BRITISH investors with overseas properties are confident the market will continue to boom and are expanding their portfolios as a result

A recent survey carried out by the Property Investor Show North, revealed that 95 per cent of overseas homeowners intend to buy more properties abroad, with 50 per cent planning further purchases within the next year.

Confidence in the overseas market is strong, with the expansion of the EU, rocketing house prices in the UK and the strength of the pound fuelling further investment. Almost one in five foreign homeowners now own more than one overseas property.

Investment remains a key motivator for 46 per cent of people buying property overseas, with good returns expected mostly through capital gains (32 per cent) rather than rental yields (14 per cent).

However, more than one third (36 per cent) of overseas purchasers bought their property abroad as a second home for themselves and nine per cent as their main home, with a better quality of life the main motivator for making the shift. The prospect of better weather (23 per cent) and fewer taxes (18 per cent) also proved to be persuasive.

The most popular locations for overseas properties remain Spain (33 per cent), France (24 per cent) and Florida (19 per cent) but Eastern Europe and South Africa are both beginning to make their mark as new hotspots.

Almost three quarters of homebuyers (73 per cent) cite location as the most important factor when choosing their overseas property. Nearly two-thirds (68 per cent) look for a property within an hour's drive from the airport, as well as near to shops (55 per cent), sports facilities (46 per cent) and the beach (36 per cent).

Home facts:

* UK homebuyers spend about £129,248 on their overseas properties, including renovation and decoration costs.

* Sixty-eight per cent of overseas homebuyers speak the language of the country they own property in and 19 per cent intend to learn.

* Apartments are the property of choice for 50 per cent of overseas homebuyers.