Originally posted by letmellor:
I brought a house in Slovakia...no snakes! Answered Channel 4s questionaire and though I would put my responses here too!
Why did you buy a property abroad? Gazumped three times in UK put us off the English housing market.
Put off with what appeared at the time (2003 - 4) to be an unsustainable housing market.
Put off by the UK lifestyle and weather.
What made you choose the country & region? Prospect of having proper winter and summers and a lifestyle not attainable in UK.
Holidaying in Eastern Europe whilst working in Germany. (We bought the house after our 5th visit to the town and only after extensive background research on both the country and region).
Massive growth potential in Slovakia.
Historic region with beautiful castles, walled towns, stunning mountains and fantastic countryside.
Are you based there throughout the year, or is it a holiday home? Currently the property has undergone the first phase of renovation (structural work and facde preservation). The second phase of renovation with the majority of rebuilding will occur in summer 2007.
Our intention is to use the property as a multifunctional house (rental of ground floor to a business with other parts holiday let), followed by retirement from UK and permanent residence, supplemented by rental income.
What kind of property is it? – Is it a family home? A self-build? Or perhaps you’ve started your own business or B&B? The house is a cultural listed monument established around 1300 and then renovated in the renaissance style in 1550. The property is located in the centre of the national preservation town of Levoca, one of Slovakia's best preserved towns.
We want to restore the house to its initial purpose and layout: Ground floor as primary business space, first and second floors to owner/residential. The rear balconied portion of house will be rented to other businesses.
The process of buying – Is it very different to the British system? Did you encounter any problems?Finding a reputable estate agent was the first and possibly the most difficult step. We encountered some...characters...but eventually met an honest woman.
Securing an independent Notar was relatively straight forward (they are well signed in the town square).
Ensuring registration at the Cadastre (land council) was also straightforward (and hastened by the estate agent who used to work in the offices).
As ever (for us Brits) the language barrier proved formidable ...but a combination of body/sign language and a mutual poor understanding of German fudged through 60% of most conversations! The remaining 40% and all legal documentation were read by a mutual friend who is fluent in English (a lawyer for PWC at the time of purchasing) All documents for signing were then officially translated through a court interpreter and stamped at the Notary.
How have you settled in? – Have you been welcomed into the community? Do you speak the language?Not yet! Too much work to do before we can actually live there as the house is getting new plumbing, electrics etc (removing the rubbish put in under communism)! The community are very welcoming and incredibly hospitable...the Slivovich (plum brandy) is lethal stuff...but when in Rome/Levoca....! We are slowly learning the language but will make a concerted effort over the next year to improve on our basics! It will be years before we are fluent but that is something we are prepared to live with.
Cultural differences – How have they affected you? Have you embraced them? How do you embrace Slivovich? There are cultural differences as well as those differences from living and moving to a small town from a city etc.
The region is heavily artistic, steeped in history and I feel somewhat of a cultural imbecile!
The Slovaks are far more family orientated and have a slower, less time critical way of life.
Organisations and bureaucracy still cling on from the days of communism but that is thankfully be swept aside.
Not withstanding, they have a serious work ethic and when assigned work they get on with it.
With exception to the language, to be honest, I feel amongst friends and very much at home there.
hope that provides a quick run down of buying a house in Slovakia!
All the best
Steve and Natasha Mellor
