Hi CathyO,

I am Maltese and emigrating to the UK next month.

Property in Malta has seen a boom in the late 90s. However the rate of growth has declined considerably in the last two years as salaries in Malta are amongst the lowest in Europe whereas property has appreiated well beyond the average citizen's means. 10 years ago a 2 bedromed apartment would have set you back Euro40 000 in an average town. Today expect to pay more than double for such property. Salaries have remained pretty much the same and both spending and borrowing power have decereased considerably. So much so that for the first time ever property supply has exceeded demand.

If you must invest in Malta consider upscale apartments in sliema where rent is the highest on the island. A three bedroomed seafront apartment will set you back 350 000 Euros and will rent at about 1700Euros. This was driven up by the large number of gambling companies transferring to Malta for favourable taxes. These companies brought with them workers earning 3times as much as a native.

With respect to the music scene its all concetrated in one area, thats Paceville. The rest of the island is pretty quiet. And as I have been to Ibiza I can easly confirm to you that the party scene here by no means rivals that of Ibiza.

Good luck with your investing