Real Estate / Loan market in Poland - summary [15]

Daniel, thanks for your thoughts.
I have added my own to a new article on my website.
You can find the link here: poland-mortgage-direct/articles.html?art=109

Real Estate / I want to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Krakow - suggestions and advice. [20]

It came through and I have replied. I don't know why you got the error message, but I did receive it, thanks

Real Estate / I want to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Krakow - suggestions and advice. [20]

Good advice. There are lots of newly completed apartments available on the secondary market at present, and it's much less risky if you can see the finished product and know exactly what you are getting, particularly in terms of build quality and aspect/view etc.

Also, there are lots of investors (both Polish and foreign) who over-extended near the end of the boom and now need to sell on completion, so there are good deals to be had. The discount in buying off-plan is really not high enough to justify the added risk at present. Not only have a few developments in Krakow been still-born, but in other cases there have been massive delays (up to 2 years and still not finished), and also a few instances where developers have asked for more money on signing the final contract. In particular, the Bud Mar investment on ul.Lwowska and the Leopard tower on the corner of ul. Kijowska and ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego. Both developers overstretched themselves and had to take out very dodgy loans, the cost of which they are now trying to pass on to the buyers.

Real Estate / I want to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Krakow - suggestions and advice. [20]

We would be interested in helping you to find some buyers, contact form to provide information is on our website

Real Estate / I want to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Krakow - suggestions and advice. [20]

I did a quick search on our website and found ten two-bedroom apartments priced at 850 000 PLN or under, most of which are in the city centre or within a radius of 2-3km of the centre. We would be happy to help you find what you are looking for, and also answer any questions you may have about buying in Krakow.

Real Estate / I have 20,000 EUROS .. and I want a house in Poland - best buy? [13]

Well this is possible, but the house is unlikely to be within 30mins drive of a "nice city" and is obviously not going to be a mansion...

I just looked at a real estate magazine, and an agency in Tarnów (consulting.net.pl) is advertising several houses which are priced at less than 20 000 EUR.

For example:

Piasek Wielki, Świętokrzyskie - wooden house in good condition, ready to move into, located next to a forest and on a plot measuring 1.92 ha. Price 58 000 PLN

Wilkowice, Świętokrzyskie - "ładny dom murowany", single level in good condition ready to move into, 50m2 (pretty small for a house!) on a 1400m2 plot, price 60 000 PLN

Travel / Recommendations for Zakopane [48]

Nice topic.
Last night I went to a concert by Zakopane's finest group, "Zakopower". They played a concert for charity at the Philharmonia in Krakow. Great show too! I must admit I was there more for my girlfriend (a big fan of the singer Sebastian) but they won me over. Very talented group, Sebastian is a great showman, and the songs were great, as was the participation from the audience. By the end everyone was up out of their seats.

I am taking some friends from Australia to Zakopane just after NY, always look forward to spending a few days there.

Life / International Press in Krakow [14]


It's called the "American Bookstore" I think, located just near the food hall.


Empik has a lot of magazines in English.
For example, on the ground floor just near the cashier are all the current newspapers, as well as current affairs magazines (Time, Newsweek, The Economist, Poland Monthly etc.)

On the first floor, I personally head for the music magazine section - they stock lots of monthly magazines like Q, Uncut, Mojo etc plus NME (newspaper).

Other sections, I couldn't say if they have lots of publications in English.
There is also a large section with books in English on the first floor.

Don't get me started on the prices though. The Sunday Times newspaper for 60 PLN! I don't think so. I can just justify spending almost 40 PLN on a music magazine if you get a free CD, but it is still more than double what you would pay in the UK for the same thing.

Real Estate / Rules for buying property in Poland as a foreigner. Recreation houses? [8]


Let me know, I would like to come along.

DXX, I know we conversed a little bit in the past when you are looking for a rental aparment. I will contact you again, as we can help you with both a mortgage and finding a suitable property.

Australia / Famous Australians [97]


Yes, they have made a US version. Apparently it is rubbish though and is getting poor ratings. You can't beat the original.

News / Polish News Sites that are updated frequently [4]

Also the Warsaw Voice is useful and they update daily.

warsawvoice.pl

You can also sign up for the daily email updates, which I find to be really a really useful source of information, particularly economic news.

Food / Popular drink shots in Poland? [28]

"Wściekły Pies" which translates as Mad Dog (or more literally "rabid dog") and is half vodka, half cherry syrup and a few drops of tobasco. Sweet and spicy, very tasty. Popular in Krakow, don't know about the rest of the country.

