Rosa del Mar Porto Murdeira Price From: €190,300 Region: Porto Murdeira Sal island • Exclusive 5 * resort • Beach and Marina Front Location • 2 and 3 bed Duplex Apartments	Dunas Beach Resort Santa Maria Price From: €97,950 Region: Santa Maria Sal Island • Front-line beach resort • Deatched front line villas • 5* Spa Facilities	Palm View Resort Sal Rei Price From: €63,000 Region: Sal Rei Boa Vista Island • 6 * Luxury development • Three year 5% net rental guarantee • Beach front location
Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa Santa Maria Price From: €137,950 Region: Santa Maria Sal Island • Beach front development • 5* Spa facilities • Full rental management	Cotton Bay Marina & Golf Resort Santa Maria Price From: €126,000 Region: Santa Maria Sal Island • 2 x 18 hole Golf Courses • Marina • 5 * Hotel Facilities	Vila Jardins do Oceano Cidade Velha Price From: €260,000 Region: Cidade Velha Santiago Island • Exclusive 2 & 3 Bed Villas • Built to the Highest Standard • Stunning Ocean Views Guaranteed
Djadsal Moradias Santa Maria Price From: €105,000 Region: Santa Maria Sal Island • Fully Furnished Apartments • Central Location • Great rental potential	Salina Sea Resort Santa Maria Price From: €81,400 Region: Santa Maria Sal Island • 5* Apart-Hotel • Front-line position • Studio, 1 & 2 bed apartments	Salina Sand Resort Santa Maria Price From: €68,500 Region: Santa Maria Sal Island • 4* Apart-Hotel • Central Location • Studio, 1 & 2 bed apartments
Paradise Beach Santa Maria Price From: €140,000 Region: Santa Maria Sal Island • Beach front development • 4 * facilities • 8 Communal swimming pools

Cape Verde

Cape Verde Property - An Introduction

Cape Verde, once hailed as the ‘New Canary Islands’, has recently received a publicity upgrade and is now being hailed as the ‘New Caribbean’ – quite an accolade for an archipelago that was a virtual unknown until the last decade. The reason for this analogy - the Islands share the same latitude, and therefore the same sun and sand formula, as their island counterparts across the other side of the ‘pond’. Buying Cape Verde property is not only significant cheaper however, Cape Verde property is a lot more accessible.

Cape Verde Property - The history and Geography

Before considering buying Cape Verde property, a quick history and Geography lesson if we may. Cape Verde is a compact group of ten islands and eight islets in the Atlantic Ocean some 400 miles west of the African nation of Sénegal. The most developed of the Islands include Santiago, the largest of the archipelago at 50km long by 25km wide, Sal, Boa Vista, Maio, Fogo and Brava. The Portuguese were the first to discover Cape Verde back in 1460 and in true ‘finders keepers’ style integrated the Islands into their Empire. As the centuries went by a mixture of Portuguese, English, French and Africans gave rise to the Cape Verdean people. In 1975, independence was gained from Portugal and a multi-party democratic government established in 1991. The economic and political stability is one of the things that makes Cape Verde property so appealing.

Despite their diminutive size, the Islands offer a range of geography from the lofty peaks of the western islands to the level, sandy islands of Sal and Boa Vista in the east. GEM Estates is impressed by the Islands’ universal appeal and therefore promising year-round rental for Cape Verde property. Visitors who wish to do just about nothing, lie on the dunes, get a good tan, cool off in the turquoise seas and enjoy a tasty mix of African, Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine by night, are in heaven on Cape Verde. Those that need constant stimulation can try horse riding, bird-watching, fishing, tennis, golf, walking across the rugged landscapes or diving with the dolphins and loggerhead turtles. The Islands are also becoming a surfer’s paradise, lured by open seas and almost constant breezes, in particular to the resort of Santa Maria on the island of Sal, which is ranked among the world’s top five windsurfing locations and a favourite training ground for world champion surfers. Most of the new developments can be found on Sal and it is an excellent place to start your search for Cape Verde property.

WHY INVEST IN CAPE VERDE PROPERTY?

