’s most famous secrets – The Rio Formosa National park.

Stretching over a huge 42,000 acres of preserved and protected land the park from the air looks like 5 colossal sand banks. Arguably the most well known is “ Tavira Island “ close to the Cabanas Garden development where we were snagging last week.

Generally a small journey by boat will take you over to the park and its beaches, however if you head towards the Santa Lucia area you can catch a small train over to one of the beaches. (More Ivor the Engine than Virgin Trains)

If you want spoil yourself this summer book the speedboat and head to one of the finest restaurants in Southern Iberia. Resting on its lonesome on the island of Barrata (or deserta) it’s a favorite chill out zone for the Snag Crowd, particularly in the long sun drenched summer days. (And remember it’s only open in the summer months)

The National park differs from the more well known beaches in the central Algarve near Snag HQ. Here in the East you find the water warmer and the beaches long flat and can often look more Caribbean in appearance.

We have just started snagging inspections in the Village Marina Olhao – this is a view from the roof. It’s a top quality development and you can make out the lighthouse on Farol Island in the distance. Nestled next door will be the 5 Star Real Marina Spa and Hotel – snag please! – Both overlooking the new marina.

No doubt about it………Olhao has most certainly changed! It even has a football team in the Top Division! (Managed by one time Charlton player Jorge Costa!)

Facebook R us! Please become a fan of SoS

2010-02-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

The always funny staff at Snagging Overseas often fail to do the right thing when it comes to marketing so it comes to me, Serafina, to put things right.

So I would ask that you go to Facebook and become a "Fan" of Snagging Overseas. Our goal is to reach 500 fans by the end of February.

To do so you can login to your Facebook page and search for Snagging Overseas. When you have selected the page, just click on "Become a fan" and that is, as you English speakers say "Job done!".

Thanks very much in advance!

Snagging Conundrum..Retreat? Hell No! We're just fighting in a different direction..!

2010-02-11T03:54:00.000-08:00

And so goes the quote from an American General in the Vietnam war!

...And just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water…..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(What the snag was the name of that film..??!! Glues: Benchley, Bruce and bigger boats!)

Well done to those keen eyed Snagging Overseas blog regulars!! You spotted the utility offer service for the first 20 to sign up must have "slightly"exceeded that number! And just to make it more fun for the Sal Snagging Crew the information costs were incorrect as well! Thank heavens we only obtained that information from Electra – whoops! True to our word and Serafina’s purse we'll fight to get the correct information in future!

For those about to sign up we can confirm that the utility connection service will remain at 50 Euros with Electra’s costs at an additional charge. As their figures have changed as many times as an Enron accountant in the last few days we will advise you at the point of connection.

We understand Electra’s costs this week, for example, a Three bed room apartment is 50 Euros - smaller properties should be less (however this is Cabo Verde so we’ll only know when we are there sweating in the office!)

As before, for those that want to register just send an email to info@snaggingoverseas.com with your property details and we’ll send a Payment request for the 50 Euro connection service – when we eventually have the opportunity to connect we’ll send you a further payment request with Electra’s fees.

Many thanks for your continued support and well spotted the Snag Blog groupies’! (And you know who you are!!) ( and you should get out more!! )

By the way, Serafina tells us constantly that we have to put links in, help our clients find useful information. So here is the link of the week:

http://www.electra.cv/

The last time we went there the site had suffered what the IT boys and girls call a DSN Hijack, ie, it redirects you to a place where you can buy dodgy loptops off the back of a lorry. Go figure!

Have a snag free week!

Snagging Super Sunday at the Superbowl!!

2010-02-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

New Orlean Saints v Indianana Colts v CSI v The Who!

Although Florida is known as the Sunshine state it actually has a similar climate to Southern Portugal. Today the sun is shining, its 20 degrees and a far cry from the last snow that fell on Albufeira in 1913 – Serafina doesn’t understand the fuss recently in the UK and Ireland (!) Here its great weather to snag and clean!

Ironically plans are afoot to launch our next phase of Global Snagging Domination as we intend to snag and clean our way around the sunshine state in Florida. Now that Grisham has retired from “Crime Scene Investigation” he’s a must for a snagging job! For now though most of the eyes of the world will be homing in on Miami on Sunday along with practically every American for the ultimate game of games : Superbowl!

