Is Your Property in Spain Realising its FULL Potential?

Many people that have bought property in Spain over the last 10 years or so have done very well in the rental business. However, due to the huge growth in the building industry in Southern Spain in the last 4 years. There has been a knock on effect of triple the amount of property available for rental.

This has had a massive impact on the rental market in Spain. It is bad enough new buyers being told by unscrupulous estate agents that their new property will bring in X amount of euros when in fact it will only bring in half to two thirds what they say.

So the combination of bad selling techniques and the overloading of property on the rental market equates to many owners not taking as many bookings as they hoped. Some facts:

Many owners expect to rent their property for most of the year. Many owners are asking too much for their property per weekMany owners do not want to pay much for advertisingMany owners do not respond to enquiries the day they receive them. IE they do not read emails every dayFew owners consider long winter lets as an option.

To take these facts one at a time.

Reality is that they will be fortunate to have it booked for 20 weeks. In fact many properties are only let for about 15 weeks. Much of this is because of the prices some are charging. A 2 bedroom apartment on a golf complex near Marbella is advertised at £800pw in summer a similar apartment on the same complex is at £600 in summer. As a visitor which one would I choose?

Too many owners advertise in papers and magazines not realising the internet is THE place to advertise. If they do use the internet, owners often only use one web site instead of at least 3 sites. The best sites are those dedicated to Spain. But having a global one is also recommended. Good quality photos are rarely used. Too many people are using portrait style photos which just simply do not portray the property at its best. It is baffling that owners will spend hundreds of pounds on one off paper advertising but shy away from spending £300 on three quality sites like this Rental Site

Owners MUST check their emails at least twice a day. They do not realise that most visitors enquire after an average of 4 properties on each site they visit. As in most things in life it is often a case of first to respond gets the booking.

Some owners are too abrupt in their reply. Replies MUST be polite even if the property is booked the owner should either offer an alternative week and also suggest they might like to book for next year at a discounted rate. The reply should also include some additional information. Maybe an extra photo or two. A typical reply should read something like:

Thank you for contacting us about our property in Spain. We are pleased that you took the time to contact us and that the villa is available for the dates you have requested.

We require a 25% deposit with the balance paid 4 weeks prior to departure. I have attached a couple more photos of the villa. I look forward to hearing from you and that you will be booking the villa. I will reserve it for you for 3 days until I hear from you. Kind regards…

Long winter lets are a seriously overlooked option for many owners. It is far better to have someone in the property paying you a monthly rate far reduced from the 4 weekly rate. Not only does it mean owners have money coming in it also ensures that someone is in the property for security reasons.

If owners adapt their methods of marketing and in many cases reduce their rates, they will surely benefit from the changes made.

The competition is widespread throughout the Southern Costas of Spain. It is imperative that property owners looking to make the most of their investment think first before setting their rates and where they should advertise. Internet advertising without doubt is the BEST value for money you can get.

By: Taylor

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Technology in MP3 Players

MP3 is the short form of MPEG-1 Layer 3. Layer 3 uses perceptual audio coding, and psychoacoustic compression, to remove redundant or superfluous information in a sound signal, thereby massively reducing the storage space required. Layer 3 can reduce the music files from, say, a conventional CD, to roughly a tenth of their original size, without compromising the quality of sound. Due to their smaller size, MP3 files can be easily transferred across the internet, and large numbers of them can be stored on a single MP3 player.

Key Features
When you choose a player that has high storage capacity, you can take more songs with you. The Creative MuVo is a memory flash player, with a capacity of 64 Mb, that can store 15 MP3 tracks (the equivalent of 44 floppy disks’ worth of data), while the Acer MP330 comes with 10 Gb of memory and additional functions. Some MP3 players provide user interfaces with large LCD screens, which allow you to find and organise songs easily, and configure the player to your liking. Some come with ID3 tags, containing information relating to the songs. The Sum Vision M18 model, for example, comes with a high-resolution, back lit LCD screen; the Panasonic CQ-DFX683N displays ID3 tags. A player’s interface determines how it can be connected to a computer (for example, via USB 1.0, USB 2.0, or FireWire), in order to transfer data. Available models include the OraCom ORC200, which has a USB 1.0 port, and the Ministry of Sound MOSMP043 which has a USB 2.0 interface, for faster downloads. Some models, such as the Cowon iAudio 4 CW400, have Jet Shell software, which includes everything you need to create, download, and organise music files. There are obviously some compatibility issues between players, so check that your chosen player will run your favourite software. Some MP3 players not only support MP3 files, but other formats as well, including WMA, WAV, AIFF, and ATRAC. Some, on the other hand, do not. Again check that your chosen player supports your music format. The iRiver iFP 195TC, for example, is an advanced MP3 player which supports MP3 and WMA. Some MP3 players are highly versatile, supporting FM tuners, video recording, photographic display, and onboard microphones. The Samsung YPT7X model is equipped with a built-in FM tuner and microphone functions.

Battery Life

Some MP3 players use rechargeable lithium batteries; some use replaceable alkaline batteries, and others charge through a USB cable, capable of transferring both power to the player. Memory flash players usually have a battery life of 20 to 60 hours, while hard drive or multimedia players’ batteries generally last around 14 hours. The Philips Key005 recharges through a USB cable, for over six hours of playback. The Sony NWHD3S has a 20 Gb hard drive and up to 30 hours of battery life.

Conclusion

The latest MP3 players provide a convenient method of storing and accessing your favourite music. There are many brands and models on the market, but make sure that the one you choose is the best for you. For example, if you’re going to motivate yourself whilst jogging or working out, choose a memory flash player, without moving parts. Think carefully about how you will use your chosen player; shop around, and find a value-for-money player that best suits your needs.

By: Taylor

About the Author:

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