When buying a home overseas, more important than the property, price or even location are who your neighbours are going to be argues JANE SLADE, founder of www.retiremove.co.uk

Article written by Jane Slade at Retiremove

Few of us would buy a home in the UK without checking out the neighbourhood; seeing what kind of cars are parked in the driveways; if the gardens are nicely looked after and that the streets aren’t over-run by yobs after dark.

So why don’t we apply the same criteria when we buy a home overseas? Location and price tag are always top of our ‘foreign home’ check list, when perhaps it should be people.

If you are buying a villa or apartment in a resort for example it helps to know if your neighbours are going to be the kind of people you would want to sit next to round the pool.

It is not about distinguishing a Prada from a Primark bikini, but more about sizing up whether there will be a backlash if you ask a screaming child to pipe down or its parents to kindly take their rubbish with him.

The likelihood is that your property is going to be pretty close to several others and that you will spend a lot of time in it and outside it, so making sure the people next door are ‘like minded’ should be a priority.

Making a wish list.

• If it is peace and quiet you’re after then a property on a large resort may be a bad choice; but if you are sociable with young children and seeking new friends it could be heaven.
• If you want to be private and anonymous then splash out on your own pool or opt for an apartment on a small scheme inland from the beach.
• Make the most of your inspection trip and ask to meet Brits who have bought nearby or next door.

When my husband and I were looking for a home on the southwest coast of Turkey the developers invited us to stay at their lovely rambling house close to the site they were developing outside Dalaman.

There we met a Scottish couple who had bought an apartment off plan in the same scheme. We spent a great evening together and it proved an added incentive for us to buy. They are now our next-door neighbours.

We were also introduced us to professional violinists Colin and Caroline and company executive Robin and his family.

We also met Andy, a chartered surveyor from Muswell Hill and his exotic Polish wife Kasia and daughter Ola and a Hedge Fund manager who while on holiday in the area a few years ago popped out to buy a toothbrush and returned home with a villa!

We have now met most of our neighbours in our eight apartments and feel very lucky that we all get on. We have had barbecues together round the pool and enjoyed dinners in the local village. But most important everyone is committed to preserving the peace and quiet of our rural paradise.

We love watching the kingfishers play in the marshy stream at the bottom of the garden and the wagtails preen themselves by the pool. We spend hours gazing at the storks and eagles swooping overhead and at night listen to the frogs croaking and splashing in the reeds.

Questions you should be able to ask your neighbour

• Could you please turn your music down a little please?
• Would you mind making sure you are by the pool when your children are swimming?
• Would you like to come in for a drink?

What to ask your agent/developers and things to look out for:

• Find out what kind of people have bought in the complex you are interested in e.g. retired, young families, singles, businessmen, international?
• Ask to meet some owners without the agent/developer being present.
• Look around the local village; is it scruffy and tatty or well-maintained. This will tell you a lot about the locals and their foreign customers.
• Ask if there any timeshare or shared ownership properties in your scheme which could have lots of different owners or if there are owners who have bought to rent? You need to know if you are going to have lots of occasional neighbours.
• Is the resort open or closed to outsiders? Check out the security measures.
• If you are visiting low season ask if there are any mass market tourist resorts nearby which could change the feel of the area in summer.
• If privacy is important see if your apartment overlooks the others or indeed if any overlook you and what measures you can take to overcoming this e.g. erecting an awning, installing blinds on the windows or a screen on the side of your balcony.
• Being close to recreational facilities can be good and bad; bad because of the noise and good for access.
• Proximity to an airport is only good if you are not under the flight path.