Nearly 200 million Americans alone watched it last year with the live feed going to another 230 countries. (It was “live “in Sal 3 weeks later!) Hoping to avoid repeats of Nipplegate and chronic half time miming the organizers have brought in one of THE bands to entertain the masses – Get your mohair pressed, fire up the 2 stroke and get ready to rumble for “The Who” – as Mr. Daltry will be booming out the 3 theme tunes to the global phenomena that is CSI (Question of the week has not been will Manning outfox Brees (of course he will) but which Who tunes go with which CSI!! – Can you name them? )
Hopefully they’ll play live rather than lip sync as there are few sights better to witness in rock than Mr. Townsend windmill his guitar into a musical frenzy. Genius!

Here are the boys opening their European Tour in Lisbon 2007 - We were there and we Snagged them! And then cleaned the Pavillion! Serafina managed to get hospitality tickets for herself and the family but we managed to snag them! Geddit??

Have a snag free week!

Cape Verde Lights Up!! Vila Verde has Power!.. What now Dr Frank?!?!

2010-01-12T10:53:00.001-08:00

BREAKING NEWS....................................VILA VERDE HAS SEEN THE LIGHT........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At long last Electra - the Utility company for all of the islands in the Cape Verde Archipelago - has assumed responsibility for the connection of the water and the electricity which means the Green Village should soon start resembling the Vila Verde real estate development that is on the website and the original Cape Verde promotional materials!! (Remember them?! – Tom Baker was Doctor Who!! )

Positive news indeed and now that one hurdle is cleared, oh the joys and delights of the Cape Verdean bureaucratic connection system come next!! And if you thought the Indian civil service had a reputation for over staffing………! This is a civil service even Sir Humphrey would be proud to lead around the maze at Hampton court!

Once you have signed your Cape Verdean title deed and are the proud owner of an apartment on the Island of Sal – as many people have already done a long long time ago on the island of Mindelo not so far far away – you will receive the official legal documents stating that you are now the proud owner of your property on the Vila Verde development. These documents need to be taken to the Electra office and produced along with your passport and several other documents to prove you are the legal owner of your Sal property.

From our experience it is always far more effective if you set up a direct debt for the monthly "ish" utility payments. We know some people are wary of using these for the fear receiving query able bills, however better to face this possibility knowing when you arrive at 04.00 in the morning your utilities will not have been cut off from lack of payment!!

You can always query the bill when you are there – or as you are on Sal, and you will become Cape Verdean do what the locals do and get somebody else to go and query it for you! The good news is that, like all things in Cape Verde, even if you don't pay we are told that they sometimes can take up to a year to cut you off! So sometimes the delays work in your favour!

Here at Snagging Overseas we offer a connection service to save you the journey and, above all the queue. So please contact us on info@snaggingoverseas.com and book your utilities with us now. The first 20 clients get a 20% discount!

This is how most people feel after leaving the Electra office….! But at least you’ll be connected!

Life At Lisbon's Legoland!

2009-12-22T02:34:00.000-08:00

PALMELA VILLAGE

Yes we are back at the "Pam", one of " Lisbons" most famous resorts!

For those that haven’t had the pleasure of viewing Palmela Village, close to Setubal and south of the capital Lisbon, this development is one for that old adage where you either “love it or hate it”!!

I recall my first sighting some years ago and was struck by the infamous color scheme and the highly unusual design of the properties. Like the “Guilty Pleasure” cd or admitting that you miss Val Doonican at Christmas I confess that my initial opinion has changed quite dramatically over the years.

Whilst I am still not overly convinced that the color scheme actually works and on the wrong day looks like Sporting Lisbon’s Football stadium ( lets hope Everton find the right place! ) but then it was designed by the same architect, Tomás Taveira, of both architectural and amateur movie fame!!

In Palmela Village the use of the living space and internal lighting is extremely effective and the split level mezzanine floors in the Villas does actually justify the price. Sometimes.

