P E Teacher gives lesson in how to retire early

Mark Holness, a PE Teacher originally from Ramsgate in Kent, is a man with a mission - to retire age 45. Currently into his 36th year, giving him just nine years to amass a little nest-egg and create a tidy income stream, Mark is pinning his hopes onto the property market. Like any shrewd investor he's not expecting all his nest-eggs to come out of the same basket, but instead spreading his risk across the continents.

Mark explains, "Myself and my wife Alisha are both living and working in Bahrain right now so we're unafraid of veering off the beaten track when choosing our property investments. I already have a fairly eclectic collection, 20 acres of land in Fiji and a house in Canada, so the recent additions of Brazil and Tunisia don't seem too eccentric. In Brazil, somewhere admittedly I have never been, we opted for a one bedroom apartment in Brisa de Carapibus for five pounds short of £40,000 and in Tunisia, a country I visited in my childhood, a studio in The Dunes Golf & Spa Resort for 24,000 euros."

Clearly price went in favour of both purchases, but Mark also made his decision based on location and rentability. Mark continues, "With Bahrain being just to the east of Africa, it seemed sensible to buy a bolthole there which could be easily accessed by my family. I pitched Morocco versus Tunisia and went for the latter due to low entry prices and a most fantastic array of services at The Dunes from a Spa to concierge, alongside the promise of up to 14% gross rental income each year. The Brazil property appealed as it was high quality and low density, just 31 beachfront units in total, ideal for holidays and this time there was a guaranteed rental income in place of 5% per annum for the first two years after completion. It's reassuring to know that without me having to lift a finger the investment's working hard safe in the hands of a management company."

On the subject of buying off-plan, Mark has found the experience to be hassle-free but slightly strange. "There's something a little odd about handing over money for an asset you're not going to see for a few years, end of December 2009 for Brisa de Carapibus and January 2011 for The Dunes Golf & Spa Resort, but in doing so you of course stand to make the highest returns from capital appreciation. GEM Estates has been invaluable to me in terms of advice and efficiency in returning emails in a speedy manner. Thanks to a non-pushy sales technique I bought the two properties through GEM Estates and hope to do more business with them in the future. After all I have got that retirement deadline to aim for."

A limited number of units remain at Brisa de Carapibus, a boutique resort set on one of the most famous beaches in the northeastern Brazilian state of Paraíba. On-site guests can enjoy a freeform swimming pool with sunlounging decks, barbecue area, plus the reassurance of 24-hour security, administration and maintenance services. Priced from just 24,950 gbp, these properties also attract a 5% rental guarantee for the first two years from completion.

The Dunes Golf & Spa Resort is set midway between two of Tunisia's busiest airports, Hammamet and Monastir, and on the doorstep of the country's most exclusive purpose-built marina resort, Port El Kantaoui, complete with two 18-hole golf courses. The apartments boast five-star on-site facilities including a rental management company to help maximize rental yields. Finished to top European standards prices at The Dunes Golf & Spa Resort start from €30,250 euros for a studio apartment.

For further information, visit gem-estates.com