Mallorca Property – GaryLucyRealEstate.com

Mallorca and its history -

The Island -

Mallorca or Majorca? Are they the same place? Yes and no. Majorca, with a 'j', is a place invented by foreigners and exists of mainly tourism! Mallorca, the local name for the island, is quite different and far more complex. Here we give you a crucial insight into Mallorca and why this is a place not to be missed.

It may be said that the history of Mallorca is as long as its coastline. Were it not for the 5,547km (3,439 miles) of coast, we can be very sure that the islands past, present and future would be very different. Mallorca, like other major islands of the Mediterranean, has attracted a cornucopia of conquerors, invaders, settlers and tourists, who have all contributed to its richness and vital history.

Mallorca covers 3640 Km2 and you can visit the whole island by car in just a week. Palma is the capital of Mallorca.

Mallorca's character is shaped, above all, by its climate. The island enjoys an envious all year round climate unparralled this close to mainland Europe. The average temperature is 17º with on average 300 days of sunshine a year.

The island offers much more than just a 2 week holiday in paradise. It has during the past 5,000 years attracted waves of settlers. During recent years the new residents are considered some of the wealthiest in the whole of Spain.

Palma airport is the busiest airport in the whole of Spain and amongst the busiest in Europe. 23 UK airports, and 21 German airports, direct into Palma. The island enjoys a long list of budget airlines offering daily, sometimes multi daily flights on to the island. In the summer months the island becomes a hunting ground for celebrities, royalty and vip's. This constant influx of tourism and guests help push property prices further and further up.

The People -
The people of the Mediterranean know how to take life slowly - They still have time to sit in the shade and chat, to take siestas rather than rushing back to work, to enjoy the outdoors whether it is the mountain or the sea.

Compared to the French or the English, Mallorcans appear extremely sociable. They are quite happy to chat with a stranger in a bar. They will greet everyone upon entering and bid everyone goodbye when they leave. They are answered by a chorus of 'Bona's días!' from everyone within hearing range. They seem genuinely delighted if a foreigner speaks to them in either of their two languages.

Opportunities & Property facts –

Property prices on the island have risen well beyond even the imagination of the local residents in recent years with double digit annual growth during the past 30 years. In the last 4 years some residents have seen their properties double in value. Last year properties rose by 22% and this years projection is an increase of a further 25% rise. Residential development has been controlled to avoid the mistakes of the sixties and seventies tourism boom which gave birth to high rise hotels and ugly houses been erected on beautiful, previously unspoiled beaches. This control has also kept a tight lid on a mass residential invasion.

Approx 70% buy-to-let mortgages are currently available on the island at around 4.45% interest. Banking and legal introductions will be made available when the time comes for investors to make a purchase. Each individual property offers excellent rental potential, allowing investors to benefit from positive cash flow, and excellent prospects for long term capital growth. For example a €500,000 euro property at peak time of season will fetch a monthly rental of around €8,000 euro. Out of season, around €2,000 euro a month rental.

Local planners are believed to continue to monitor and exercise restraint on granting planning permissions on the island. This fact combined with bargain property prices being asked by German and Swiss sellers gives an ideal investment opportunity for British buyers to get a foothold on this ever growing residential market.

Gary Lucy Real Estate is ideally placed to offer you the very best real estate listings on the island. We have over 2000 properties on the island.. etc...

Ramon Llull Ramon Llul (1235-1316) was a wealthy courtier n Palma until a disastrous seduction attempt led him to retire to Puig de Randa in isolation. Devoting himself to prayer and study, he wrote in Catalan and Latin on every thing from algebra to metaphysics; he is widely seen as the father of the Catalan language recalled to the court by Jaume II, he established an Oriental language school at Valldemossa and learnt Arabic with the help of a Moorish slave. He was stoned to death attempting to convert Muslims in Tunisia Junipero Serra The Mallorcan missionary, Junipero Serra (1713-84), is honoured in the Capitol in Washington as 'the founder of California'. Of course California was there already; but it was Serra, sent there at the age of 54 after 14 years in Mexico, who established the missions which have grown into some of Americans biggest cities, including San Diego and San Francisco. A museum in his home town of Petra tells the story. He was beatified in 1988, the first step on the road to sainthood. Joan Miró Spanish painter, whose surrealist works, with their subject matter drawn from the realm of memory and imaginative fantasy, are some of the most original of the 20th century.

Spanish Royal Family -

In restoring Monarchy in Spain King Juan Carlos It has shown intelligence and sensitivity, to the point of placing the good name of the Monarchy at the highest level in modern Spanish history both among Spanish people and in other countries. The Royal Family's open and straightforward style, their simple way of life, the absence of a Royal Court and the support given by the King & the Queen make Spain a country of greatness.