Whatever opinion people hold it is certainly a landmark resort and now that the Golf course has bedded in after what feels like 200 years it is starting to resemble the model village we saw years ago! (It wouldn’t be a Portuguese development if some properties hadn't been built incorrectly, or where building had been refused completely because of cork trees where the kitchen was going to be or just not built at all!)

Anyway our Portugal Head office will be closed during the Christmas period to renew our laser guns, rest our cameras and recharge the batteries. Well all of us except Serafina who is, by her own account, going to "catch up on marketing reading!". Sounds brill eh? *yawn*

You can still email us info@snaggingoverseas.com should you have any questions or queries during this time and be sure to visit http://www.snaggingoverseas.com/ to remind yourselves of what we do and where do it.

In the meantime on behalf of all the team in Portugal, Spain, Cabo Verde, Turkey and Dubai may we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.

Have a Snag free Crimbo.

Dads Army Snagging in Dubai,

2009-12-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

DON’T’PANIC …!!

We are still " Snagging In Dubai !"

Whilst the world has been held spell bound by the economic excitement in Dubai our boys took it easy dropped their snagging tools and went on holiday! Suffice to say that in the developments we are currently snagging at Dubai Marina, Downtown Burji and out at Al Hamra and the Core Project it seems like a case of business as usual now that the religious holidays are over.

Which was quite unlike the furor caused by Dubai World’s statement that they were “a little short “before closing shop for a few days – it makes it exciting to say the least when comparing the style in which different cultures structure their affairs! (Although they all seem to embrace the word “delay! “ )

Doooommmmm….!!!!!!!!!!!

Speculation is rife that the capital Abu Dabu would shore up the Dubai debt – although it looks likely that they will not inject as much of the readies as its dear neighbour, and cousin, requires. This poses an interesting questionas to what exactly will happen in the short to mid term. Pragmatic observers believe it is merely a downward blip on the Dubai Radar and have advised investors not to panic whilst others have gone Full Dads Army and proclaimed "We're all doomed!"

Our advice : Always check the situtaion with your legal representative and engage directly with the developer where possible - Watch this space for photos of the developments currently under the Snagging Overseas Magnifying Glass.

Branson, Blesson, Bladerunner and Beauty

2009-11-12T04:14:00.000-08:00

DUBAI

Following the recent Worldwide property show at the grand Hyatt - green shoots or are they perhaps golden palm trees?! – we’ve been advised that despite the downturn, there is over 900 Billion US still invested in Dubai! It would appear that people are still looking to buy in the UAE. Our contact in Salford has assured us that even Kai Wayne has already purchased in the Jumeirah!

Whilst out and about we popped into The Art lounge at the Grand Hyatt which was recently opened by the Oscar nominated and critically acclaimed director ( and business associate of Richard Branson with Virgin Comics ) Shehar Kapur
Talking of which, Dubai has the perfect comic book BladeRunner ( so was he a replicant?! ) setting with its spectacular futuristic buildings, stunning waterfronts, lunar landscape and the intoxicating smell of heat, humidity, spices and the exotic. You can often see the vapor trails in the air which is consistent with the temperature changes. – just check out The Burj (Which only means he Tower, so no prizes for naming their!) which was due to open its first phase next month. As the world’s tallest skyscraper it’s just slightly more elevated than Nikolay Valuev!

The air temperature combination has raised questions concerning humidity within the propertities we have been inspecting. In general, items identified require re-plastering and repainting with some sealant locks around windows allowing air movement.

We are currently working in Al Hamra Village Resort which blends in extremely well with its setting (ie spectacular!! ) A hybrid of Luc Blesson’s Firth Element meets Beverley hills! We’ll keep you posted.

Have a snag free week….!

Oscars-Shehar Kapur-Hyatt-Al Hamira-Richard Branson-Kai Rooney- Luc Blesson-

Where Eagles Dare - Portugal

2009-11-12T03:53:00.000-08:00

……….WHERE EAGLES DARE..........

We are also currently snagging high above Albufeira at Cerro D Aguia.

Loosely translated as “the hill of the eagle” and commonly referred to as” Millionaires’ Row “it was one of the first residential areas lived in by the professional and wealthy classes.

