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Being a small developer I will never agree to any free or subsidised viewing trips.

I do not use agents to sell so I'm not going to make everyone else pay for people who may not even be genuinely interested in my development.

If what you have to sell is that good why would you need to pay for people to visit !!!

I'm happier to see potential owners pay for their own trip and view my development along side lots of others - that way they are under no obligation to anyone.

Keeping costs down is the best way to get satisfied owners and still make a reasonable return on my time and money.
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No one can really argue with what mickthepropertyguru wrote, and I can even say that most of it is true and happened and most probably will happen again.

However, I don't really think that all companies organizing viewing trips are just cons. I, for myself, am a strong supporter of viewing trips. A client wishing to have a viewing trip to Spain, Turkey etc. has already a global idea of the location. He goes there (generally) after making a profound research on the area (through the web, thanks google/google map). Which means that, what he'll see is just about adding some concrete facts to his already gathered information pack.

As for the hassle during the viewing trip. I wouldnt call it a hassle, but if there is something no one should forget, is the very fact that a viewing trip is not a holiday trip but a business trip. I dont think that, to have an agent taking you from one property to another in order to show them is a problem, quite the contrary, this is exactly why the client and the agent are there.

As for the client details, I would say that as much as you can be sure that some companies get your phone number/adress etc to re-sale them, some are just putting them on their own database and keeps them for themselves.

Viewing trips are fine but I think what we are on about in this thread is the free 3 days inspection trips that are on offer.

Fully planned out not for client but for the company - basically controlling clients and attempting to close a deal.

Inspection Trips are fine if you don't mind that there may be a chance that you may pay 10% - 15% over the odds (yes it happens every day), and or if are buying a holiday home and you don't really care about investment at all, and or you are easily pleased. There are plenty of people like this and thats fine.

But if you are serious about investing and serious about getting the best return then inspection trips are a no go.
You can find out exactly the same information by making an appointment with the company instead of an IF.
Yes it may cost you a couple of hundred quid extra but it could be the difference of selling your property or not in the future, ie: Exit strategy. If all this seems like a lot of trouble, than you should consider whether investing is right for you.

Any investment is only as good as its Exit strategy and this can only be achieved by shopping around and talking to a variety of companies, comparing and contrasting and making an informed decision.
It can be a good idea to bring a female companion when fishing for an investment because they have a natural inquisitive mind and their views can be invaluable when investing epically in a beach location, detail detail !

If you do go on a IF then go in a small group as its far easier to offset the pressure tactics with 2 or 3 by buddies by your side and 2 or 3 heads are 100 times better than 1. Your buddies wont let you be pressured and more than likely will stop you making an impulse decisions which you may later regret.

***** One thing people never ask when on a trip is how much do you charge when i want to sell the property (NB: an exact quote)................if its is 10% run ...run fast because you may be screwed when buying it too...............FACT
waterfalls, bmw,s biggest sales, biggest.......

I sincerely think that there is a distinction to be made between the big boys style of organizing viewing trips, and other, lets call it "smaller" companies.

Agents in mogul companies are constantly under pressure, and know that not only their income but their job is relying in convincing the client to purchase something during the trip.

However, I'd say that things are slightly different with smaller companies. In that case, although the agent naturally wishes to make a sale, he will not have the same pressure on him/her, and thus, will be less "pushy" regarding the client, and more on the "helpful, attentive, listener" side.

Think the general public see any inspection trip in the same light be it Big Boys or the Small ones.

These big mogul companys work on stats and the pressure to maintain a consistently high level of closing from above is massive. They advertise for a constant stream of new recruits that is why alot of people resort to inventing fake sales pitches they ushally end up getting promoted.It is not a nice enviroment to work in

They very nature of the Inspection Flight is hugely limiting the choice of the investor. Whether the company is big or small is irrelevant. Its the very nature of the beast that is the issue. If inspection trips were outlawed the big bmw bullies of the industry would have to cut there advertisement by over half or more leaving more a chance to the little guys.
Remember i am looking through the glasses of what is best for average joe, you are are looking through from the other side.

Question to New Home in Turkey or anyone else: What can you do for me on a Inspection Flight that i cant get by an appointment ?

Mickthepropertyguru, I have no objections to the idea of a client looking for the best property by its own means, and I, as a company, will never refuse a client coming by appointment, and do all my best to show all my properties (or lets say, those I think are suited to this very specific client).

However, what is the meaning of a viewing trip? Talking personally, although I strongly believe that this trip is more about business than holiday, I also do think that its also about getting the client to know more about the location. To purchase a property is not only about getting 4 walls and a roof, but also a "lifestyle". The house can be absolutely perfect, but it has no value at all if the location is way behind what was expected.

Do you think, a "client" who has 10 appointments, with 10 different agency,and this in 3 days will ever have time to truly discover the place? By night, he will be so tired that even dinner will be most probably forgotten...

I think that your main point is at the "hassle from the eager-to-sell agent", and I agree with you that this can be very very annoying. Aegean has a point when he says that there is no difference between big-small companies for the client. I am not very sure of that, since the client can very easily have an idea about each companies with just a simple click into each respective web sites. One will show 10 countries where they operate, while the other is most probably only operating in just one. Even this may be enough to give an idea about the company.

True 'investors' ALWAYS ignore everything verbal, all that counts is whats written in a sales contract.

Agents will tell you its easy to let a place yet lets take a look at the hgh profile POLARIS WORLD rent results;
Many owners now reposrt the rent just about covers the ongoing maintenance and rental costs and that thier properties are empty much of the year, but even now agents will tell you the reverse.

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Been investing abroad a few years. Always amazed people invest in places that produce just a few months rent per year