The realistic optimist

Realism means facing the announcements made yesterday by the new Spanish government regarding important tax hikes, drastic cuts and an unprecedented GDP deficit of 8%.

Optimism means relying on the new regulations that promise to stimulate the stagnant real estate market. Among the measures just established are the reintroduction of a tax benefit and a super-reduced VAT rate of 4% on the purchase of new homes.

In addition, the new Public Works Minister Ana Pastor has included a housing policy in her portfolio and made reducing stockpiles of unsold new homes one of her priorities.

These measures tell us that this may a good time to purchase buildable land like the plot offered on this blog.

We shouldn’t forget that investing in land continues to be an option that promises benefits in the medium or long-term, whilst gold and silver prices threaten to begin their downhill or at least unstable course in the coming year, especially if the European debt crisis continues.

Whatever the news, I wish everyone a happy New Year full of optimism, mixed with a bit of realism!

The Spanish Christmas Lottery

December 22nd is a big day in Spain: the Christmas lottery. Buying the plot of land showcased on this blog is like winning "el gordo" (the fat one), the grand prize, except the odds are better.

Good day for the housing market

We’ve gotten used to the markets’ to-the-minute rss feeds on how they respond to every bit of economic news released in Europe. It’s hard to get a firm footing in this financial storm.

However, this past Tuesday was a good day for the housing market as stocks surged, partly in response to positive economic data on the housing sector in the U.S. and positive indicators from the euro zone.

According to the N.Y. Times, the hopeful mood in Europe was sparked by reports from a study showing that “The German economy seems to be successfully countering the downturn in Western Europe.” as well as by the successful auction of three-month bills in Spain.

The promise made by Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s newly appointed president, to stimulate the housing market through a housing policy geared towards growth and cohesion is also seen by investors as a positive and encouraging news feed.

Raging storms and the warmth of Christmas

Winters are also a great season to visit Caión. And when Nature unleashes its fury, it creates astonishing visuals. So even if it doesn't snow in our village, Christmas can still hold a special charm when stormy seas are raging!

Rough? Yes, but relaxing, too, especially when you're lucky enough to be contemplating those images from inside your very own, warm, cozy home. If you decide to purchase the buildable land lot offered on this blog, you'll be one step closer to living moments like this.

The video above is of a tempest that hit our Atlantic coastline and the port of Caión. I would have chosen a different soundtrack; you can imagine your own.

Playing it safe as the Euro currency crisis continues

It seems that I'm not the only one who thinks investing in land can offer protection against the possibility of an even greater economic downturn in the Eurozone:

"From a personal investing perspective, therefore, it is advisable that one consider holding at least some small part of their assets in “hard asset” alternative investments such as precious metals, oil, agricultural land, and others. These hard assets can act as a hedge against inflation, thereby offering some protection from the worst effects of massive QE."

Read more: http://technorati.com/business/finance/article/why-the-crisis-with-the-euro/page-3/#ixzz1gWxgPyfc

As good as —no— better than gold!

No, it doesn't shine like gold, it's not the same color as gold and it certainly hasn't got the same texture as that precious metal. And we all know that you wouldn't be able to wear this fabulous piece of land to your next dinner date because it just wouldn't look right.

On the other hand...

Smart investors know that this real estate asset is as good as—or even better than—gold. I keep wondering how long it will take for that perceptive buyer, knowledgeable about the market, to purchase this buildable property.

Real Estate Investments: As Good As Gold?

In these economically uncertain times, many people are turning to gold as a safe investment. But is gold as brilliant a choice as it seems?

... some argue that investing in real estate continues to offer the security that investors are searching for in recession-plagued Europe or even the U.S.

Read more: http://technorati.com/business/article/real-estate-investments-as-good-as1/#ixzz1g86jEKGI

Recipe for traditional almond cakes (polvorones)

Here's another delicious recipe by Clara Leis. This time it's polvorones or almond cakes, traditional  Christmas cookies from Spain that you can enjoy year round.

The Ultimate Christmas Gift: Real Estate

The Ultimate Christmas Gift: Real Estate

article published on technorati.com

Galicia segue sendo unica--Galicia is still unique

Sit back and enjoy the Galician images, words and music!

Listen.

Butterfly.

What do you see?

Manor house.

What do you see?

And streets?

Time.

Galicia.

Do you feel it?

So much left for us to tell.

So much left for you to live.

Galicia.

It remains unique.

Song "Tu gitana" by Luar na lubre

Sea of Caión: Short documentary films about Caión

 

I recently discovered some very interesting videos (in Spanish), which offer lots of historical and current information about the village of Caión and its people.

Opinions from outer-Eurozone

Some opinion articles from outside the Eurozone: 

Euro to blame for Spanish property boom and bust

The euro zone. Is this really the end?

Women's Literacy Project: new blog

Click here to visit my new blog dedicated to the Women's Literacy Project, Gulabgarh.

Selling Property Amidst the Turmoil

In the aftermath of last week’s apocalyptic announcements that Europeans are about to live through the end of their relatively short-lived Union, and in the midst of Spain’s upcoming general elections, the rightist candidate assures that the real estate bubble burst is a fiction created by the socialist party now in government.
Whether the bubble really burst or not, the truth is that there are too many empty apartments and houses sitting in the shop windows. The strong right wing candidate, who all the polls predict will be the next President, promises to reinstate tax benefits for those citizens willing to purchase a home. Newly arrived mayors (elections were in May) state that construction will reactivate the slumping economy. But consumers, alarmed by recent events, are not willing to take any investment risks.
In the meantime buyers—investors with plenty of equity—are looking for a good bargain. Sellers, however, won't give their property away at a cheap price, and so the real estate market is at a standstill and no one can say what direction it will follow. Selling property is a short-term goal that in Spain has necessarily become a medium or even long-term one.

Read more: Selling Property Amidst the Turmoil at technorati.com

Study: Women's Literacy in India Falling Further Behind

More than two-thirds of the world's 793 million illiterate adults (two-thirds of them women) are found in only eight countries and India is one of them. If the second most populated nation on Earth is to assume its role as a world economic leader, before becoming digitally or financially literate it must eradicate adult illiteracy.

In today’s information society, education is the driving force behind a strong economic and social development. Unfortunately, according to results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted by the OECD, the largest emerging markets in the world—the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)—may be losing educational ground against the so-called FICS (Finland, Ireland, South Korea and Sweden).

Things look greener on the China side of the fence. The Asian giant is said to be “winning the school race”, coming in first in recent PISA studies. India, by contrast, is leading the BRICs in digital exclusion, partly due to adult illiteracy. Most Indians cannot afford or access ICTs and lack the education to use them effectively. While European economies, hard hit by the global crisis, are working to raise their citizens’ financial and digital literacy, this high-growth economy is faced with another challenge.

 

Statistics show that illiteracy and poor economies go hand in hand. The state of Bihar—India’s poorest—has the lowest women’s literacy rate in the nation. Values are lower in rural areas than in urban ones. In Jammu & Kashmir, a largely agricultural state, only 41.82% of its women are literate.

Read more: Full article available at technorati.com
Visit my new blog dedicated to the W.L.P.