Here, overlooking the Albufeira Marina – or Trumpton as we prefer to call it! - Eagles did once soar and dare and Iberian lynxes hunted without the fear of extinction.

Their habitat has slowly decreased over the decades but still the surrounding area is a blaze of all year round fauna from canary yellow mimosa to the white almond blossom – even in the height of summer the foliage still maintains a green glow despite the warm and temperate climate.

IT’S THE ALBUFEIRA MARINA ….!!!!!!

Historically, the Eagle crest has been closely associated with various important shifts in matters over the centuries with the Spanish using it on their Shield to signify their road towards democracy to Napoleon Bonaparte using it as a symbol of his new French Empire.

Incidentally, if you ever visit the historical second city of the country – O Porto – check out the huge statue of the French eagle crushed by the lion of England and its allies to commemorate Arthur Wesley’s stunning capture of the city from General Shue. Mr Wesley as you know later became more famous as the Duke of Wellington and faced Bonaparte at that one fateful meeting in Belgium.

THE REAL ALBUFEIRA MARINA ….!!!!!! ( and the view from Cerro D’Aguia )

Spain is on the up!

2009-10-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

The UK press is responsible for so much, or totally irresponsible, depending on your viewpoint!

For example, many people mention the Spanish land grab. It was hyped in the press. Yet of the 800,000 Brits who purchased in Spain there are only some 55 cases of the LRAU (The law in question) being used against them. And there are strong arguments to support the fact that they, the Brits, may not have been in the right.

So why do we begin with this? Mainly because we have seen a big upsurge in snagging in Spain over the last few weeks and this is an indicator that the UK market is buying there again.

Yet the press would have us believe we were all mad to buy anything anywhere at the moment. Even nipping down the corner shop to buy a bag of crisps could put you in all kinds of danger. So don't do it!

Anyway, if you really are an extraorindary character and have decided to buck the trend and purchase a property in Spain because, well let's face it, it's the absolute best time to do so, please remember that before you go to deeds you should have this property snagged, or inspected for faults, and have the snag list that we produce sent to the vendor or developer.

Where are we snagging at the moment?

Well, in Spain's Costa del Sol we currently have clients who have purchased in El Campanario (The Belfry for those of us who don't speak the lingo). Paraiso Hills (Very nice too!) and Oasis Cala de Mijas.

On the Costa Blanca we have seen some action in Polaris World sites El Valle and also some movement Punta Prima.

Bu of course we will snag anywhere in Spain. We have even done some snagging in Galicia. Hence the photo. This property was sold for something like 55,000 Euros! Not bad, but it's a bit nippy up that way!

Anyway, have a snag free week and don't forget to contact Snagging Overseas for any proerty inspection or advice.

Snagging Overses at A Place in the Sun Live 2009

2009-10-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we all know that Serafina our intrepid, knows-no-boundaries Group Marketing Director, believes that Snagging Overseas should go everywhere for all marketing opportunities. And so she prepared a trip for herself and then fell ill!

Laughed?! We were ever so worried about her health as we changed the tickets from her name to ours and got on the plane for Birmingham.

As you may know A Place in the Sun Live! is held twice a year, once in Earl's Court, London and once in the NEC in Birmingham. Being September it was in Brum.

So we duly packed up all of Serafina's marketing material and jetted off. Turth be told, we did sort of leave a lot of the leaflets in the suitcases but hey, we wanted to look at the public response and attitude to overseas property. We know they will choose us once they have bought something. I mean, why choose anyone else?

We did not, as it appears, and also as some people have tried to insinuate (Not Serafina, of course), just hang around star struck to get photos with Jasmine and Jasmine and Jasmine the three presenters of A Place in the Sun!

So what was the feeling in this edition of A Place in the Sun?

It seems the general consensus from the agents was that there was a good abundance of quality leads. What was interesting, was that this show had the highest ever ratio of visitors to exhibitors.

So, with all this talk of "Green Shoots" and "We're on the road to recovery", let's hope that the results of this show are what everyone wants - that buyers get a great deal, that sellers feel the return to confidence and that whoever buys whatever wherever that they choose Snagging Overseas to get the very best out of the proerty.

