Although living in the sunny Algarve with its winter average temperatures of around 17 degrees is pleasant enough heading off to Sal is an ideal opportunity to soak up its average 26 – 30 Degrees of winter warmth (which sounds even better than flying back to Cardiff’s with its searing 7 degree average!!)

On our very first venture to Sal all those years ago we left Faro in the sun, arrived in Lisbon in the Sun and arrived in Sal in complete Darkness – airport had no lights then! – but with that sweltering wind and heat.

We decided every morning to go kite surfing however after tuna fish in butter sauce accompanied with white wine at the Morabezza Beach Bar we had just enough energy to crawl to the sun loungers on the beach! After a quick afternoon snooze and waking up with a face full of sand (the wind was as dangerous as An Irish Referring decision! ) it set us up nicely for the evening entertainment – and I still have the Morabezza letter opener I won in the night time bingo around the pool!  

Speaking of sun sea snagging sand warmth and evocative memories check out the latest photographs taken recently from the Dunas Beach Club in Sal Cabo Verde. These are the snaggable Boulevard apartments which is an extension of the Hotel. The walkways all head down to that wonderful stretch of golden sands and gorgeous colored water

Phase Two will not be released for snagging Inspections until well into next summer although just to remind you we are still completing snagging inspections in the villas and boulevard apartments whilst the snagging window remains open.

Just click on the request for more information and we’ll be happy to call you.

Have a snag free weekend.

 Good luck to the French on Sunday. I think you may need it!

The whole of the country will be on complete standstill and if we come through victorious I’d suggest forget getting any work done in Wales next week!

 Think Sal with bad weather!

 The world’s most unpredictable team stand in the way of a landmark occasion. If you cast your mind back to the last game of the six nations Wales even had an outside chance of winning the championship providing they beat the French by 27 points – naturally being Welsh we lost by that margin so shows the improvement the national team have made since. Cold harsh baths in Poland, a golf buggy ban and introducing our under 11’s into the set up has clearly had a marked effect on confidence and restored the pride!

Even our eldest – little Shane – still get’s asked for his ID at the over 18 youth club back in his home town!

Funniest chant of the week has to be from the 600 Welsh Footy Fan’s against Bulgaria with “Is that all you take at home” to an almost empty 43000 capacity stadium! As my niece would say “ LOL” !!!!!!!!!!!!

As for the weekend if Cardiff city pick up 3 points against our nemesis the tractor boys and our Nathan retains his WBO title I don’t think I’ll be doing anything exerting on Sunday!

Now that Christiane has left we have received notice from Antonio Cabral at Turinveste that he will be trying his very hardest to ensure that everybody is brought up to speed with all that is going on in Djadsal! Easier said than done as I’m sure most frustrated Djadsal owners would agree! 

Keep at eye out next week for the latest stunning photos from Dunas Beach Club and the launch of the Llana Beach Hotel!   

Have a Snag Free Weekend and cheer on the ” Boyos”!

 Getting up on a pitch black 4am Algarvian morning ready to watch with baited breath our biggest game for donkey’s years / ears / here / hear against the mighty green of Ireland ( and yes for those that know me I do pronounce all 4 as year, year, year and year! )

So focused have we been on the events in the land of The Hobbits almost forgot how busy we’d been checking out and snagging in Alto Do Balaia, Olival da Colina Verde,                          

Santo Amorin

and our old perennial favorite the Villa Branca.

I recall in 1998 my South African Portuguese neighbors in Albufeira waiting for me to arrive home after Wales were trounced by nearly 100 points!  And Alfie was in that team!

It was what made Gareth “Alfie “Thomas the man he is now – so to speak! Top respect to the legend that is our Alfie, and like most of the world cannot wait to see how and what Mickey Roukre looks like playing him in the film…and as for the accent!!!!!!! Will Mickey be able to say Ear, Here, Hear and Year correctly?!

 After Pepper’s appearance last week on the blog one of the other office security delegates and dogs also wished to be included so here is Ben Sherman

England’s top snagger recently stayed and she got everybody switched onto Melody Gardot – check out www.melodygardot.com (what a voice, babe and life!)  – And since then Ben’Sherman’s gone all French and taking to wearing a cravat and beret on walks! He was clearly trying for an early “Style Council” look however we all think he looks more like Charles Aznavour!

For those of you in Dubai waiting for the Arab property spring and footy invasion check out the local side Al Wasl managed by the one and only Mr Maradona! Our Bluebird on the ground regularly reports that footy is really taking off!

 New snagging inspections now taking place in the Marina Residence so make sure you get your snagging inspection bookings over to infor@snaggingoverseas.com or simply call the office on the number below.

 Good luck the Taffs next week – wow only one game away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Who would have predicted that a month ago…?!

