Dream homes abroad: A guide to buying overseas

With the fluctuating state of today's UK property market, it's no wonder so many of us are following our dream and buying a home abroad.

Thousands of buyers are trading in grey skies and crippling interest rates for luxury living on sparkling coastlines, where market prices and the cost of living remain low enough for even budget buyers to turn their dream into a reality.

The National Association of Estate Agents list Spain and France as the most popular locations for UK buyers, but in recent years a thriving tourism economy and continued growth potential has seen countries like Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria become sought-after hotspots.

Overseas property can be highly lucrative investment, with some off-plan developments and holiday apartments returning excellent rental yields and a potential second income.

For those simply in search of a sun-drenched base for family holidays, there's even more choice.

You could have a scenic townhouse on a Bulgarian mountain resort, a luxury apartment on the stunning island of Crete or a beachside villa on one of Spain's top golf resorts - for less than the price of studio flat in the UK.

However, buying abroad can be an extremely daunting process, so it's important to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve from your purchase.

The NAEA advises buyers to be realistic with finances and stick to a set budget.

Take into consideration all the unseen extras like solicitor's fees, yearly service charges, maintenance, notary fees, local taxes, land registry charges and fluctuating currency rates, which could affect repayments.

Every country has a different set of legislation and potential legal pitfalls which could impact on your investment, so it's important to do your homework.

In Spain, for instance, buyers have to make out a will in Spanish before they're able to purchase, while owners of French property have to pay two local property taxes, regardless of whether they're a permanent resident or not.

A reputable agent can help to steer you around the process. For peace of mind and a stress-free venture, it pays to use an organisation that's registered with the Federation of Overseas Property Developers, Agents and Consultants.

This gives buyers extra protection against disreputable companies because all FOPDAC members have their credentials checked before they're allowed to join - particularly important if you're looking for a local agent to sub-let on your behalf.

If you've set your heart on a property in a non-EU country, the NAEA advises that you check the agent belongs to the International Association of Real Estate Agents.

There's certainly a lot to take into consideration when buying abroad, but don't let it put you off pursuing your dream home.

If you use a trusted agent and exercise the same caution and care as you would when buying a UK property, you should have a problem-free transaction and a second home that could pay dividends - whether for financial gain or sheer relaxation!

Got Connections?

An electrical connection allows electricity to flow from one point to another so that a certain task can be performed successfully. A good example is a lamp. With a good electrical connection, the electricity flows, you turn the switch and you get light.

Have you ever had a water connection break down? If a pipe breaks or becomes disconnected then there is an interruption of the flow of water, not to mention all the headaches that go with it! But, fixing that connection allows water to flow freely into your home.

Of course, there are "people connections." Someone may have said to you, "Oh, I can get great tickets, I've got good connections." You've probably heard many times that, "It's who you know." In the business world, having good connections can be very beneficial. Good connections provide a way for things to flow from one person to another.

But so many Christians overlook the best connection there is. If the Bible says that we are children of God, then that means that God is our Father. Think about that for a minute. The Creator of the heavens and the earth is our Father! Is that not the best connection that you could ever have?

People often talk about how "lucky" other people are; how they always get the good deals; how they get the best accounts, how they got a good promotion. All they can see is that for these few people, things just simply flow in their lives. They conclude that these people must have some pretty good connections.

Those who observe and say things like indicate that they themselves never have those kinds of things happen to them.

God promised to supply all that we need. When was the last time that somebody promised to do that for you? We really do have the best connection that there is.

The point is, ask! Ask God for help in everything that you do. He can and He will provide whatever you need, including whatever other "connections" you might need. He has promised that He would direct your path.

The key is, when asking for His help, expect to get results. Why ask if you don't even expect an answer? Ask, then look for and anticipate the desired results.

How can you be expecting and anticipating the results that you need when you feel like others are just so "lucky" and you're not? When you go around feeling like everybody else gets all the breaks and you never do, that is exactly what you are going to attract into your life.

Too many people live in self-pity. Their whole life amounts to, "poor me, nothing good ever happens to me; good things just happen to everybody else, but not me." Having that kind of mindset will never reap the results that you want in your life.

When you really think about, it doesn't matter what happens to "everybody else." What is important is what you desire to happen in your life. And guess what? Your Father has an unlimited supply. His resources cannot be counted. And, on top of that, He loves you!

Talk about having a good connection!

So instead of relying on your own ability, why not rely on His ability? Instead of thinking that you have no "connections," why not rely on your connection with Him? Ask Him for help, and then expect it. Look for it. Anticipate it.

Dealing with Psychics on a Weekly Basis

Are you trying to learn more about psychics? You are not alone. People are online everyday trying to seek out the wisdom and counsel of psychics. You are not alone if you find that a psychic reading is much more appealing to you when you are at a point in your life that allows you to truly examine your own life and your own spiritual surroundings. When you learn how to give God your heart, you are actually learning how to give to God what is truly happening inside of you. This often takes a lot of time and practice. When we ask God to help us, we are actually asking him to give to us what we need most in our lives.

Psychics usually like to meditate and bring their spirits to peace. When a psychic does this, they are actually learning how to give fresh fruit to those that are truly hungry to find direction. There is nothing wrong with getting a psychic reading as long as you are open to what a psychic has to tell you. Sometimes we may not fully understand everything that a psychic is trying to tell us. That is because we have to learn how to examine our own lives first. When we do this, we are actually learning more about God and more about our current surroundings. When we learn how to give God our hearts, we are actually learning from him in several ways. We have to take out the time to become someone very special to God and to his wanting for our lives.

When we learn how to listen to our goals in life, we actually learn how to give to God what our first fruits really are. Learning how to serve God is actually a good way of learning how to give ourselves a good nature. We have to learn how to give God our hearts in new ways so that we can examine what our true life is really all about in the end. We must carefully examine our hearts in order to discover something new inside of our lives.

What are you waiting for? It's best to become friends with a psychic so that you can learn what being psychic is really all about. It's a way for you to listen and to explore the things inside of your life on a day to day basis. When you learn how to listen to God, you are actually learning how to listen to what is happening inside of your heart. God does listen to our hearts and he knows what the challenges are that we face on a daily basis. God is always with us.

Never think that God has abandoned you because he has not. People often take for granted what the truth in their life is all about. When you learn how to grow in wisdom, you are actually learning how to grow closer to Jesus Christ. You have to learn how to be obedient to God and you have to learn how to be submissive to him from time to time. Learning a lesson in life is a daily routine that most of us have to go through on a daily and weekly basis. We are in charge of our own spiritual destinies.