The best thing here is that we have got through an entire article about A Place in the Sun without mentioning Amanda Lamb! Oops!

2009-08-27T03:28:00.000-07:00

The Bucket And Spade Blue Flag Brigade ……

Ever wonder how a beach obtains a “Blue Flag “– No, not by voting for Biff Baff Boris! We at Snagging Overseas have our sources in all the smallest places that not even the fees office would notice.

Our Algarvian contact rises at 04.00am on a Monday morning and divides the province into 2 half’s. Over the next 2 days between 05.00 until 15.00 his team of “ little helpers “ navigate every beach in the Algarve and physically enter the water waist high to scoop up samples of the ocean into small test tubes. These are then returned to the HQ in Lagoa where the water is tested for quality, chemicals, bacteria, minerals and Viagra.

Once the all clear is given the information is passed to the various authorities tasked with looking after the beaches from the marine police, lifeguards to the local council and tourism offices.

The Algarve is world famous for having some of the most impressive beaches in the world from the “ Caribbean “ like sand banks on the islands off Faro and Tavira to the stunning rock formations and caves around the Lagos area. Recently snagged properties in the western Lagos - Oceana Apartments, Vila Ancora and Quinta Da Palmeris- all have the opportunity to relax on the Porto Do Mos beach.

Indeed Lagos itself is one of the most cosmopolitan of Portugal’s resort with campsites and backpackers inter railing to the most western train station in Europe. Infamously home to Europe’s first slave market – now a fantastic art house gallery – it also showcases Portugal’s incredible history and attractions with quaint cobbled streets, paved walkway’s with open air cafes, lively bars and restaurants with surfers and bucket and spaders all mixing harmoniously – and remember the beaches!

Recently the Lonely Planet published its guide " Travel with Children ". Included in the " Top 10 Beaches in the World for Families " is the island off Tavira. They quote that it is "a magnificent untamed beach that goes on for miles "...and as somebody that's walked it with " she who must be obeyed "........it most certainly does!

This, along with the World Health Organisation Report that the Algarve and the Costa Del Sol enjoy TWO of the healthiest climates in the world, only strenghtens these areas when the market decides it's had enough of gloom, doom and cloud and gets back on track!

Update on Turkey

2009-08-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

We have been snagging some developments in Turkey recently and have come across some unique approaches to customer service!

Anyway, to protect the guilty we won't be giving any names, suffice us to say that if you have purchased a property in Turkey ensure that you get your paperwork sorted by a qualified local solicitor and that you approach the whole inspection of the property subject in writing.

At Snagging Overseas we can help with this because, quite frankly, we have seen it all before! What better reason to employ the services of a professional company like ours?

Remember that we can also take photos of your property, even if it is not ready for snagging yet. There seems to be great apprehension in the overseas property world as to whether developments will be finished on time or not. The best way is to see for you own eyes!

More on Cape Verde

2009-07-16T04:24:00.000-07:00

Serafina, our exotically attractive Marketing Director suggested we spend a few days with the boys on Cape Verde "checking things out".

Now, normally adverse to such mad junkets across the seas, we decided that perhaps this was a good idea to do a Cape Verde update and meet with all the relevant powers that be from Tecnicil.

Now we wanted to address a couple of ongoing concerns that have been raised by clients.

Surrounding Areas

The surrounding areas of Vila Verde Santa Maria are the pool and gardens and road areas around each block or community. Now it is fair to say that these areas are not finished although we have seen workers on the site - our photo here showing one of them!

Tecnicil say that these areas will be finished off in the order of the original completions per community. Should you sign title deeds with these areas as they are? Should companies like Snagging Overseas sign an apartment off with the areas as they are?

The short answer is yes, not only that, we should and we have to. Why? We have studied the promissory contract and it is very clear that the compleiton of the surrounding areas is NOT linked to the contractual completion of the property. Now this may sound like we're nit picking but imagine if we advise you not to complete on the grounds of there being no grounds (Sorry, couldn't resist it) and you then lose your investment because you have fallen into breach of contract. Where would we be then? Liable.

