Jon Halpenny Parts with his Pounds for Two Cape Verdean Homes
Jon Halpenny, 42, from London is not the sort to follow the crowd. When he was looking for a home in the sunshine familiar France or popular Portugal weren’t going to cut it so he focused his attention on fresh new markets such as Belize, Brazil and Cape Verde. Starting his research, as all 21st century house hunters do, courtesy of Google, Jon set about some lengthy comparison exercises between the countries. Jon picks up the story.
 “If I was going on price alone Brazil would have won for its affordability but I soon eliminated both destinations on the other side of the Atlantic because of the considerable flying time. Although capital appreciation and rental potential are important to me, I also want to use my holiday home and the prospect of long-haul flights turned me off. Also, in the case of Belize, I had my concerns about hurricanes. It’s nice to have the peace of mind to know that when you visit your house it’s going to be in the same condition as you left it. By process of elimination Cape Verde was the winner, so I placed a deposit on a three bedroom villa in Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa on the island of Sal and arranged an inspection visit with GEM Estates.”
 Jon continues, “On paper Cape Verde ticked so many boxes for me. It really is the only semi-tropical environment within easy reach of the UK, there’s no danger of jet lag and the islands are politically stable, a key consideration if you’re looking for steady capital appreciation. Prices are reasonable, watersports are in abundance and, unlike some of the Spanish Costas, Cape Verde is not overrun with Brits. In fact there is a wonderful mixture of French, Italian and of course the local African-Portuguese people. I like to feel as though I am away from home when I travel and not just as though I’m in a sunnier version of England.”
As part of the inspection visit Jon was able to look at several resorts on different parts of the island but he already had a feeling from his prior research that he would prefer the western side close to the capital Santa Maria. His feelings were spot on and he instantly felt the advantage of being near the vibrancy and interest of a town whilst having the untainted beauty of the wonderful beaches.
 In fact Jon was so impressed that he found himself forking out for a deposit on a one bedroom apartment in nearby Dunas Beach Resort as well. He couldn’t resist.
Jon finishes, “You could say it was an impulse purchase but I wasn’t alone. Of the seven or eight couples who were on the inspection visit with me, all without exception made a property purchase and I would say that more than half of them made an additional purchase that they hadn’t previously expected to make. The islands really are captivating. For others planning on securing a home in Cape Verde I would say go out there and take a look. Sal has an almost lunar landscape and is a lot more rugged than I expected but has such a raw beauty that bowled me over. For now I’ll be coming two or three times a year on holiday and letting the homes generate rental income in my absence, but in the future I hope to spend longer chunks of time there.”
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Date: 30/11/2007 | 
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