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We all get the end of summer blues, especially those of us who live in northern Europe. The weather closes in, the rain starts its endless drizzle and the sun becomes a distant memory. There’s not much to look forward to as each tomorrow promises only darker mornings and shorter days. But what is the best way to defend your health and morale against this descent into darkness?

It’s natural to become sad in September. Since we were young our annual clocks have been set by the school year and September means ‘back to school’; the end of freedom. Shorts and T shirts are exchanged for overcoats. We switch the heating back on. Windows clamp shut. We are mentally and physically preparing for hibernation.

Health suffers from a lack of sunshine

Even our health suffers from a lack of sunshine. Vitamin D is essential to us, and all sorts of problems, from depression to lung cancer, have been linked to a lack of sun. And, of course the end of summer heralds the season of coughs, sneezes and dribbly noses. It’s no wonder that misery increases with the lack of sunshine.

From the many holiday home buyers in Tenerife over the years it is surprising how many of them purchase a property in Tenerife for just this reason. One couple, from Manchester who have just upgraded their property from an apartment to a villa swear by it, “It’s a fix that works better than anything you’ll find in the medicine cabinet. A regular dose of sun lifts the spirits and several doses, spread over the Autumn and Winter, keeps the morale up and the mind positive.”

With this in mind, it is no surprise to learn that the busiest period for property sales in Tenerife starts in the Autumn and the high season continues through the winter months. This is because Tenerife (and the other Canary Islands) are the only places in Europe that really can guarantee winter sun. Tenerife is a short flight away from mainland UK and Ireland, with budget flights from many regional airports. That makes getting a dose of sun pretty easy and property owners find it a short, convenient hop that makes for a perfect long weekend booster for their morale.

We know that there are literally hundreds of people waiting to be sure that the Tenerife property market has hit bottom before they purchase their own homes in the sun. We can now say with some certainty exactly when the Tenerife property market actually hit its lowest point.

Tenerife is an island, but its property market is in no way isolated and the outside world influences the property market. The economies of the rest of the world, and specifically Spain and the UK all have an influence on Tenerife. The problem is that it is not all that easy to spot when the market has bottomed because there is always so much data about. Much of this information is about what influences the property market and most of the time we are left to guess what actual affect it all has on Tenerife.

Signs of recovery

The most recent economic news from all these three influencers show signs of recovery. World property markets are starting to pick up and Spain’s Economic minister assured the country this week that the worst of the recession is over, which has been reinforced by the drops in unemployment over the last few months. The UK has seen property prices rise and there too, the signs of recovery are starting to make the headlines.

How has all this positive news affected the Tenerife property market? The first indicator of property market recovery is the number of people enquiring about property. From Tenerife Property Shop’s statistics, it is clear that enquiries overtook the previous year in June – ie there were more enquiries for Tenerife Property in June of this year than in the same month of 2008. The trend continued through July and August, each beating the previous year by an increasing margin. There is a time lag between an enquiry and an actual sale, so it was not until July that sales overtook 2008, and this is likely to continue as the year progresses.

These figures are a magnifying glass on Tenerife’s micro property market in the south of the island. However, they clearly indicate that the bottom of the property market in terms of demand reached its lowest ebb in May 2009. Since then, we have seen three months of consecutive rise in both enquiries and sales. The future for Tenerife Property is looking brighter than it has for a long time.

Information courtesy of www.tenerifepropertyshop.com

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