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This is factual about ‘A Place in the Sun’ TV programmes!
We went to Spain last year with a couple who it transpired were on this programme.
Mr and Mrs X, thought they would like a ‘jolly’ and applied to go on the programme, they harboured vague notions of moving to Devon, and/or moving to France.
They were told this was not possible for this show so would they ‘pretend’ they wanted to move either to Kent or to some central part of Spain, they were’nt interested in either, but went along with it.
They had a fun time with Jasmine and Jonny viewing properties in these two areas they were’nt interested in, nor were the properties of interest either.
We’ve since met another couple who the programme editors told them what they wanted them to view and where.
The programme whilst mildly interesting is a sham as many of Channel 4 and 5’s programmes relating to property are.
They are just to increase viewing figures, not illegal, but completely fabricated.
Had the 1st couple bought in central Spain where they were led to, the prices have since bombed, it’s in the middle of nowhere, nothing to do etc, a town not dissimilar to the ugly town of Ubeda that we had the misfortune to visit once, cold in Winter, hot and dusty in Summer and loads of car wrecking speed humps, you’d be bored stiff there and no investment whatsoever. 😆
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Well you’re quite right there itsme, I’m certain they helped generate hype and more hype and loads of Brits were seduced by it all. How ironic then that the same presenters then became the faces on ‘House Trapped in the Sun’. Believe the likes of Amanda Lamb and quite likely lose your money. 🙄
shakeel, we nearly wrecked our car on one of Ubeda’s unmarked speed humps in the dark on an unlit road, people would sue the Councils in the UK for damage for humps half the size, and as we didn’t know the town, we were only doing 10-15mph and then hit this thing like a brick wall, it wasn’t lit up nor painted white, luckily we managed to get back to France and had the damage put right on a temporary basis. Horrible little town Ubeda 😡
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I am sorry to hear. I hope you did not have any dislocation. You will appreciate that my remarks were tongue & cheek. Its not only the speed hump. You will notice that most town’s, cities in Spain dont have standrard height for the footpaths. So many car’s front & doors get hit when opening the doors or parking.
Sueing the Councils is not that easy either in UK. Last week’s Sunday times motoring section had an article on a instrument which assist in establishing a damage caused by pot holes. Happy days for no win no fee lawyers.
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That’s ok shakeel, only damage to car:wink:
Apparently Ubeda is famed for it’s numbers of severe speed bumps which we didn’t know of when we went through there at night, they really jolt you and you can’t see them in the dark. I’ve not experienced as many as Ubeda’s in other Spanish towns and villages.
Channel 4 on UK TV is obsessed with it’s sham property programmes often presented by people who know little about property (Amanda Lamb for example) as on ‘A Place in the Sun’. Even ‘Location Location’ and ‘Relocation Relocation’ is presented by Phil Spencer whose own estate agency (Garringtons I think it was called) went bust, yet his agency was the preferred choice of Coutts Bank in London, shows what they know 😆
The Telegraph ran an article about Spencer called ‘From Boom to Bust’ yet he’s plastered all over Channel 4 finding homes in the UK and Australia etc 🙄
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Why should people be not difficult !!! It is probebly the second biggest expenditure they would make. The first being their main home. I have been a participant in one of the programmes & have had a first hand experience.
The research they carry out on your behalf is no more that visiting websites which any one can ” google ” They have no idea about the legal, financial aspects in the Countries that they cover.
The TV programmers are interested in filling up their air time with nothing to loose if things went pear shape for the participants.
It is a pitty about “Ubeda” as it was a very important town/village during the Moorish period.
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Well, I agree with everyone here 8)
Yes peter people can be difficult.
Yes shakeel buying a property is often the most expensive purchase in a lifetime, or 2nd most if a holiday home.
Yes, says it all katy if one of their producers lost money, similar story to Phil Spencer’s property company.The bogus property shows though seem to come from Channel 4 and 5, commercial stations, says it all too!
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Update on this shambolic lot ‘A Place in the Sun’.
They have admitted to me in an email that they ‘do sometimes ask people to view in other areas to those they wish to view in’ however they do expect these people to be looking for property and to sign to that effect, but can’t control that.
Those I know of were only interested in an all expenses paid jolly for nothing, but they were not interested in the least at the options they were given.
Programme put together by Freeform Productions by two Directors; Pauline Ann Lavelle and Antoine Palmer and he sent me an email by mistake (or was it? warning perhaps!) intended for Ann Lavelle in house wishing they could ‘sue me for my evil comments’ 😆 which they know are true! Meanwhile Ann Lavelle’s email was very gracious, and grateful for my comments, two faced or what?
Further investigation shows Antoine Palmer has 5 directorships, 2 of which are skint and in negative Bank balance, 1 has nothing, 1 pending filing, the other Freeform Productions has only 284k and yet does the production for Channel 4, hardly strong assets 😆
A Place in the Sun? more like ‘A Farce in the Sun’ 😆
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I don’t see the connection between entertainment or telling the truth and exposing the perpetual scams. There’s nothing entertaining about being ripped off for every penny you have 😕
You clearly have no problem with people being dumb and therefore being duped by the con artists, I think some of us here try to warn rather than say ‘it’s your problem for being dumb’ 🙄
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Have received an email from Antoine Palmer of Freeform Productions for ‘A Place in the Sun’ apologising for sending me his ‘in-house email with it’s rude remark’ so that’s good for PR on their part 8)
I am thinking of visiting the show just to see what the agents and developers are actually saying to prospective viewers about Spain etc, and whether they mention things like high completion costs and exchange rates, I shall of course be disguised as a nun 😆
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@angie wrote:
I don’t see the connection between entertainment or telling the truth and exposing the perpetual scams. There’s nothing entertaining about being ripped off for every penny you have 😕
You clearly have no problem with people being dumb and therefore being duped by the con artists, I think some of us here try to warn rather than say ‘it’s your problem for being dumb’ 🙄
You are mixing up a TV program, which is entertainment and commonly has fiction and fact mixed up, with real world sales of property.
