Essential Guides & Advice Amanda Lamb: Buying Abroad In 2009

Comments

1. I am looking to buy abroad, Ive looked at Alentejo area, Greece, Portugal and Spain, It could even be in the USA. My goal is to buy to let, as at present I dont have alot of capital but I was thinking of selling my property in the UK, which I have a large amount of equity, or borrowing as little as possible to buy without doing that as long as there was something I could guarantee an income from to cover costs and more if possible. I would be very grateful to hear any advice you have that will help me achieve my goal, if it is possible.

   Posted by Susan Halley on 15/11/2009 12:43:51

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2. we are keen to buy a holiday home in egypt as we like the thought of year round sun, we can only holiday out of season due to our work, have you produced a programme about egypt that i might have missed or are you have you a programme in the pipeline?

   Posted by c fillary on 06/11/2009 12:31:59

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3. Amanda,have love and watched the programme for years and came to the exhibition,and now need some advice .We sold a property in Turkey and one here and want to buy in France, first as investment and then a home. We`re torn between Brittany, as closer to the UK, and The Creuse. We love both areas for different reasons and the Creuse is closer to where my daughter and grandsons live, in the Alps. Wherever we do buy the first couple of years we will have to let,,so advice on the two areas in terms of holiday rental potential would be great and much appreciated. We are off to Brittany next week to view properties in th Huelgat area.....HELP

   Posted by liz furness on 31/10/2009 12:19:30

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4. I am fed up with all the negative comments I am seeing about Spain. I live there and wouldn't live anywhere else. Yes, some people have made mistakes and are being punished for them but for the majority of people it still represents a good choice. One caveat - a good place to live, not to invest.

   Posted by ThatcherRight on 21/10/2009 11:01:16

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5. I am thinking of buying a property abroad as was orginally going buy in Ibiza but have changed my mind and now wish to buy in La Cala Fuengerola, Spain as it is an all year round destination, have you got any properties you can recommend or any go agents to organise trips to visit, thanks

   Posted by claire walters on 04/10/2009 17:27:02

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6. My husband and I are looking to buy a property in italy in Spring next year and would some help and advice to make this process easier. We are planning to do a 3 week trip to get over there and visit areas we are interested in however any insider knowlegde that A Place in the Sun could add would be greatly appreciated.

   Posted by Kerry Scott on 21/09/2009 11:41:12

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7. Hi Amanda, My wife and I are looking to move to Santa Palo in Spain, any help you can give on property there would be appreciated.

   Posted by Chris on 14/09/2009 09:01:14

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8. Hey, My parents and i are wanting to move abroad to 'Madison, Wisconsin' and i was wondering how we would do that. :) My mother would be able to transfer and my father could take his buissnes abroard if he wanted to and i would still be in school, i think i would be in high school....I think :) We have been wanting to move over for some time now and we have never got the chance to :/ Please could you help us and tell us how to apply to Emigrate over to the USA,Thankyou :D xx

   Posted by LouiseBabe on 27/08/2009 12:00:21

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9. Could somebody please help me buy a property in Tavirain the Algarve please , my first visit to look is booked for 02nd Oct - 5th and my second look is 30oct - 2nov. thanks

   Posted by sue smith on 19/08/2009 18:36:42

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10. hi there... I am a retired lady with small amount of cash to buy something in florida, with a view to wintering there and also something for the family to use. I do not know anything about the whys and wherefores of the american market. I need advice on all areas of property purchase and maintenance... help.... dont want to loose what little savings I have through ignorance... many thanks the amount available is approx 40000 pounds but would prefer to go lower if possible...

    Posted by jules on 16/08/2009 09:06:56

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11. Please can you give me advice or pass me on to Jasmine about buying a home in Menorca and one in York as soon as possible. We are a family of four wanting to relocate

    Posted by Claire on 12/08/2009 21:10:22

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12. Hi I have been considering going on an inspection trip to Hungary with a company called GLM. I have lots of information from them and have met with a representative who has been very helpful and has lots of knowledge. I have looked on their website and they have said that they are registered. It does not say who with and I wouldn't know who they should be registered with even if it did. How can I check to see the authenticity of an agent from another country? Many thanks Tracey

    Posted by Tracey on 22/07/2009 22:50:32

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13. My husband and i have been looking at property in cape town for some time.I am wandering if you intend on doing a program in the near future as we would be very interested in taking part.We have taken many trips to the cape but just don't seem to see the right property at the right time regards kim

