With the evenings beginning to close in, foreign estate agents are again targeting Irish investors for holiday home developments in the sun. No less than four international property shows are scheduled in the coming weeks. The first of them is on this weekend at the Burlington Hotel, where selling agents will be pushing homes in southern Spain, Florida, Portugal and the UK. Over at Jurys Hotel on Saturday, and the Radisson on Sunday, HD International Properties will be marketing what it calls "upmarket homes" on the continent and in Florida. On the weekend of September 11th and 12th, the Shelbourne Hotel again hosts the International Property Show, where 14 developers will be taking bookings for holiday homes in the sun.

Last year, there was consternation at this show when the doors had to be closed because of the sheer numbers trying to get in. This year, the organisers will have extra space available to cope with the demand. For people who fancy the Caribbean, there will be an opportunity to buy a villa in Barbados when the Royal Westmoreland Company sends representatives to Portmarnock Golf Club on September 29th. The development will eventually have 350 homes built around an 18-hole golf course.