A podengo is an indigenous Portuguese breed rarely found outside of the country. (There are approximately only 300 in the whole of the UK! – check out www.podengos.org )

Pepper is the largest of the 3 sizes in the breed and her hobbies include walking, reading, snagging, football, Strictly and of course swimming as she aptly demonstrates in the local podengo pool!

Talking of pools podengos and paradise please see some of the latest photos taken of the initial snagging inspections at the Paradise Beach club in Santa Maria Sal

Work has indeed progressed since my last site visit. The south side of phase 1 has been completed which includes the apartments blocks 3 – 5 as well as the semi detached villas SD51 all the way to SD 142.

The front line villas are particularly spacious and hopefully should be released in the not too distant future so look out for those completion certificates folks!!

Please ensure you get your snagging booking forms sent to the snagging office HQ team at  info@snaggingoverseas.com and rest assured that Pepper will not be asleep on the job (although she may be found swimming in the communal pool!!) Have a Snag Free weekend and good luck to all involved and following the Rugby! Come On The Northern Hemisphere!

It’s true that very rarely will a real estate agent ever tell you the possible strain of achieving the dream. Issues with developers, town halls, lawyers and mosquitoes are all normally part and parcel of the overseas conveyance process.

The only summer I have spent in the past 22 years in the UK was a wonderful cold damp August 2008 where I enjoyed 21 days of wonderful cold damp rain! Whilst taking in the last ever game at the home of football – the ever warm and welcoming Ninian Park (if you’ve been there in the away end you’ll know what I mean!) and watching City obviously loose 3 – 0, I bravely walked into the Cardiff City centre where my diving fins would have been more use than my addias sambas to catch up with the world’s foxiest 50 plus something! And When Madonna sings “strike a pose “you do!

Ahh…Salad Days. Ironically landing back in Faro late at night it was the warmest I had been for 3 weeks so I can understand why people buy into the dream.

And look at the summer that’s passed?! Pressure on the G20 to assist the world economy, Greeks on the streets, Riots in London, Sal runs out of wooden statues, Libya, Berlusconi at it again, Madeira accidently losing the odd billion, Brighton and Hove actually, Harry Potter, Starlight and the passing of the legend Nick Ashford.

And as for us and the hard slog of Algarvian August – we expect cars to park on the roundabouts but not the police tow truck! – the whole country agrees it’s perfectably acceptable to increase the tax on electricity from 6% to 23% and raise income tax to 27% on a minimum wage of 450 Euros. We’re all in it together except the politicians and the Tecnicil board of directors.

So it’s amusing to hear that the board is planning their next venture and construction on their home territory – The Planet Pluto. Using their recycling station – Thunderbird 5 “ The Force Maior “ – the build is expected to take around 5000 years so make sure you get your reservations in early!

Talking of sand, sea and snagging we are heavily into bookings for the Paradise Beach for those lucky pips who’ve received their completion certificates! No doubt about it – this is a big plot of land! And remember…even if you have not received your completion certificates yet make sure you get your snagging booking into us anyway so we can co-ordinate with Laura and Tracey in the office!                                                                                                                                                     

Check the site to download the snagging brochure which contains the booking form! Have a snag free weekend

As we’ve been snagging in Dunas for some time now I have  attached a few recent photos of the “Excellence “package in the Dunas Villas supplied by Tim and his team from “Rhooms “The Resort Group Furniture supplier.

As usual with this developer snagging pace is of the essence and the work rate is certainly noticeable each time we visit to snag the units and the resort.

Keep an eye on the blog for more Dunas updates next week and more snagging news!

Ironically as we head into August it’s all Snag a Go Go for us at that end of Santa Maria – normally in Portuguese and Cab Verdean terms “ Augustooo “ means downing tools and worries and heading for that sandy thing at the end of the road.

Time to relax, unwind and forget about life’s woes whilst supping a super bock.

No more talk of fiscal policy, phone hacking, horror in Norway, famine, war, the euro, warm British weather, warm British beer, losing on penalties, Rup’s and becks, dear sad Amy, that wedding, debt, the first test, the Olympics (And Tom you are definitely going to have to buy a larger pair of bathers for next summer!) and wondering if Boris will actually enter the whiff waff competition. 

As a legend from Liverpool once said  “Life is what happens to you whilst you are busy making other plans “ so ensure you book your impending snagging inspections now and let us do the work whilst you get on with enjoying life!

And start looking forward to the Football season!  

Bookings now being made for snagging in Dunas, Paradise Beach South side Phase 1, Tropical and Djadsal – if anybody answers the phone.

Ps… Debate this parents and children at your leisure.

In Portugal they have 13 weeks off for their summer holidays! Good or Bad?

(I’ve applied to return to school as a “mature’ish student”!)

Dedicado a Ed Summers – Descanse en Paz  – Tapicero de Dios – Snag Free xx

We are of course referring to the opening of the snagging window for the Dunas Beach Resort!!!!!!!!! The front phase Villas are almost ready to roll and are looking very attractive – how fast can those Resort boys build?!