    Posted by kim on 13/07/2009 13:19:06

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14. Hello I am a big fan of A Place in the sun, and notice when people are viewing properties abroad they are given very good advice, I might have missed it, but I don't seem to remember the advice to people buying in America, I go to Florida quite a lot and have made friends with English people who have bought property there but have been told they can't stay there permanently, and have to leave the country, can you tell me if this is correct, if it is , perhaps this advice could be given to prospective buyers. many thanks Mrs Knight

    Posted by kathy on 09/07/2009 15:26:35

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15. Hi Amanda, since the dawn of time my husband and I have been considering buying a house or villa where the Pyrenees meet the sea on the Mediterranean shores, either in France or Spain. Unfortunately I have a disability which prevents me from being able to travel around to look at a vast range of properties, and we could really do with some help to search out somewhere special or else I don't think our dream will ever be realsed. If I sent my husband out to look on his own, he'd buy in the middle of a lively town, whereas my choice would be somewhere quiet, out the middle of nowhere.... any chance you could help us to compromise before we get old and disillusioned? I really don't want to end up sitting on Brighton beach in my bath chair reminiscing about the dream that never came true!

    Posted by Elaine on 08/07/2009 17:22:45

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16. Hi, Why not introduce 'A Place in the Snow'. We are looking for a holiday property to buy in France close to the ski sloaps but there is very little information out there. We'd be more than happy to appear on your show wherey we would probably get the best advise.. Thanks.

    Posted by Crwys Jones on 08/07/2009 10:59:03

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17. Hi Amanda,myself and my partner are in the process of buying a house in fuerteventura.Our mortgage was approved last year but the developers never met deadline.we have purchases furniture package and have been out there twice.we have also put a deposit of 55,000 feb2007 to be told now that we might not have a mortgage now as the house was not finished ontime and the spainish banks are unwilling to give out money due to the recession.This has caused alot of stress with us and would appreciate help.I watch your shows all the time and have seen the way your help peoples lives.Mary Ireland

    Posted by Mary Dunne on 16/06/2009 15:27:03

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18. Hi Amanda, I'm a engineer with >20 years within the electronics industry with a huge portfolio of experience. I am in the process of being made redundant from the UK R&D site due to company restructuring following a merger. My wife and I have decided to take the opportunity to relocate to New Zealand. Due to my qualifications and experience my families EOI points tally came to circa 135 points. My wife and I and children daughter 'Katya'(12) and son 'Piotr'(6) aqre very positive and realy need your help. Due to our change of circumstances we should take this opportunity to move.

    Posted by Simon Porter on 05/06/2009 21:01:02

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19. Well done to all the team on your latest series. I am in the process of selling a small family business and we are keen to buy a holiday home but unsure where. Either in Orlando (Davenport) as the family and wider family regularly visit together or in Spain simply for easy access. Can you help us on this matter?

    Posted by Karen on 19/05/2009 18:37:49

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20. Hi Amanda My wife and I love your show and wondered if you would help us to purchase a place in Florida where we can spend the winter months now we are retired. we love Anna Maria on the Gulf Coast but recently visited Cape Coral where there are a lot of cheap property forclosures etc,but it is daunting where to begin.

    Posted by jack on 15/05/2009 16:56:00

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21. hi amanda and your team, my husband and i are looking for a holiday home in italy (calabria) we have 5 children we have been to italy a few time and we just love it we are open to any type of property and pretty easy to please so if you are doing any shows in italy wwould you please consider us as we we would appreciate some guidence and advice,as you can appreciate it is an exiting but also scary venture. thank you sam danny dawson

    Posted by sam dawson on 13/05/2009 14:58:20

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22. I am a big fan of the show and always feel that the people you help are so lucky to have your assistance in undertaking such a move. Following a traumatic year following the death of my daughter, I am keen to organise my life with a view to achieving my dream of owning a propety in the sun. What I am looking to achieve is to find a property in the Spanish Costas that my wife, son and I can buy, initially as a holiday rental property and subsequently for our own use when I retire in about 10 years time. As we do not plan to live in the property, we would ideally be looking to buy an 2 bedroom apartment in a small/medium sized complex with on site pool and other facilities. Do you consider that this would be a good investment given the current finiancial markets and what region would you recommend.

