By Geoff Simmonds (Head of Overseas Mortgage Finder).

A great new range of international mortgages have just launched for property investors looking to buy in Portugal. The main advantage of these mortgages is that 100% funding is available for investors who are able to negotiate a purchase price discount of 20% or better against the property's true value.

For Investors who are bullish on the Portuguese property market appreciating in the near term, or even those who are prepared to take a longer term view, these new mortgages may present a great funding opportunity and enable multiple property investment. Interest rates for these mortgages are also very competitive starting from just 2.91% (variable) for the term of loan. I therefore anticipate these mortgages to prove very popular amongst our clients.

With the holiday season getting into full swing it seems that France is once again proving a popular destination amongst many British tourists, leading many to flirt with the idea of buying a second holiday home there. The close proximity of England to France, tied in with the types of affordable properties available, low mortgage rates, and strengthening pound, go a long way to explain why we have experienced a 34% increase in month on month mortgage enquiries for France. The USA is also proving popular showing a 30% increase in enquiries this month. This is mainly due to the strong Return on Investment (ROI) deals currently available, with investors now able to take advantage of full status and self cert low value mortgages, starting from just $50,000 up to 75% LTV.

At Overseas Mortgage Finder this month we have been developing a free international mortgage system for mortgage brokers. The aim is to provide mortgage brokers with the platform to access international mortgage products and to help them assess whether their client is suitable to secure a mortgage before making a formal mortgage application. We hope the system will be a trail blazer in the international mortgage market.