Everybody having something to do with overseas property investment, know that Spain has been for quite a long time the unbeatable champion in this business.
Not that I am an expert but I think that this was mostly due to the very fact that Spain was the very first country to open its door to overseas property purchasers, was a member of the EU, and of course attracted the UK market, which I think is the strongest market in this business. Of course, no need to say that Spain, by its beauty,history etc, was, and still is a magnificent country.
However, things seems to change slowly these days. Prices in Spain are way over the top, almost everyday a new article on a bribery scandal makes the news, over development makes the entire business crackle.
To sum up, "new" competitors such as Turkey, Egypt, Morocco etc are now under the spots, and try to expand their influence in the business.
The question is: Does one of these emergent markets take the throne or will Spain always stay as the primary market for overseas holyday home purchasers?

I still think people still view Spain as a safe bet and lets be honest in some ways it still is. Stability, sunshine and sangria. 3 important s's.

However have you noticed the British press tend to stay clear from the unfortunate incidents that many thousands of people are experiencing like having their houses bulldozed due to planning issues and non licences.

If your after a holiday home than you can get amazing value right now and even better in the next 18 months. People are buying €1,000,000 villas for €800, 000 or less.
There are agents dealing in undervalue properties in distressed sales. You can get a great deal. With a property 30% or more undervalue than you can easily get 100% mortgage. Sometimes even 110% leaving you with a couple of grand to play around with or it could cover the mortgage for many months.
So for holiday home hunters its a great time. Spain is so accessible its incredible. Having lives there myself though i wouldn't buy there as its a bit to westernized for me.

I agree prices are good and never a better time to invest in Spain.

you cant be number 1 for ever, but it is a buyers market outhere ,and in terms of choice and some of the deals you can get if you have a good look around, there is still opportunities to be had.

Spain, by its proximity to major european markets, still is and will stay an attractive market for sure.
However, what about the prices? mickthepropertyguru, with the price you mention for a property in Spain, you can easily buy 10+ apartments in a block in Turkey (for an example), right by the sea, half an hour from the airport etc??OK, I know, you probably mention this price for those who have the resources to allocate such a budget for a purchase, but what about the clients with a budget ranging between €60.000 - €150.000?
What would it take emergent countries to be (at least) as competitive as Spain?

Thats was justan example of someone who had the bujget for a villa with sea views and the amount they can save. People who have big budjets can save 100,000 of thousands right now on Villas.
To be honest people that are buying in spain now would have no interest in 10+ apartments in Turkey as these are leisure and lifestyle clients and dont care at all about investment for the most part.
But when i lived there i was looking at 2 bed apartmens for 190,000 euro with the possibility of 105% mortgage due to it being BMV. Now here you would need to put a deposit of around 20,000 euro down but that is affordable for many people. Turkey can be difficult to get to at various times of the year, sometimes it can take 3 flights to get to Bodrum. Its not a place where you can go for a long weekend. Spain is. That the difference fort many people. Lifestyle clients.

Yeap,I think you are right mickthepropertyguru. Spain has well marketed its advantages, and now its a brand.

The easy access is also an issue as you put it. Whereas you have daily flights from an to Spain from and to all major E.U countries, its not always the case for Turkey. During low season (i.e winter-autumn) its sometimes difficult to find a direct flight to Bodrum,Altinkum (although easier to find to Antalya).

Emergent countries dont have the strengh yet to position themselves as a brand.Their main advantage is the price, and at early stages, all they can do is stick as much as possible to it. However, it took almost 30 years for Spain to win its supremacy, and when you think that the newcomers have a role-model in front of them to take a lesson from, it wont surprise me that we will see in a couple of year one or more serious competitor to the throne...

New Home In Turkey,

The prices for Turkey are attracive as you say but for me as an investor I was unable to find properties with decent YEAR ROUND rental potential in Turkey. Some people I know say they dont get any rent outside the main summer season, and a little over Xmas.

This can mean the rental yield after all management and repair costs can be quite poor.

Capital growth is a possibility but one is mindful of the fact there is so much building in Turkey, so chosing the real winners is not easy.

If you make 100,000 euros capital growth, you must then deduct the interest costs (interest on UK mortgage), buying and selling costs and Tax, so you might not end up with very much profit.
THEREFORE HAVING YEAR ROUND RENTAL (OR VERY VERY HIGH RENTALS IN SUMMER) IS KEY.

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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

Investy, I think you are generally right except one small detail, which is (talking for Turkey) the fact that you can get a property with year round rental depending on where you invest.

As an example, if you purchase a descent property in a big city (i.e Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir) you can be almost %100 sure that you'll rent it pretty easily your property for an amount that will cover the mortgage interim payments etc.

However, it is slightly different for costal areas (Aegean, Mediterranean). In these locations (except the ones guaranteed by the developers), its a little more difficult (for now) to guarantee a year round rental. However, the interesting thing here, is the fact that once rented, you can get a pretty descent rental income for (on average) 4-6 months.