    Posted by Trev on 04/05/2009 19:29:01

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23. Dear Amanda, My husband and I have talked for many years about buying a holiday home with the potential to moving abroad when his 2 daughters are older. After marrying in Italy nearly 3 years ago, we are expecting our first child and are keener than ever. We have been taking many a holiday in various places around Italy and after careful cinsideration we have set our hearts on Sicily. However I do find this area is the least discovered/reviewed as a potential place to buy. If you are considering a show or even more information on the website/magazine we would be very interested in any information a place in the sun has to offer by way of advice. Yours faithfully

    Posted by Simone on 24/04/2009 22:12:35

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24. Hi Amanda, I have been watching Place in the Sun since it first come out many years ago.Excellent programme and beautiful presenter. Why don't you do a Place in the Sun Revisited to see how people in the past shows have got on, good and bad times or through thick and thin, there must be a good programme in the making from past shows and people.

    Posted by Gavin Buckingham on 16/04/2009 19:53:01

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25. hi amanda,we live in the creuse in france(me carlton and our 4 boys)in a large rambling farmhouse,with horses,woodland and fabulous surroundings,(we previously had a restaurant for 3 years in haute vienne)but the credit crunch has prevented us pursuing our property development career-we have 2 other properties in france-one is renovated and rented out and the other needs to be renovated and rented out(these are mortgaged)but the income will not sustain us,and the banks won't lend us any more money-so we are selling our house to buy a farm! we have found one needing renovation but unless we sell in a few months we lose it. however i am now interested in buying in america-farms and land are a great price.now i need to know about green card applications,health cover,social security etc are there schemes to promote farming in usa? can i get to look at a green card application without paying for it(49dollars)? we were very poor in the uk-we had nothing!but moving to france and investing in property has been great(we are mortgage free)we can speak french(especially our children)we have great health care and the schools are second to none-homework is the only problem!the social security system is wonderful and the roads are empty-if it wasn't for the credit crunch we would be fine-however i believe you have to adapt to survive and as our eldest son is dyslexic and loves horses we want to pursue a future to suit him, whether its here,usa or timbuktu. i hope you can help with these questions(of course we need to sell our house first!)

    Posted by wendy christie-kendall on 11/04/2009 11:48:58

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26. Hi Amanda, we bought a house in Carapelle Calvisio, Abruzzo nearly two years ago, and just recently there was a piece in the local Italian newspaper, that your programme was filming in Pescara, please could you tell me when this programme will be aired.

    Posted by gill bonham on 02/04/2009 15:22:26

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27. Dear Amanda we have a ground floor luxury apartment in the Costa Blanca Quesada that my husband and I bought 6 years ago off plan. We sold up in the UK lock stock and barrel to live here, we have been very happy here but now we have both reached retirement age we are looking to go back to the UK. I do notice on this website that you have plenty of properties for sale and I was wondering if you would consider looking at our property for your programme, or maybe put us in contact with someone who could help us. Look forward to hearing from you soon Mr. Mrs Christina Easton

    Posted by Christina Easton on 30/03/2009 16:35:38

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28. please can you contact me as soon as possiable about property we are really intrested abroad in spean please could give us a tel no we can contact you amanda

    Posted by gurmeet on 25/03/2009 14:46:13

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29. When showing P.I.T.S.programmes on Spain,there are some lovely properties (and some I would'nt touch with a bargepole)but nearly all have steel bars,fixed over the windows.Now I'm all for security but is Spain That Bad for burglary? I can understand fixing them when you are not living there,but I've seen them fixed to bedroom windows,so how do you escape if theres a fire? cheers Kevin

    Posted by Kevin Baines on 15/03/2009 19:52:27

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30. Why does A Place In The Sun not do follow ups of the people who have purchased property through them?

    Posted by Nat on 09/03/2009 20:15:12

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31. This section is headed comments not requests. No offense to anyone in particular, but a lot of the requests appear to be from people too idle to do the work themselves, or lacking the ability. If you are in either group it would be unwise to get involved in foreign property. Perhaps book a cheap flight and spend a week in a place you can afford and would consider. You will learn heaps more. Then ask for help.

    Posted by Eric on 07/03/2009 16:06:25

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32. thinking of buying an studio in sunny beach bulgaria. price is 10000. Is this a good investment? wondering about anything that might affect it. like how popular ar studios and if their a dime a dozen i bulgaria?