And most importantly who will be performing at the opening event?! Following the success of the Tortuga bash I’m sure our boys Diversity and Danny Rampling will be back. Completing Snagging Overseas dream line up would be Smokey Robinson and the Modfather Mr Weller!!

Here in the Algarve details have been announced of the impending summer concerts – Not only do we have the Human League but also Duran Duran!! All we need now is Shakin Stevens and it’ll be like the Lansbury Park Junior School under 12’s disco!! (Hopefully without the bloodshed!!)

So if you have a property in Dunas 1A – 1 B Dunas make sure you order your snagging inspections through the world’s number one snagging company! Please go to the website section for Cape Verde for all the details for pricing and special offers!!

Have a snag and fight free weekend!!!!

In fact the beach plays a pivotal role in the well being of being Brasilian. Every where you go football and other sports are being played and enjoyed. And surely Brasil must be one of the only countries where you can see a 567 a side footy match lasting 9 hours with bodybuilders for goalposts!

Even Senior Blater and other people with little knowledge of football recognize that having won the world cup an unprecedented 5 times Brasil is the greatest footballing nation of all time – and when a name becomes almost god like its rarely passed on and used again( how many Pele’s do you know?! )

Counter that with the second longest river in the world and the utterly staggering size of the rainforest surrounding the Amazon belt and you’ll realize very quickly how very much more there is to this huge and gloriously green country.

Enjoying its growing status as the largest economy in Latin America, Brasil will in fact play host to the FIFA Football World cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 – the two biggest sporting events in the world! Needless to say are looking forward to snagging the stadiums and areas (in my case the ladies beach volley ball!)

So for sure it’s a good time to buy and invest in a country with so much to offer – and with more than 2,500 Airports clearly it won’t be long before Rynair land on one them! (Come on Michael – just think how much money you’ll make on the luggage!)

For all those who have gone the way of the “Tudo bem” and are in the process of completing make sure you use Snagging Overseas to carry out the snagging inspections in that country far far away! Check out our Brasil web page for the areas we are currently snagging and inspecting and find out more information by clicking on the link.

Have a snag free week and ask yourself why “We say Brasil – You say Brazil”?!

Tudo!

Now we are not talking wedgies here, nor are we speaking about golf implements, or, er, clubs, we are actually circling a much more sensitive area – steady – an area of legal density that some of our clients, and indeed not yet clients, have not seemed to spot.

Tecnicil, as we know, if not in the doggy doo, are certainly suspended over it with an ever weakening tether and as a result the contractual position you may all find yourselves in could soon become, well, covered in the same stuff.

We have consulted with several legal advisers and they all agree on one thing – if you do not snag your property then the property will be sold, to quote the tedious Tecnicil blog not to mention the promissory contract, “as is”. Clients that dig their heels in for whatever reasons need to be aware that the contract does not give them the right to do so. Just because Tecnicil are late does not deprive them of the right to cancel the contract.

Similarly the existence of some aspects of the resort or the apartment to finalise does not give you the automatic right to delay either. Quite a few clients have said to us that they are not going to snag until such and such has happened. Well that is their prerogative but we would be derelict in our duties if we did not inform you ALL of the following:

1. If you have conducted a snagging inspection and the snagging “window” closes then Tecnicil HAVE the right to notify you for deeds and CANCEL you if you do not complete. Any problems in the property will be ignored.
2. So far Tecnicil have done little, as we know. No one has been cancelled in spite of some being warned. However, if BES take over, then the grey men in suits from Lisbon will look at the contract in perfect monochrome and if you have not completed then you are in breach. Simple as.
3. HOWEVER, if you have carried out a snagging inspection and your trusty and reliable overseas snagging and property inspection company (That’s us, by the way) have discovered something then you can legally and correctly delay your completion. Tecnicil will try and suggest you have to complete as they will play this game where they say that the inspection was “Conclusive”, well that is not what the contract says. The contract states, IN ALL CASES, the following:

O ciclo de inspecções/rectificações/reinspeções será repetido tantas vezes quantas as necessárias até que qualquer das partes notifique a outra que submete o litígio à resolução da arbitragem.

which is to say: 

The cycle of inspection/rectification/re-inspection shall be repeated as often as may be necessary until either party notifies the other that they require the dispute to be resolved by arbitration. 

Now this is simply NOT open to the kind of interpretation Tecnicil are giving it. This is not to say that we suggest people should use it for small snags, but those people who are concerned about completing before seeing something of substance CAN use this clause and SHOULD use this clause. But the alternative and this is for sure as we have heard this from people within both Tecnicil and BES, is that if and when the bank take over then they will cancel ALL clients who have not completed. Unfair? Probably so get yourself protected, contact Snagging Overseas NOW and we will be happy to assist. 

You can get us on info@snaggingoverseas.com or on Skype with the id snagging.overseas or on the electric telephone on +44 (0) 208 1448200

Have a snag free day!