As it stands, we sign all units off that are complete in and of themselves. We do not make any pronouncements regarding the surrounding areas because we do not want to risk, even in the smallest way, that someone misinterpret this and use it as a pretext not to complete.

Water and Electricity

You may remember that we had received an ssurance from Tecnicil that they would correct any defects in the electrical and water installation. As a result we have been unable to test any of this and do rely on Tecnicil's assurance to be able to test once everything is connected.

Now there seems to be some delays with connecting not just individual apartments, but the resort as a whole. Tecnicil tell us that the infrastructure is in place and that it all works and the ball is now in Electra's court, Electra being both the water board and the electricity board (Not Jennifer Garner, unfortunately...).

Who's to blame? Difficult to say taking into account the multitude of players and complexity of laws involved - With normal conveyance processes a habitation licence is issued only after water and electicity inspections have been passed. In Vila Verde Tecnicil have the habitation licence though appear to be waiting for the utility licences! Africa eh?! You do not get that with Barret and Wimpey!

Now we don't want to get involved in who's to blame here and should underline one important difference between Europe and Cape Verde: in Cape Verde a habitation licence CAN be legally issued even if the water and electricity is not yet connected. It is enough that the installation is complete to gain the licence.

Snagging Portugal

2009-07-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

With so much going on in our new territories, especially with investors and second home buyers in Dubai, we have tried to return focus to Portugal in our Blog. This is where it all began, after all. So forgive of us if you think we are neglecting you, it's not the case, we are just distracted but will resume more Portugal news as soon as possible.

Progress Photos: New service from Snagging Overseas

2009-06-25T11:09:00.001-07:00

Many clients that we speak to have requested information via our website and often do so many months before completion.

Now the more organised like to plan in advance and they also like to see progress as it is made. We are often asked if we can go to the resort and take some photos. In fact, so many people have requested this service that we have decided to launch it as a separate service for you.

From July 1st Snagging Overseas, in all of its current territories, so that's for property owners or buyers in Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Dubai and Cape Verde, will offer a Progress Photo Service consisting of a series of photos taken over the build time of your property.

So, if you would like to see how your development is coming along or are concerned because it has been suggested in our oh so optomistic national press that things are not looking good abroad, starting from 60 Euros we will send you a set of photos of your property, your development and the surrounding areas.

Come on, impress your friends, annoy your mother-in-law by showing that your dream is becoming a reality.

Palmela Village - You love it or you hate it

2009-06-23T13:08:00.001-07:00

We have been snagging and inspecting a futuristic, architecturally designed development near Lisbon for so long that sometimes we forget to mention it! Palmela Village!

Palmela Village is a development built by Pelicano, a Lisbon based family developer grown large.

The project was designed by the famous - those in the know would say "infamous!" - architect Tomás Taveira, the brain behind Sporting's Avalade Stadium and also Amoreiras Shopping Centre in Lisbon, one of the first macro shopping malls to grace a capital city now bursting at the seams with macro "shoppings" of one kind or another.

Tomás Taveira is well known for his love of using many colours. The Marina in Albufeira pays colourful testimony to this as do many other buildings across Portugal.

The truth is that no one sits on the fence with the Taveira designs and finish. You either love them or you hate them. And Palmela Village is no exception.

Built near the picturesque town of Quinta do Anjo (Literally, The Angel's Hamlet or Estate) but pertaining to the town hall of Palmela, Palmela Village consists of villas, townhouses and apartments designed around a golf course.

With Lisbon only some 30 minutes away and the new international airport planned for that side of the river, Palmela Village is set to be a great investment for those that bought there. Whether they like it or not!

We have been inspecting properties and homes on Palmela Village for a couple of years now. The delivery of some units has been quite slow and once the teething problems on Phase I were ironed out, the next group of deliveries improved considerably.

So if you have purchased a property on Palmela Village and need the best inspection to be done for you, with an attention to detail that characterises Snagging Overseas, then contact us at info@snaggingoverseas.com and for the months of July and August we will give you a 10% discount on all snag and clean combinations for Palmela Village.

Have a colourful summer!

When does the dream become reality?

2009-06-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's always worth bearing in mind that when you commit to an overseas property, like committments of any kind, you have to accept that you're in for the long haul.

