Slovensko – raj pre investovanie
ZAUJÍMAVÉ: Rajom pre investorov nie je len Thajsko, Panama, ale aj Slovensko, tvrdia editori „Without Borders“. Realitný boom (okrem BA a okolia) vraj ešte len príde.
Trivia: What two national capital cities are located closest to each other?
Answer: Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia (65 km).
“Why haven’t I spent more time here? Why didn’t I know about this before?” That’s what Fitz kept asking Simon and himself during a recent trip to Slovakia. It just seemed to Fitz like Slovakia had continually fallen through the cracks.
From a lifestyle standpoint, Slovakia is still a bargain in euro terms. The people are friendly and there is an abundance of English speakers that by and large do not have the same anti-American attitude so prevalent in most of Europe. Almost anyone under the age of thirty speaks passable English and the older generations speak adequate German and Russian. Generally the people are very warm and welcoming to foreigners from outside Western Europe. Interestingly, there is significant resentment of tourists from Germany, France and Austria.
Real estate prices in the capital Bratislava are approaching those of Western European cities, but in the second-tier cities like Zilinia, Banska Bystrica and Kosice, apartments and houses are very inexpensive and loaded with charm. You can still buy a two- to three-bedroom apartment in a classic late-19th, early-20th century building in the cobble-stoned downtown of Banska Bystrica for under US$200,000. It feels very much like Salzburg or Munich in these downtowns, with live music playing every night in the myriad cafés and restaurants.
Could we see ourselves actually moving to Slovakia? Absolutely, for at least part of the year anyhow. The cost of living is reasonable at 41% of the European average. The people are friendly, the country is beautiful and the living is easy. Well, easy in the spring, summer and fall. Winter temperatures can dip to -40 degrees Celsius. But there is always Panama, Uruguay, Thailand and other reasonably priced and cultured places to scat to during those bitter Northern Hemisphere winters.
There are several ways to invest in the Slovak real estate market – what we think will be a coming boom. Boom? Yes, boom, for an often overlooked reason. Slovak expatriates are currently working their tails off in England, Germany, Austria and other Western European countries, living six to a bedroom and working double shifts. They are young and eager, and after five years the bulk of them intend on returning to Slovakia with all those pounds and euros and buy a home. Not an old communist era cement block apartment, but a flat or house like they have grown accustomed to during their years away. This is a major trend happening throughout Eastern Europe.
We looked in Zilinia and Banska Bystrica, and our sampling indicated that a modest two-bedroom apartment in walking distance to the center of the city would yield about 15% if the investor used a 20% down payment. This is a rough sampling and we are confident a diligent investor could do better if they hustled, made low-ball offers, or were sharp enough to get into a corporate rental program with one of the major international companies.
Whichever way you go with real estate in Slovakia, we think as long as you avoid the priciest parts of Bratislava, you will do well. As Slovakia continues to grow faster than the rest of Europe, and it approaches adopting the euro (which we wish it wouldn’t), you should see a nice pop in property values as well as a nifty yield.
Celý článok:news.goldseek.com/DougCasey/1202331216.php
07.02.2008