Ready to take your first step towards buying abroad? Then consider a visit to Your Overseas Home, a series of road shows held around the UK, where agents and other specialists will help you purchase safely in popular overseas destinations. Read on for more info and five reasons not to miss it!

Switched-on buyers are looking forward to kick-starting their overseas property purchase when they meet experienced property experts at the Your Overseas Home show in Hammersmith in early March. The London event is the first of five road shows scheduled for 2019, with others in Birmingham, Chester, Harrogate and Epsom later in the year.

Your Overseas Home brings together carefully selected overseas estate agents, currency specialist Smart Currency Exchange, independent law firms and tax advisors, all under one roof. Key countries covered are Spain, France and Portugal, with Italy and Florida featuring at selected events. Attendees, who must be pre-registered, are free to chat one-to-one with any of the experts and gain invaluable first-hand information regarding their buying plans. Typically, attending the event leads to a viewing trip to look at property, followed soon after by a successful completion!

Here are five reasons Your Overseas Home could benefit you:

Save time choosing an agent
Estate agents at Your Overseas Home are all well established in their respective markets and have lots of experience helping British and other foreign buyers. Once you’ve told them your budget and exactly what you are looking for, let them do the hunting for you! Any good estate agent should know their market inside out and be able to access most, if not every, property for sale in their local area, including those not listed with them.

Get to grips with currency
Have you thought about how you will send your money abroad to pay for your property? Do you fully understand the impact of the exchange rate on your foreign property purchase? How will you ring-fence your money against a sudden rate drop? Questions like these should be at the forefront of your mind and not left to the last minute. Which is why meeting and speaking with Smart Currency Exchange, FCA-authorised experts at exchanging and transferring money abroad, is so invaluable. Take the opportunity to ask them about locking in a fixed exchange rate for up to twelve months to bring peace of mind during your purchase.

Get the low-down on legals
It’s normal to have niggling concerns about buying in a foreign country, where the language, laws and tax system are all different. So protecting your interests during a property purchase – not just abroad but in the UK too – is paramount. Cue the bi-lingual independent lawyer, who will ensure all necessary due diligence is done, all contracts are correct and your money is safe at all stages throughout the purchase. They will also advise on what taxes and fees need paying and assist with setting up your tax identity and any other official documentation required as a new owner or resident abroad. For reassurance about your overseas purchase come and meet the lawyers at Your Overseas Home.

Free seminars and guides
A popular part of the events are the free seminars, which for each country provide information about the property market, including typical prices and popular buying spots, viewing trips and the local buying process. These are presented by agents and experts who are exhibiting at the show. Some events also have dedicated seminars on tax and equity release. Complementing the seminars are free buying guides and other useful topics available from the Property Guides team, who will be there on the day to take any questions.

Meet Hayley, the brand ambassador
Your Overseas Home has a new brand ambassador – Hayley Sparkes. Hayley is a popular TV presenter, notably as a beauty expert for ITV This Morning. Other TV credits include property programmes and she is also a regular host at the Ideal Home Show. Why not come and meet her?!

Further information
Tickets are free, but make sure you register online – numbers are kept to manageable amount to ensure everyone attending has a chance to speak to exhibitors. London is already fully booked, but there are still tickets remaining for the next four shows: Birmingham, 30th March; Chester, 8th June; Harrogate, 5th October; and Epsom, 9th November. For more information and registration details, click here.