Medhead’s Sales Director has given his top 5 tips for success in a property portal.

Here’s how to stand out from the crowd!

1.    Have a fantastic first photo.
I have seen so many lovely properties that set their main promotional photo to be a sofa or a bathroom. This would not entice anyone to look further.
What works is a beautiful photo of the outside of the property, if there is a nice driveway or swimming pool then try and include these, you will definitely notice a difference in the number of click throughs.
2.    Display a wide range of photos
A minimum of 7 or 8 photos for each property
Users like to see photos, if you have a wide range of photos then users can see what they are potentially going to look at.
Medhead offer unlimited photo upload, the more the property features are demonstrated then the better user experience we are offering.
3.    Highlight features in the property
If a particular room is a real selling feature for the property then it helps to show this from 2 different angles.
4.    Wait for some sun to take the photos
It really makes a difference to have a happy sunny day to show your property to the fullest. A grey day will not show your property in the best light.
5.    Stage your photos
I have seen some staged photos that actually forget to include different parts of the property, don’t make this mistake. The objective is to highlight the best features of your property.

Kim has recently been contacted by one of her famous clients looking for a holiday retreat for the summer months. What is required is no secret she says’ – minimum of seven bedrooms, for nanny and staff, a large swimming pool, beautiful views and the all important privacy.

Kim Explains that Property intended for the A1 Celebrity  brings with it many  different priorities , security and often seclusion and if it’s a holiday rental then discretion from the Landlord is a  must, lets face it, she expands, it’s not a holiday if you have hundreds of paparazzi on your door step waiting to film and report on how you look in a bikini how much weight you’ve lost or worse put on.

Celebrities are so used to being in the public eye that when they are on holiday they just want to relax like the rest of us.

we are hoping that we get more properties of this type to attract this kind of client on medhead.com.

Matching an extensive portfolio with a constant stream of enquiries.

“There are still many investors interested in property in the Mediterranean but they may not all be British, given the credit crunch” say’s Kim Jamilly, the Managing Director of the property portal medhead.com.

“Fortunately for us when we were in the development stages we decided that a feature that would be really useful was an instantaneous translation of property details, allowing the advertiser to display all there property details in seven different languages.”

We have received thousands of enquires from Russia and Germany,   It has taken three years for the full benefit of Search engine optimisation in all the various counties but it has proven well worth it.  It’s interesting to watch the trends; the high end of the market seems to be creating a lot of excitement we receive numerous enquires a month on properties priced three million and over.

Recently medhead joined forces in a ´share of the market deal´ with the popular site Property Index “they have a wonderful bank of properties and we have more than our share of leads” explains Kim, “so it was natural for the two companies to work together on reaching further to find International buyers. “

Chapel in Evora - made of the bones of 5,000 monks

Porto, the home of Port makes for an incredibly interesting stay. The pilgrimage destination of Fatima sees a huge number of tourists.

Evora a town in the centre of Portugal, one the way you pass through many cork forests and finally arrive in Evora.

Famed for a chapel built from the bones of 5,000 monks. The mummified corpse of a man hangs from a wall a reminder of what infidelity can do to you, the story goes that he was an adulterer, his wife cursed him and he was hung from the wall of the chapel. Visitors can still see his cursed flesh.

We, however, are interested in where the Portuguese would choose as a holiday destination within their own borders.

Costa da Caparica, South of Lisbon.

Costa da Caparica - South of Lisbon

This area has 15km of sandy beaches and dunes, surfing and Windsurfing is available. Caparica recently hosted the world surf championship.

Costa da Caparica has many fine fish restaurants. If you want easy access to restaurants, cafes, and public transportation, look no further than the beaches of Caparica.

They are popular and lively in the summer, even at night when most bars stay open until late with music and dancing.

Buses depart from Lisbon’s Praça de Espanha bus terminal to Caparica town, a 5-minute walk from the beach. In season, a little open-air train passes through most beaches along this coast — ring the bell to stop at the beach of your choice (stops are numbered).