    Posted by joe on 07/03/2009 10:41:46

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33. Hi, we are Tim and Sue and have been living in the Tampa bay area for 7 years now and we want to come home to UK. We miss family and friends and the British/ European way of life. We feel trapped as we cannot seem to find anyone to help us look for a new home in SE England. We are willing to pay for our own flights back to UK if you will please help us find a place to retire to. We really do need your help!!!!!

    Posted by Tim Stearn on 07/03/2009 01:53:18

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34. Hi, we are Colum and Claire Thompson, I (Colum) am a 29 year old carpenter and Claire is a 27 year old class room assistant, we currently have 1 child, a 10 year old boy called Declan, and another baby on the way, we have spent the previous five years or so struggling to pay for our house here in Northern Ireland, allow we now have in the region of 75% equity in our home which is worth approx 250,000 we have become disillusioned with owning a home here and are very interested in selling in order to facilitate purchasing one and maybe 2 properties abroad to use both for rental and as holiday homes, we are very interested in both Florida and the Caribbean. We would very much appreciate your help and advice on this matter as we have very little experance or know how on how to go about this. Our budget for this would be up to a maximum of 160,000 pounds.

    Posted by Colum Thompson on 01/03/2009 14:06:29

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35. Dear place in the sun, We are looking to buy a place in the warm souther region of France. However we have never been to Southern France and not knowing it at all we would greatly appreciate if we could get some help in finding a property. We have been looking at Spain for a few years now and it is just too expensive, whereas we think that we could afford to buy in France and allow my wife and myself to indulge in our favouite pastimes for her enjoying the sun and for me to be able to ride my motorcyle for more than two weeks of the year. This for us would be a permanant move to France as we are both wanting to give up work and enjoy our life. (wife 48 me 50 ) We would appreciate it if you could assist Regards Tom & Joyce Brown Edinburgh, Scotland

    Posted by Thomas Brown on 24/02/2009 23:21:50

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36. Claire - whose parents have been trying to sell in Umbria for two years Hi Claire, I have been looking for a while at buying in this area but I do find everyone has been greedy - the true market value of any property is what the buyer/s are willing to pay, not what the seller feels the property is worth. Can your parents not sell because they are unrealistic? If they drop thier price to a fair market value, someone will buy - I've been waiting, and I'm sure hundreds of others are!

    Posted by Cathy on 22/02/2009 21:38:54

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37. Hello again..... I don't mean to be rude, and i am sorry if this comes across like i am. But....does anyone actually answer our postings on here?? I know this is not a forum, but does anyone for C4 actually read and respond to people?? Again i am sorry if this comes across wrongly....but i really would have liked some help and advice regarding my probelm...and i am sure many other people would like the same?? Regards

    Posted by Toon on 22/02/2009 16:18:02

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38. We did 'A Place in the Sun' in 2003 and have now got a fantastic house here on the lovely greek island of Crete. It has not been as easy as we thought it would be but we have got through it at last. I have kept a diary of the events of the last 5 years and hope to write a book one day. It is Feb 20th 2009 the temp here is 9 deg and it is pouring with rain so not too different from the UK. We have always said we weould like to do a follow up of our particular prog so if anyone is interested get in touch. Linda

    Posted by Linda on 20/02/2009 08:03:13

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39. me and my partner are desperate to move abroad and start a better life for our son.I am a childcare student at the moment and therefore my income at the moment is minimal until i qualify and he is a life guard and earns up to 200pound per week and we are renting a property for 320pcm, is it even possible for us to live our dream?

    Posted by louise on 18/02/2009 23:15:43

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40. Hello, we are looking to relocate to Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, can you help??? My husband has just been made redundant, I am a Canadian citizen, although lived in UK since 1978, and we have two young girls.... we are hoping to keep our house in Devon, maybe get a smaller house to rent out and obviously a house in BC, We watch regularly and you have only seemed to have had one programme for the Vancouver area within CANADA, the rest of your programmes are on USA, Austrailia and Europe, GIVE CANADA A TRY! PLEASE HELP.....Many thanks..MC Foxon.

