Is this the right time to sell your property in Andorra fast online? There is a huge demand for ski properties in Andorra. Let’s understand why.
Andorra is a small country that is flanked by France and Spain on its borders and is well known for two things – one, for being a tax haven, with the lowest tax rates in Europe; and two, for being one of the best winter destinations in Europe.
Andorra gets 300 days of sunshine a year and is not far from Barcelona. The two popular ski resorts in Andorra, Grandvalira and Vallnord, get plenty of snowfall and are packed with tourists, especially during the winter months.
A lot of people have moved to Andorra in recent years, says a long-time resident Jane Whittaker from England. Jane went to Andorra on a holiday 30 years ago, and fell in love with and married her ski instructor.
Jane talks about what makes Andorra so great in an interview with The Telegraph: “Families come here for the schooling, where children learn Spanish, French and Catalan. It’s a lovely place to bring them up, with no crime; it’s very clean and the climate is excellent for outdoor activities and the locals are very welcoming.”
Andorra is much more than just a great place to spend your winter holiday. The Andorran government provides several incentives to foreigners to live here, including a number of tax benefits. The income tax rate in Andorra is just 10 percent, and one needs to spend only 90 days a year here to qualify for residency.
Ralph Lünenschloss, who works at the top real estate firm Sotheby’s in Andorra says, “Most British buyers start out looking for a holiday home but 90 per cent end up applying for residency. There’s little unemployment and it’s a very safe and secure environment.”
John Nicholson, 69, is a Briton who has recently bought a large apartment in El Tarter not far from the ski resort of Grandvalira with his wife. He says, “We stay here for four or five months in the winter.”
The reason it makes such a lot of sense from the investment point of view to buy property in Andorra online is that there is no capital gains tax charged on the sale of the property if it has been owned for 12 years or more. There is no inheritance tax or estate tax.
This optimism is reflected in Andorra’s property market. The demand for ski properties here is massive and growing fast. As Andreu Cañadas of Sotheby’s International Realty says property prices in areas such as Escaldes-Engordany, Santa Coloma and Can Diumenge in Andorra have shot up by 10 percent over the last 12 months.
“Properties on the sunnier side of the mountains command higher prices. There has been an increase in demand for second residences from foreign buyers,” Mr. Cañadas says in an interview with the Financial Times. “Most come for the tax advantages but also for Andorra’s security, as it has almost a zero crime rate, and the lifestyle.”