With the purchase of an overseas property, it is important to take into account that you are entering into a long term transaction. Although we speak of "living the dream", once you have started you do need patience to see it through. We are not speaking of Utopia here. People down the pub, sometimes, or perhaps especially even your friends, will nod sagely and say, as soon as the first delay occurs, "It'll never happen."

This can lead to you giving up. We have seen overseas buyers say they are no longer going through with it because a property it is a few months late. Even when it is becoming clear that it is taking shape. "We can no longer believe in it, anymore! It's like winning the bonolotto, or something! We want to believe it, but more and more we're thinking of buying a caravan in Cornwall...".

So what do we say? As we are in the industry of overseas dreams, of turning the muddy field into the permanent dream home, we say, hang in there. If you feel that it is taking too long, communicate, find out what has gone wrong, what obstacles are in the way. Can they be removed easily.

Above all, do not become disenchanted.

As I believe we mentioned once before the word Utopia comes from the Greek, meaning Perfect Place but also meaning No Place. The idea being that it is unobtainable.

But your dream is not impossible. It is truly obtainable. It is on its way. It's being built. It will be well worth waiting out the long haul. You really don't want to lose faith.

And once it's built, guess who will be willing to snag it for you?

Us!

Have a snag free weekend! No fretting, leave that to us. We'll do that for you. Que remedio?

Inside looking out

2009-06-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

No more fretting, the summer is here, the sky is blue and so there is no reason to fret. On either side, ok?

Now, we often moan about problems with communication. When one is relegated to just emails it can be easy to foment misunderstandings that run and run.

Many companies are using internet chat programmes, you know, Yahoo, Google Talk, MSN Messenger etc. to communicate with their clients. We thought of trialling this for our clients.

The other day I was using a chat program like MSN to try and get to the heart of a problem. This is harder than it seems. We developed, it seemed, an ongoing tension that left us circling the problem for what seemed like hours. God knows what they pay staff in these companies, but I think I took up most of the other person's morning.

Did we solve the problem?

Nope.

What did we do?

We resorted to a phone call! Yep, Graham Bell may have said that people would not want to speak on the phone, but if you need to, it is second only to the face to face meeting.

Should we adopt a chat client? Have someone stuck to a desk all day when a two minute call would fix the issue and injet a bit of "human" into the process?

No thanks!

Delays - Blame British Rail?

2009-06-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

Demora, demora, demora – Delays, Delays, Delays and more Delays – it often makes clients echo John Cleese sentiments when talking about Gondolas in Venice …."Gondolas Gondolas and more ###### gondolas!!!"

In all our experience this is the one word that raises its head with incredible familiarity – why is this such a frequent issue people ask us at Snagging Overseas?

Fundamentally it should be relatively straightforward for developers to actually complete the construction and the build itself. Therefore there must be other reasons to consider when looking at the excuses…sorry... the actual root cause!

Bureaucratic – National and European laws are constantly changing in a bid to ensure that property owners and holiday makers are safely catered for in their respective accommodations. Whilst these are effective and positive steps they can take time to filter through the bureaucratic system and instead of getting the speed of Usain Bolt it often manifests itself at the warp factor pace of a small frozen perfectly preserved mammoth!!

Let's take an example, the huge landmark, yes landmark, NOT white elephant, that is Oceanville in Albufeira has been plagued by regulation changes during its inception and construction. So much so that the confusion surrounding the various licenses – there to protect owners and meet safety criteria – has changed so much it’s obviously significantly affected the developer’s ability to complete, open and operate. How the owners must rest easily knowing that they thus protected!

The actual coming together of numerous Government run departments tasked with the role of ensuring that all building regulations, construction, health and safety issues - fire, gas, water, residential and touristic plus many other areas - are met can be somewhat complicated! Add to the “Manha”, “Amanha”, “Ish” factor mindset and it would seem likely that it would be a miracle of the Hannah Montana scale to culminate on time and work in tandem! As you know the Spanish word for tomorrow is “Manha “– in Portugal we often joke that we do not have a word for the same "level of urgency"!.