The best ones are Morena and Sereia, surrounded by dunes and with good bars. Increasingly popular is Praia da Cabana do Pescador due to its beach bar that offers live music, sofas, massages, and refreshing drinks. Although popular, it never becomes too crowded, as there is plenty of sand and the calmer waves here attract many to the water.

Why not give it a go?

This may be your only opportunity of the year to get away from it all whether it be in your country of origin or to a foreign destination.

Ever wondered where the locals go on holiday?
what do they know that we don’t? find out now as Medhead uncovers where the locals go on holiday.

Medhead are compiling a series of articles about where the locals go on holiday.

Where the locals go on holiday – Spain

Where the locals go on holiday – Cyprus

Where the locals go on holiday – Portugal

Our other countries will be featured shortly – stay posted!

Map of Spain provided by map-of-spain.co.uk

• Galicia
• Asturias
• Cantabria
• Basque country
• Navarre
• Castille and Leon
• La Rioja
• Aragon
• Catalonia
• Madrid
• Extremadura
• Castilla la Mancha
• Valencian community
• Ballearic Islands
• Andalucia
• Murcia
• Canary Islands

Each of these regions contains numerous provinces.
As Spain is so large the climate and culture vary greatly from region to region. Many have separate laws, holy days and customs.

The north of Spain is incredibly green, welcoming and friendly. The climate is rather wet but that could not spoil its beauty.

The Mediterranean coast of Spain includes the vibrant city and province of Barcelona and the popular costa’s where holiday makers flock, the west of Spain, bordering on Portugal is extreme and rather aptly named Extremedura, it is cold in winter and feverishly hot in Summer.

The best known south coast of Spain although more touristy than other parts of Spain cling tightly to their traditions, including religious ceremonies, traditional flamenco dancing and singing.

The Marina in La Herradura

Of everyone that we spoke to there was one destination that was definitely more popular with the locals and practically unknown to holiday makers, this is La Herradura on the Costa Tropical – 1 hour from both Granada and Malaga airports. A quiet fishing village situated around a horseshoe bay. La Herradura has a population of 5,000. This increases to a staggering 25,000 with the influx of Spanish tourists.
The summer months arrive and directly after so do the tourists transforming this quiet village into a bustling town.

La Herradura is known as a sports haven, the 2km beach is a perfect entry point for sunbathers, swimmers, sailors, divers and canoeists. The sky is also invaded with paragliders, you can hypnotically watch them gracefully fly then land on the beach in front of you.

La Herradura is a very sheltered town, the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada’s covered with snow while you enjoy the sun on your skin on the beach with your feet in the sea is really awe inspiring.

There are many shops and restaurants, although the main shopping are in the neighbouring towns of Almuñecar and Nerja.

La Herradura provides a break to stop and enjoy life!

Map of Cyprus

This stunning island is a haven for many expats and holiday makers but the one place that attracts everyone indiscriminately is Polis – A true gem in the Mediterranean.

When you ask anyone about Polis the reply is always – ‘ Beautiful, famous for fish meze, fabulous taverns and great value’.

When you first arrive you notice that the area is dotted with citrus groves overlooking turquoise seas. Polis is definitely the least developed beach resort in the south of Cyprus.
You can be assured of authentic Greek Cypriot hospitality, culture, cuisine as well as an astonishing variety of unique flora and fauna.

polis, a beautiful get away in the south of Cyprus

Polis is a get away, peaceful and welcoming. Polis offers numerous activities many trails that are perfect for hiking or mountain biking, beaches for sunbathing and of course the inviting sea for swimming, sailing and snorkelling.
Lara beach in particular is a perfect example of a scenic undeveloped beach.

Polis has many attractions to offer the visitor either local or foreign

• Kathikas is a quaint village in the Akamas heights, this preserved rural village offers many taverns, traditional crafts and a visitors centre.
• Akamas peninsula is a wild underdeveloped finger of land jutting into the Mediterranean, this is a true gem and well worth a visit.
• Winery hike, hike to the Vouni panayia winery hike for a tour and tasting.
• Sarama – Skarfos bridge walks, a traffic free walk encountering a ruin of a mill and medieval skarfos bridge.

