Alghero Estates were featured in last weeks Irish Mail on Sunday newspaper. The article written by journalist and BBC RTE TV presenter Liz O’Kane detailed her visit to island a few weeks earlier to review the Sardinian property market. The following is an extract of the article.

The town of Alghero is where the lovable Mr. O’Leary (Ryanair) will deposit you and the best thing is that it’s literally 10 minutes from the airport. Alghero historically is a Catalan town having been conquered by the Spanish several centuries ago and the language is still spoken by many. The stunning old town is cobbled and fortified with the water lapping up against its walls and the large marina with impressive boats to ogle is minutes walk. It’s a buzz of activity year round with the Italians always looking glorious no matter what they put on. Lots of smart strolling, good coffee and excellent inexpensive restaurants are within the walls and if you eat outside the walls it’s cheaper again.

Property in the old town of Alghero and surrounding environs of up to 10 kilometres are not cheap. One can only presume that’s it’s the easy access, proximity to the airport and limited supply of property for sale that keeps prices high. But as a growing and thriving tourist town, prices are on the up. Overseas investors are coming and younger locals are being priced out of the market.

I met with Maria and Stephen who run Alghero Estates. ‘We are valuing property here in turn-key condition from between €3,000 - €4,000 per square metre’ she tells me and anything in need of repair or cosmetic attention at about €2,000 per square metre’, she says. ‘Most potential investors coming here are looking for holiday homes and want to be close to the old town and the airport’.

Maria and Stephen took me to a development called Monte Carru only five minutes drive from Alghero. It’s a smart complex of villas and villettas. These properties will suit anyone looking for a resort lifestyle, holiday home investors and locals. By all accounts it seems that many professional locals have invested and intend on living here as do Maria and Stephen.

The Monte Carru site is elevated with almost every property having views of the Bay of Alghero and the amazing headland at Capo Caccia. They are traditional in style using lots of stone and granite but very high tech inside with high gloss kitchens, under floor heating and high-speed broadband. In total there will be 260 homes in a 70 acre area to be built in eight phases over the next five years. By the time Monte Carru is completed there will be a five star hotel on site, spa, tennis courts, retail outlets and restaurants. Two bedrooms start from €379k with use of communal pool. Three bedroom villas of 100 square metres start at €519k, and there are options on large four bedroom villas with private pool.

In the old town a beautiful attico apartment with three bedrooms, large terrace and sea views is asking €580k and in Porto Conte, very close to the beach there seems to be good value in a five bedroom town house asking €370k. ‘Are these prices negotiable?’ I ask Maria ‘Of course’, she replies, ‘Isn’t everything in life negotiable’?

Published By: Irish Mail on Sunday | 8th June 2008