I’ve recently received notification of the first (it says it’s the first!) off-plan ski development in the Ukraine. It’s called the Eagle Valley Mountain resort and is in Slavsk, as it’s name suggests it is a Ski resort! Prices start from 990 Euros/sqm.
I confess to knowing next to nothing about the Ukraine and about the same about Skiing.
Has anyone actually been to the Ukraine and has any views on this project or the Country??
Originally posted by Stu H: I’ve recently received notification of the first (it says it’s the first!) off-plan ski development in the Ukraine. It’s called the Eagle Valley Mountain resort and is in Slavsk, as it’s name suggests it is a Ski resort! Prices start from 990 Euros/sqm.
I confess to knowing next to nothing about the Ukraine and about the same about Skiing.
Has anyone actually been to the Ukraine and has any views on this project or the Country??
Is this going to be good or another Bulgaria??
Bulgaria is at least memeber EU. Ukraine is not and probably never will be.
Depends on whether you like a risk! It seems pretty cheap, so maybe it's worth a gamble... On the other hand, when I lived in Ukraine there was a lot of mafia involvement and you needed to pay up a lot of 'insurance' to the mafia, which would be an added expense. This was some years ago so things may now be very different.
There are a lot of plus points to Ukraine - the Carpathian mountains are very beautiful, and a fair amount of Russians like to holiday in Ukraine (e.g. on the Black Sea coast). There might well be potential for Russians skiing in Ukraine (if snow is good, transport links exist, etc). Ukraine is officially Ukrainian speaking - people in the East are usually Russian speaking, but people in the West (i.e. Slavsk) can be quite nationalistic. People in the resort may well speak English but I'd be surprised if you could, for example, buy a train ticket without speaking Russian or Ukrainian.
I lived in Kiev, which had a lot of snow - I don't know what the snow's like in the Carpathians. I'm also not sure how you'd get to Slavsk conveniently - I suppose it's by train from Lviv? Or are there airports there with reputable flights? When I lived in Ukraine, the roads were not particularly great...
I don't want to knock Ukraine in any way - it has lovely, well-educated people, a really beautiful countryside, and a fascinating history - but I think if I invested money in Ukraine, it would be on the grounds that I'd be prepared to lose it all and more on top.
I'm also not sure if you still need a visa and official invitation to enter Ukraine - which is a bit of a hassle when you want to pop over for a skiing holiday!
How about a trip to Ukraine for your summer holiday?
I bought a studio in this development and visited the area earlier this month. The rural areas of Ukraine are very primitive by Western standards and Slavske is certainly very different from western ski resorts. The area is very popular in winter, although there was little sign of tourism when we were there, so you would have to take rental predictions with a sceptical view. The roads have to be seen to be believed but there is major investment being put in, which should be finished shortly before Eagle Valley opens. The area is incredibly beautiful and there is currently a lot of new development going on.
We also stayed in Lviv which is a beautiful city and is totally different from the rural areas. Like any East European country, things are changing rapidly and there will obviously be more and more money available to those who benefit.
Eagle Valley is a huge gamble, but one which will hopefully provide a regular income. We have so far found all the people connected with this project to be very helpful and willing to explain things to us.
The visit to Ukraine enabled us to see and appreciate a country which is very different from our own and I'm happy to be investing. The project could be the start of a huge investment programme or it could go wrong. I would say only invest if you can afford to lose. I'm certainly looking forward to re-visiting when it's built and spending more time in Lviv. This area of the world will start to get more publicity with Euro 2012 - sport usually brings huge money and attendent publicity, so I think Ukraine's economy will grow and attract more FDI, but that's my personal opinion.
You don't need a visa to enter Ukraine. English isn't spoken in the resort, and when we went we didn't have an interpreter which made for some fun. Fortunately my husband likes pickled gherkins for breakfast!!!
Some while back there was a Ukranian gent posting here and pointing out some horrendous points for not investing in the Ukraine. Having said that for the early investors who take the most risk if there are profits they generally get the larger slice so good luck, Gungha Din, you're a better man than I.
You know there's an overseas property bubble when people start to talk about Ukraine, Mongolia and Afghanistan as suitable off-plan "emerging market" investment opportunities.
Must admit that from what people have said I have to agree with Vonrisa and what they (sorry Vonreisa, don't know your gender so you are a 'they') said. Ukraine sounds a beutifully country but it doesn't really offer me the saftey I need for an investment at the moment.
Originally posted by BTLOptingOut: You know there's an overseas property bubble when people start to talk about Ukraine, Mongolia and Afghanistan as suitable off-plan "emerging market" investment opportunities.
Not to mention Albania (as per one newspaper today) .
I've been to Ukraine 4 times this year so far and love the country. Sure it's different, but at the same time it has such stunning scenary from the Crimean penisula to the Carpathian mountains to beautiful cities like Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa.
The people are very friendly and their is a booming property market especially in Kyiv itself where it is now almost impossible to pick up even a studio apartment for under $100k.
Like fws, I too have taken the plunge on a studio at the Eagle Valley development and have been to visit the site myself. I echo everything that fws has written in that the roads are awful, but the plans and beauty of the area are impressive. Yes its a risk, but in my opinion you have got to speculate to accumulate and I think it's worth the gamble. Only time will tell of course, but as far as I see it, the increasingly more and more wealthy Russians and Ukrainians need quality accomodation for r&r and this should offer just that to them.
Originally posted by BTLOptingOut: You know there's an overseas property bubble when people start to talk about Ukraine, Mongolia and Afghanistan as suitable off-plan "emerging market" investment opportunities.
I have friends who come from Ukraine and yes it sounds a beautiful country, but for investment, actually buying, in my opinion it needs careful thought! I think we also need to be aware of the mentality of the people, who are ‘actually locked up’ in their country, unless they are able to get a VISA to visit other countries, which is highly unlikely and extremely difficult. I live with that mentality every day in the Balkans, it’s inhibiting, scary almost, blocking people’s view for a future with freedom of thought etc. etc. not easy… Yet the EU Governments invest a LOT of money into ENVIRONMENT in the Ukraine! (but also Human Rights!)
I can recommend perhaps for investment : Pakistan ? Skiing, Gilgit perhaps, the ancient meeting point of traders on the famous Silk Route, in the Northern Area of Pakistan, surrounded by black mountains, with the 6134m Domani shining in the Northeast. No, not high enough? Well there is the beautiful Hunza valley, with views of the majestic Karakoram range “Rakaposhi (7788), sorry I have not mentioned the Killer |Mountain “Nanga Parbat” 8126 m high … should be alright for a Swiss chalet or two?
Seriously, it was recommended to me for a holiday with view to investment in the f u t u r e… when I was at the ITB March 07, (International Tourism Fair) the largest fair in the world and I visited the stand of Pakistan.
Unfortunately the last two skiing seasons had not been that good, so I was told… can’t imagine why, the facilities looked super!
Originally posted by BTLOptingOut: You know there's an overseas property bubble when people start to talk about Ukraine, Mongolia and Afghanistan as suitable off-plan "emerging market" investment opportunities.
Not to mention Albania (as per one newspaper today) .
Hi Vbland, what did the British I assume newspaper say about Albania? One cannot buy British Newspapers here unfortunately...
I have bought an apartment in Ukraine not only for investment purposes but also because it's a great place to visit. I have absolutely zero intention of ever going anywhere remotely near Pakistan thank you very much.
.