What can you do to help?

Take a walk around your property with a fresh pair of eyes, does the place look a little lived in and dated?

Holiday makers want to stay in a fresh comfortable inexpensive environment where they can feel at home (temporarily).

What helps holiday makers decide whether or not to let your property or a different one?

Location would be the largest factor in a decision but as there is nothing you can do about that, you should concentrate on the other deciding factors.
Know your market -who are you targeting? a family, a young couple? consider who would be best suited to rent your accommocation and market towards that. Highlight the benefits for your target market e.g. centre of a town, near the pool, quiet location etc.

Maximise the holiday rental enquiries with good photographs

Photographs – stage a scene that you would expect from someone renting your property abroad.
Maybe a table on the terrace set up with 2 champagne flutes and a bottle. Beautiful flowers on the terrace with a stunning view in the background.

This photo would sell the property rental as it is telling the user what they will be doing when they rent your property – relaxing and enjoying life plus a fantastic view.

Take a range of internal and external photos, each one carefully thought out to encapsulate the lifestyle the client will have while staying in your property.

Follow the increase the value of your home tips to get the most out of your photographs.
This will put your property in a different league than other similar properties which should reflect in the asking price for the rental.

Make sure you rent your property directly with a popular property portal such as medhead, the advantage is that they do the marketing for you, reaching the widest audience with a range of languages.

I know you have heard a million time about staging your home but honestly, a few subtle changes can really make a difference. Once ready, you can sell your property directly

Here are a few tips you may not have heard.

1. A buyer makes their first impression within the first 30 seconds – how good does your front garden and entrance look?
2. Is your neighbourhood welcoming? – not much you can do here apart from making sure your neighbours pride their properties also – if everyone puts in the effort, the entire neighbourhood will increase in value.
3. Help a prospective buyer see themselves living in your house – remove your personal effects and clutter.
4. Make sure the things that are there to stay are fresh – clean curtains, floors, walls etc.
5. Brighten up your house, for a darker room use a higher wattage of bulb.
6. Rooms that add value are the kitchen and the bathrooms – are yours up to scratch?
7. Finish the jobs you started, tidy up any eye-sores.

How?

1. Clean walls, take a fresh look at the entrance, make sure the walls are clean and if necessary re-paint. Plants by the front door or a cared for garden can help – add curb appeal.
2. Check the kitchen cupboards, it can be inexpensive to clean, paint or replace the doors. Are your appliances clean?
3. Bathrooms can look dated, spruce them up by inexpensively painting over offensive tiles, replacing the suite to a white suite that will not date or just giving it a really thorough clean.
4. Accessorise – add blasts of colours with various accessories. Cushions, light shades etc.
5. Put up your for sale sign and add your home to a popular property portal.

When your home is ready for sale, get it valued and then place it on the market with www.medhead.com – reaching out to an international audience and selling direct from the property owner.

She expands on the theory that if you want to sit the recession out then it makes sense to do so in a sunny climate, and even with the euro exchange rate the cost of living is often still a lot cheaper, but also one man’s loss is another man’s gain. We have been receiving enquires for the high end of the market, it’s seem that if you have a million or more to invest then bricks and mortar still hold an attraction, particularly if it’s  a bargain.

There is also an incredible demand for long term rentals, this is exciting she say’s for a lot of people this is a life saver of an option, particularly for people returning to there first home , although she warns treat a letting as if you would any serious business transaction. .

Holiday lets may be reduced as there have been reports that due to the Credit Crunch people are spending there holidays in the country of origin, this is true says Kim but also crazy as flight prices are at an all time low I flew to London from Malaga for the princely sum of sixteen euros,  as I am from England and have first hand experience of two rain filled weeks playing snap with my parents, in a B&B with candlewick bedspreads and freestanding wardrobe, they might do it this year but they won’t do it next, trust me.