    Posted by Marie-Claire Foxon on 17/02/2009 11:02:06

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41. Hi, for two years we have been tied up in a legal property quagmire in the Algarve. We bought a building plot 4 years ago, applied for and were granted all the legally required paperwork to build from the local council responsible. Part way through the build we found a buyer, decided to sell and gave up our jobs to complete the house and move here full time. Before the house and sale were completed The Portuguese Pubilc Attorney took a legal case against the Local Council to 'make null and void the licensing of our property' (and four others on the street). 30.000%u20AC of legal advice and two years has us still waiting for a solution, we are emotionally drained and financially ruined. We have a construction mortgage that would have been paid off by the sale, leaving us enough money to build our own home and start a small business here. The court case prevents the sale from being completed, we are now down to our last mortgage payment, expecting the house to be repossessed while the legal system will take up to 3 more years to sort out the mess. At no point have we done anything wrong, yet the Portuguese government will do nothing to allow us to get on with our lives. We stand to lose everything financially, no longer have the opportunity of owning our own home and are emotionally exhausted. Our lawyer says that publicity may be the only way to get anything resolved... can anyone help with contacts who may be interested in this? We are now desparate and need something to happen so we can move on with our lives. If anyone can help with contacts or advice, we would be grateful, Linsay

    Posted by Linsay on 13/02/2009 15:48:35

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42. Hello, my parents have been trying to sell their rustic farmhouse in Umbria, Italy for the past 2 years as they desperatly want to return home to Scotland after spending 50 years between Ireland and Italy. They are in their mid 70s and really need some help, otherwise fear they will never get back to enjoy life in their beloved homeland. Any suggestions? Buyers? Thanks and regards

    Posted by Clare Thomson on 11/02/2009 23:45:41

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43. Regarding the strong euro, I thought I had found a solution to the currency problems. In selling a house in France, I was offering UK buyers the incentive of paying in sterling and saving money. But the notary then told me that it was obligatory for the funds to enter his bank account in order to be disbursed (to the seller, the tax authorities etc). Obviously that meant changing sterling into euros. What a disappointment!

    Posted by Armagnac Annie on 11/02/2009 12:44:34

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44. Hello there, I am a wheelchair bound single female, and am wanting to buy a property in southern Spain. However, due to my obvious condition, it is impossible for me to trawl around looking at properties. I have been looking for somewhere for 2 yrs now and am at my wits end. Could someone please recommend whom i could approach to help me on my quest? Unless of course A Place in the Sun would care to help?? Regards

    Posted by Toon on 10/02/2009 20:26:15

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45. I am looking for advice on Medical Insurance /cover when relocating to Massachusetts USA

    Posted by Moore on 07/02/2009 10:53:12

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46. Hi i was wondering how i apply to be on the programme im looking to move orange county usa or up north in england im from essex and have my own flat please let me know

    Posted by Crystal regelous on 03/02/2009 13:21:52

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47. Hi - I'm a professional 33 yr old female living with my bf and looking for a holiday home in Europe. I currently live in Wiltshire in my own house. I am looking for a holiday home upto 100k in Europe and would like some help from Amanda to find the right house in the right area. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to use our search for the show as I am getting nowhere fast - given all the nice places there is to chose from, the time I have to look and the list of requirements I have! Thanks.

    Posted by ES on 01/02/2009 17:29:32

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48. I am looking at buying a property abroad to life full time and really need some advive from your experts or to be able to be on your show. Can you help please?

    Posted by Amanda Faulkner on 30/01/2009 15:58:04

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49. How can you contact the show as we are looking for a property in the south of france

    Posted by Georgia Hookings on 30/01/2009 13:14:15

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50. I missed the first couple of episodes of A place down under" Can't seem to watch again either. My husband is an Upholsterer; someone said that this trade was mentioned to be as a shortfall...if which area was it. Hope somebody can remember thanks.

    Posted by Mrs M Malby on 18/01/2009 21:51:14

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51. Why dont you do a program special on moving and buying houses in the USA. We have 3 small children and my husband's company is transferring him to their Houston,TX office September this year. We can defenitely do with some help from Amanda to help us find a lovely family home as we just dont know where to begin. the L-O family

    Posted by L-O family on 17/01/2009 18:25:31

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52. Place In the Sun. We are looking into buying a small apartment in Egypt. Are you planning any programs for this country? We do not want to fall into any difficulties so some information would be good.

    Posted by Mrs A Goodyear on 15/01/2009 10:52:55

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