So Happy in Cyprus!

Hilary and Lyn Whitehead were looking for a sunny, relaxing holiday retreat away from the gloom and doom of the UK. Life had not been altogether easy recently: “I nursed a sick relation through very serious health problems” confided Hilary, “and I must say I really was looking forward to a time when we could relax in the sun - and where better to do that but in Cyprus?”

Added to that was the incentive of a rental investment. With property sales slipping worldwide, they realised that rental properties are much in demand and they decided this could be a good way to supplement their pensions.

“We had spent many happy family holidays on the island” recalls Lyn, “so it seemed the obvious choice for us to start looking for our place in the sun there.”

“We had visited the island over a dozen times over the years, and loved it. Hilary agreed. “We wanted to buy perhaps in the Tala or Pissouri areas – that was our original idea. We were all booked and set to travel to Cyprus in September 2008 – and guess what? We had booked our return trip with XL Airways, flying out of Gatwick on the 15th; on 12th September the company went into administration!” Undeterred, the Whiteheads rescheduled and flew off to Cyprus early in November, determined to enjoy their new property by the spring of 2009.

After quite a bit of research on the Internet, help for the Whiteheads came in the form of a company that offered impartial advice, backed up by references from people who had actually been through the buying process in Cyprus themselves. “We did our homework very thoroughly and found what turned out to be a most amazing estate agent. We had read the Cyprus Buying Guide website and contacted them for help. They were able to make informed recommendations based on both information gleaned from readers and from personal experience.

“The estate agent helped us reschedule our trip and took us to numerous properties in Cyprus” adds Hilary. “Their service was absolutely EXCELLENT. And not only that: our concern was the fact that the exchange rate had turned against us. We were on a very tight budget...135,000 GBP. We also anticipated a lot of add on’s.....Smart Currency Exchange, the currency company the Guide recommended, talked us through the idea of buying our currency in advance, what they called ‘forward buying’ - which made a lot of sense and set our mind at rest about spiralling costs.”

By early January the Whiteheads were well underway to being the proud owners of a lovely property in Cyprus. Spring in their new home has become a reality, and all that remains is to move in and enjoy the fruits of their labour!

For more information on Smart Currency Exchange, please call our freephone: 0808 163 0102 (+44 (0)207 898 0541 from outside the UK) or visit our website at: SmartCurrencyExchange.com