PROPERTY CAPE VERDE CLIMATE *****

Climate is one of the most appealing factors when it comes to purchasing Cape Verde Property. The islands benefit from a Caribbean style climate as the Cape Verde shares roughly the same latitude, albeit on the other side of the Atlantic. The archipelago enjoys an unbelievable 360 days of sunshine per year and is geographically sited such that virtually no extreme weather conditions such as Tsunami or hurricanes have been reported to pass its way (touch wood). Average daily temperatures hover between 21ºC and 30ºC throughout the year, which is warmer and more reliable than even the Canary Islands. To gain five stars, the sea water is like a bath-tub, sitting at between 22ºC
and 26ºC all year. Definitely a good reason to consider a Cape Verde property purchase.

PROPERTY CAPE VERDE ACCESSIBILITY ****

Almost important as climate when considering Cape Verde property is accessibility to the islands. It used to be a bit of a drag, generally having to stop in Lisbon to catch a connecting flight and pushing flying time from London up to 7 hours. However, direct flights are now in place from the UK reducing flying time to 5.5 hours, only a touch longer than the ever-popular Canary Islands. Being able to visit your Cape Verde property in almost the time it takes reach some of the further flung European cities.  There are seven airports across the Islands including the brand new Cape Verde International Airport which officially opened in Praia on the island of Santiago in October 2005. In response to public demand, independent airline Astraeus began weekly direct flights from both London Gatwick and Manchester to the island of Sal in November 2006 and Cape Verdean Airline TACV will fly directly into Santiago from Birmingham in the near future. Four stars because choice is limited, although as a relatively new holiday destination for discerning travellers, GEM Estates expects more direct flights to appear over the coming years, making the purchase of Cape Verde Property even more appealing.

PROPERTY CAPE VERDE ECONOMY ****

Equally important when considering a Cape Verde Property purchase is the Economic climate. Socially, according to the UN Development Programme, Cape Verde has the fourth highest Human Development Index, (where factors such as GDP per capita, life expectancy, adult literacy and so on are taken into consideration), of all African nations. Only the Seychelles, Tunisia and Mauritius can top it. The economy is well managed; Cape Verde has a low debt service ratio and an excellent repayment record. Another string to its stable bow is that the country’s currency, the Cape Verde Escudo, has been linked to the euro since its introduction in late 2001 thus keeping inflation low. The archipelago is currently considering introducing the euro instead of its own escudo and it is already complying with most of the EU’s economic stability demands. Most Cape Verde property purchases are carried out in Euro anyway. In 2006 alone, Cape Verde authorities approved investment projects totalling 300 million US dollars, a large proportion in the booming tourism sector. The emerging Cape Verde property sector is helping further to grow the economy. Four stars as it is still a nation on the way up.

PROPERTY CAPE VERDE TOURISM *****

When considering purchasing Cape Verde property, tourism is exceptionally important. In 2004 about only a thousand Brits visited the Cape Verde Islands, but now accessibility has been improved this area is becoming a significant tourist destination. According to the latest official statistics, tourist arrivals continue growing at a rate of 22% per annum and it is projected that Cape Verde will reach one million tourists annually by 2015 (from 83,259 in the year 2000). The number of hotel beds is increasing year-on-year and Spanish chain, Riu, has no less than two five star hotels on the island of Sal. Five stars awarded as Cape Verde appears in travel giant Expedia.co.uk’s Top 10 Destinations for 2007. Remember that where where tourism is on the increase, income from property will surely follow, a fact that makes Cape Verde property even more appealing.

CAPE VERDE PROPERTY MARKET ****

Looking at the Cape Verde property market, one will find it is relatively small in size and adopts a policy for low-density building, meaning that the Islands will never become over-developed and Cape Verde property should stay in high demand and small supply. Investors can therefore expect to benefit from that most basic of economic principles - demand outstripping supply. In terms of potential for capital appreciation for Cape Verde property, the property market is still in its infancy and the resale market hasn’t really kicked in yet, however on some of the larger Cape Verde property developments that have been released in stages, prices have increased to the tune of approximately 30%. Prospective investors in Cape Verde property need only look 1,000 miles north at prices on the Canary Islands to see the long term potential for Cape Verde property and given the all-year-round holiday season appeal, investors can be sure that their Cape Verde property will seldom be left empty. Four stars as the market has only just begun to accelerate, so accurate predictions are tough. One thing is certain however, buying Cape Verde property sooner rather than later is a must.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON BUYING PROPERTY IN CAPE VERDE, CONTACT US BY CALLING (UK) 0800 036 0068   (EIRE) 1800 211 462   (INTERNATIONAL) +34 952 799 286. OUR PROPERTY CAPE VERDE TEAM ARE HERE TO HELP.