Real Estate / Current state of the property market in Krakow [135]


I have to say that there are many very dubious "facts" reported in your blog concerning the Polish real estate market.

"Real estate costs 7000 pln a square meter for a flat in Krakow. The average in the EU is 3000 pln a square meter."

I don't dispute the average price for Krakow, but you really think this is accurate for the EU? Give me a break.

"Speculators are pulling out of the Polish real estate market for greener pastures, ie rising price real estate markets, for example Bulgaria and other new land rushes"

Sorry, but this is incorrect. May have been true a year or two ago, but right now there are no greener pastures. The fact is, there are gathering stormclouds on the economic horizon in many CEE countries - Hungary, Baltic States, Romania, Bulgaria. Poland has a much healthier economy thank these countries, and it could be regarded as somewhat of a safehaven in the region.

You can read a very interesting article from the Economist here about the region:

economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=12465279

"In the Polish real estate market, I would not pay more than 2000 pln a square meter. Really. I could build a house in the countryside for that or have a beach front property in Florida for the same price, why would I pay 3.5 times the price for a flat in Krakow?"

Rubbish. Did you factor in the cost of buying the land to build your house on? And you are building it yourself?
Good luck getting a house on the beach front in Florida for $700 USD per m2. Property may be depressed in the USA, but not that much.

"Polish banks 1 year ago gave out 110% credit, no money down. Now they require 30% down. Their rejection rate 1 year about was 2 in 10 people, now they reject 8 in 10 people for a loan."

Again, this is incorrect information. We are still dealing with banks who will loan up to 90% LTV, and that is to Poles and foreingers. You are presenting your opinion as facts which is very misleading.

OK, I am an agent in Krakow and also assist foreigners to get mortgages in Poland.
I am biased, no doubt about it.
But no-one intelligent is going to believe your assertion that prices will fall by 50% in Krakow based on these 'facts' you have come up with.

No European property markets are looking healthy at the moment, and you dont need me to tell you why. Having said that though, the fundaments of the Polish economy remain strong, and there is still strong demand from Polish buyers. There is a wait and see approach from buyers at present, which is fair enough. But I can see that when good properties come on to the market at realistic prices, there are buyers for them. I know this from recent experience.

Life / "Londyńczycy" - TVP's production about Polish immigrants in UK. [11]

It started last night and will be on every Thursday at 9.10pm


It's not a documentary, but a drama or "serial" about Poles living in London.
I only caught a little bit of the first one last night, so can't really tell you about the content.
I did notice that there were a few scenes with English dialogue/characters and Polish subtitles.

Real Estate / selling offplan apartment Katowice [5]

You could try the agency called Prolokum

prolokum.pl/index_en.php

The English-speaking contact there is Grzegorz Pluszczyk

Real Estate / selling offplan apartment Katowice [5]

I would suggest you get in touch with a local Katowice agency. More than likely, any potential buyer will be a Polish owner-occupier rather than a foreign investor, so you should be dealing with a Polish agency. Good luck

Work / Living on the certain income in Poland [30]

infor.pl/kalkulatory/brutto_netto.html

Using the above calculator, a gross (brutto) salary of 5000 PLN per month means a net (netto) salary after tax of 3500 PLN per month.

I imagine you are looking at approx 2000 PLN per month for a reasonable standard rental apartment in Wroclaw, though utilities (media) may be more on top of that.

That leaves about 1500 PLN per month between the two of you for food, transport, entertainment etc etc.

I think that it could be a little bit difficult to enjoy a good standard of living in Poland based on this.

It all depends on what you are used to in your home country.

All the best.

Life / Passport stamped when leaving Shengen territory? [12]


If you are in Krakow, the Ukrainian consulate is in Kazimierz on ul. Krakowska 41.
You can get a visa in one week for 50 USD, unless things have changed since last year. I think you can pay extra to get it even faster.

As consulates go, it's not too bad. The guy that works there speaks a little English and is helpful enough.

Best way to get to Lviv is to take a train to Przemyśl. Then you get a minibus to the border and walk across. On the other side, there are buses to Lviv. Total travelling time should be about six hours and it's pretty cheap as BLS said.

Good luck aussie_expat - I am in the same boat and will be doing the trip for the same reason later this month

Work / Do American English teachers need a Work Permit for working residency? [14]

When I worked as an English teacher in Krakow a few years back, my school was able to take advantage of a special exemption. I believe it only applies to schools which are also private high schools - liceum or gymnazjum. Basically, I was able to legally work with a contract provided by the high school, even though I was actually teaching in the language school part. I didn't need to get a karta pobytu for this.

