Europe 'best destination for holiday homes'

Europe is the most popular property purchase location for overseas investors, it has emerged.

Paul Collins, property editor at impartial overseas investment website BuyAssociation, said that "very popular" destinations are more traditional locations such as Spain, France and Portugal.

The south of Western Europe such as areas in Spain and Portugal are "emigration favourites", he added. A poll produced by NatWest found that increasing numbers of Britons are moving abroad to work.

The NatWest IPB Quality of Life Report, carried out with the Centre for Future Studies, found that during 2006 more than 200,000 British citizens went to live abroad, two-thirds of them to work. Of those questioned, 42 per cent were professionals or managers.

In addition, the average British worker abroad is not a retiree, rather they are aged 43 with a professional career and an average salary of £67,000.

The survey predicts that the trend is set to continue, with 'points based' immigration systems making British immigrants appealing and increased integration of firms across the EU giving more workers the chance to move abroad.