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peterhun, what don’t you understand? I’m not mixing anything up!
First, this programme whilst entertaining maybe to watch, is specifically about property whether home or abroad so is relevant! This show, has been directly responsible for duping people into buying abroad, these people you call dumb!
Second, shows involving music, comedy, travel, cookery etc etc are entertaining but not relevant to property! None of these shows dupe people into buying property as that’s not the main theme!
Now when you talk about ‘dumb’ people and ‘it’s their fault’, well there’s none dumber than those Germans who have fallen for the Fleece by Greece 😆
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@angie wrote:
Second, shows involving music, comedy, travel, cookery etc etc are entertaining but not relevant to property! None of these shows dupe people into buying property as that’s not the main theme!
X-factor etc has brainwashed a generation into thinking fame is a viable career prospect.
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According to a realtor in Florida the last place in the sun event was a flop. Scarcely any punters. Won’t bother the organisors though as their money is earnt by renting out the space. Will be interesting to see how this one goes…if we get the truth that is, they claimed the last one was a success 😆
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I agree katy, their main source of income is thought to be the renting out of space for their exhibitions. Their magazine sales probably don’t contribute much since sales of property magazines have fallen off the planet.
‘A Place in the Sun’ no doubt brainwashed a generation into thinking it was both safe and a good investment to purchase property abroad 🙄
Just to emphasise how desperate some Brits are now stuck in urban jungles or half way up a Spanish mountain, we’ve just heard from someone we know whose husband died in Spain leaving her cut off and alone, she cannot resell her property which cost 450k euros. She has decided to lock it up and leave it to fate, move back to Blighty, and will more or less accept anything for it even though it’s her only home! They were seduced by this programme into buying in Spain and then being hooked by a British estate agent who told them what a good investment they had 😡
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If you Google search ‘A Place in the Sun Exhibition’ they have a list of exhibitors. Quite a few of them look rather dodgy, I’m talking about some of the Cypriot, Turkish and Spanish agents etc.
Then Of course AIPP are there, the Members Subscription based Association who in the past have been known to take ANY member willing to part with the large subscription. It’s quite clear that AIPP supply ‘A Place in the Sun’ with their exhibitors from their own listings.
Beware of both incestuous organisations! 🙄
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well it seems that the programme is certainly having some success in helping its clients find their place in the spanish sun
🙂
Richard
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If anyone believes that they must be drinking too much Sangria in the sun 😆
If anyone believes Sam Correira saying Almeria is where the couple wanted to go, they must be drinking too much Sangria in the sun 😆 Many couples are told where to view, fact!
Have they seen the row upon row of polythene tunnels and the desert like conditions everywhere? The article mentions nothing as to whether this couple were in a financial position to buy now, Correira says prices are slashed 50-60% but doesn’t mention the Pound is also slashed against the euro from it’s highs, by some 30% and was 40% lower recently so wiping out most of the 50-60% slashed prices. It’s a con, a total farce that now is a good time for Brits to buy in Eurozone countries unless, and this is the only reason, it’s for a change of lifestyle and it’s for the long term, because they will lose again if rates switch round and they ever want to return 🙄
Neither this programme nor any agents I know ever mention the current exchange rate between sterling and euro wiping out most of eurozone property reductions, so in effect Brits are hardly getting a reduction at all 😡 So the mis-selling continues unabated 😉
Euroweeklynews and Spain are desperate to talk the market up 😆
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A protest outside ‘A Place in the Sun’ exhibition with banners saying:
‘Defrauded and mis-sold’
‘Delays in the judicial system’
‘Pitfalls of buying off-plan’Where have we all heard these before?
This time though it was about Cyprus, the Greek South of the Island.
Foreign Office had a ‘Know before you go’ team there.
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Hi Angie,
The banners that you are talking about are always at the show. I have seen them over a number of years. That is a serious situation due to North/South Cyprus politics which devides the people. Where apart from the legal status both sides have accused one another of ethnic cleansing.The above is of a more serious situation as do to historical despite involving Countries, borders, population etc. The same cannot be said about Spain as it one Country ( regional variation accepted ) with all the working of a nation i.e. Government bodies, taxation, police, army, Legal system, professional bodies etc.
A few people/orginsation i.e. the builders, developers, Council workers could be & should have brought to book long time ago as it is an in house issue of governance & does not effect histortical land dispute, borders etc. etc. ( Basque, Catalans, Galician, Asturians, Andalucians may not agree with the the present status Quo)
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@shakeel wrote:
The banners that you are talking about are always at the show. I have seen them over a number of years. That is a serious situation due to North/South Cyprus politics which devides the people. Where apart from the legal status both sides have accused one another of ethnic cleansing.
Be aware that if you buy property in Northern Cyprus that is disputed ownership, the owner can take you to court and seize your assets in the UK/EU. Buying there is very dangerous.
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shakeel, I couldn’t begin to reveal all the ins and outs but in a nutshell, the UK Police failed a family in a certain case so someone in the family made contact in the North of Cyprus and it transpired the Mafia there (not always bad) helped bring a Brit. crim. (nasty bugger) to justice, and there’s more but me lips is sealed Guv. 😉
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