By Andrea Harper

Timing is key for any investor who decides to sell their property, either to take advantage of rapidly growing markets or for personal reasons, because any gains have to be carefully offset against costs.

In Poland, where we have seen super-charged growth, selling is now an option for investors who want to release profits to re-invest in emerging third tier cities where prices are lower, and markets are at the start of their very high capital growth phase.

But get the timing wrong and your investment could actually lose you money - not make it.

The Polish buying process is a complex and lengthy affair and until the buyer has the ownership title all he can sell is, in effect, his contract to buy from the developer.