Financial – Such delays obviously have a significant impact on a developer’s ability to function during the final process to completion and title deeds. The final payment you make will generally be made up of the developer’s profit and their repayments to banks, business partners and financial institutions that helped fund the project.

Today’s Global climate has evidently not contributed much to the situation. Although the major players are weary of mentioning that “green roots “are starting to grow it is clear in our areas of operation that property is still moving (albeit at Small Mammoth pace!) And will in our opinion rise “out of the ashes” like Philip Glenister fired up in the Quattro! Now he’d make a great developer!

Weather and Materials –

Picture a beautiful tropical island with an abundance of sand. Imagine a resort being delayed because it has the wrong type of sand? Is this a British Rail project?! Seriously this can and does happen as is evident in Cape Verde. Whatever really happened behind the scenes, and we may never know the answer to that one! But who would want their properties to collapse like the England Middle Order?!

What ever reasons there are and whatever “excuses “are given it can be understandable if you suffer from great difficulty in remembering the reasons for purchasing property in the first place. If you can hang in and hold on remember it’s vital after what you have been through to finalize the process correctly and utilize the services of a professional experienced snagging company. And that’s where we join your party.

Anyway, they say that proverbs and sayings form the rich backbone of our society, so what happened to "better late than never"?

More aftersales in Portugal, now Tavira

2009-06-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

To continue with some of the developments we are snagging in Portugal we will continue with the Eastern Algarve and the lovely development of Cabanas Gardens.

Snagging Overseas has deployed here to offer the full suite of aftersales products, cleaning, the odd snag or two and also some photos for far awar clients.

These pre and post completion services are carried out in Cabanas by Ricardo, Pedro and Esteban, our Spanish speaking cross-border madman!

We have around fifteen units to work on in this resort. Located a few kilometres east of Tavira, and perhaps 25 minutes from Faro airport, Cabanas Gardens is only a few minutes walk from the shoreline. We say shoreline because for those that do not know this part of the Algarve, there is no beach directly on the front. You have to take an aqua taxi to the real beach, which is about half a kilometre away on the famous sand bar that makes up the Ria Formosa.

Sound annoying? Well, that beach is probably one of the finest beaches in all of Europe! So it is more than worth it!

The quality in Cabanas Gardens is of the level we have come to expect in The Algarve. Nice size units with a decent finish. They could have done a bit more dusting and cleaning before delivery but that's probably us being fussy!

Now we could not do any article or Blog about Cabanas without mentioning the cafe at the end of the road there, just before the always controversial Aldeia Formosa.

Known in Snagging Overseas as the "Tosta mista" place, the old gent that owns this café makes quite possibly the best ham and cheese toasties in Portugal, if not the world.

As long as your not in a hurry, you can be sure to get the most amazing sandwich. And perfecciontists that we are we do not know his secret.

So, next time you're out that way order a sandwich. And the good thing is that it doesn't matter if you're not hungry when you get there!

Now back to Cabanas Gardens. Here are some photos of the development.

Snagging in The Algarve: Monte de Eira

2009-06-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

Some great developments are now completing in The Algarve and so we have been called to snag some of them.

The first one that we have been inspecting in the last few weeks is Monte de Eira in Albufeira. Built by the developer Jose Coutinho from Caldas de Rainha in central Portugal, the development is well located and of a high standard.

Snagging has gone quite well there, with only a few "silly" issues to be addressed. We were surprised at the outside stainless steel railings being decidedly unstainless! Well, rusty is a word we would use.

The interiors have been fine, the usual snags, not quite so straight extractor hoods, the odd hole here and there. Some cracks and scuff marks. Nothing to write home about ad certainly nothing to worry about!

So, if you are the proud owner of a unit in Monte de Eira and need to snag and to clean there then let us know. Alternatively, you could request some photos, as this is a service we are getting more and more requests for. Remember you can get us always on info@snaggingoverseas.com or just browse the usual website.

Have a snag free week!!

Some useful links

2009-06-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

We have been given some links to a Blog from Tecnicil, the developer of the Vila Verde project in the Cape Verde Islands.

So if you are a client from Tecnicil or are just interested in the Cape Verde Islands project, here their Blog is well worth reading.

http://vilaverde-resort.blogspot.com/