Real Estate / considering purchasing an apartment in Siemiradzkiego 25 Krakow [13]

Yes, that sounds about right

Real Estate / considering purchasing an apartment in Siemiradzkiego 25 Krakow [13]

Yes, these apartments should rent well. We are in the process of listing our first client's apartment for rent in this building, and hoping to get around 50zł per m2 per m2 or around 3000zl per month (+ admin/bills) for a 60m2 2-bedroom apartment.

Real Estate / considering purchasing an apartment in Siemiradzkiego 25 Krakow [13]


If DjK is saying to be careful in general, well fair enough. However, I can assure you that you don't need to be careful about the developer of this project.

Our agency has sold a few apartments in this building. Our buyers have already completed the purchase and are now fitting them out ready for habitation.

It's not like a new-build development where there may be doubt over whether the building will be built or the standard of the works. It is finished and ready to go and what you see is what you get.

Real Estate / considering purchasing an apartment in Siemiradzkiego 25 Krakow [13]

Good area, nice building. I have been going inside on a regular basis since they started renovation works on it in early 2007. It's interesting to see how much work is required to get an old building up to 21st century standards. Whillst you will pay for the privilege of buying in such a building, at least you have peace of mind that everything is new and will work. You won't get this in the average old Krakow kamienica. The other thing you won't get is old neighbours with old rivalries fighting amongst themselves and looking for fights to pick.

Life / English-speaking doctor in Krakow? [2]

Dr Cory is from the UK but has been living in Krakow for about 15 years, he is a good doctor and looks after a lot of the local expats.

MEDICINA Specialist Diagnostic & Therapeutic Centre

ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONTACT :
Dr Cory Young
Phone: +48 - 600-062-107
Address: Rogozińskiego 12
Opening Hours: Mo-Fri 8.00am - 6.00pm
Medicina is the oldest private healthcare provider in Krakow, offering the full range of specialist medical care to both individual and corporate clients for over 15 years. Over this time the centre developed an efficient and caring healthcare system based on providing the highest standards of service tailored to patients individual needs.

UK, Ireland / I'm a South African from the UK. Do I need a visa to go to Poland? [13]

Poland is now part of the Schengen Zone, so if as a South African you need a visa for most Western European countries (which are part of Schengen), then you will also need one for Poland. I thought Australians needed a lot of visas, but I pity you poor South Africans, you need them almost everywhere.

Real Estate / Land Around Krakow, Poland - how to find it? [22]


All our contracts are in Polish and English (each page separated into two columns).
A contract which is signed by someone who doesn't speak the language is surely not legally binding?


Sorry it wasn't clear, we do not charge a person just to look at a property. They only pay if they actually sign a lease. However, normally we do sign the representation agreement (stating how much the fee will be) before showing the apartment.


I agree, and for that reason I am actively discouraging our owners who wish to rent their apartments from charging any more than 1 month rent as a deposit. At the end of the day though, it is their decision to make.

Real Estate / Land Around Krakow, Poland - how to find it? [22]


I believe that is highly unethical. Is it even legal under Polish law?

I just read an article about such practices becoming more commonplace in Australia, where there is a severe rental shortage in the big cities. Agents have apparently starting charging "application fees" if someone wants to just look at an apartment, which apparently is illegal in Australia. Also there are bidding wars taking place, with agents driving the rental prices higher.

Article is here if anyone is interested: news.com.au/business/money/story/0,25479,24248897-5013951,0 0.html

Thankfully the situation isn't so bad in Krakow. Sure, I believe there is a shortage in some rental segments (mainly the cheap end) at present, but that doesn't mean it gives agents free licence to start using such underhand tactics.

My colleague told me that gumtree has recently banned any advertising of rental apartments in which interested tenants are asked to pay money upfront just to find out more information about the apartment, or arrange a viewing. This did happen.

This section has been added to their regulations for advertisers:
"Nie akceptujemy ogłoszeń agencji/ biur itp. pobierających opłaty przed pokazaniem nieruchomości. " / We don't accept advertisements from real estate agencies who ask for (take) payment before conducting viewings of apartments (something to that effect)

Basically, this is how it should work. You see a property advertised which you like and contact the agency. Before showing you the property, the agent will want to sign a representation agreement stating how much the tenant will pay should they decide to go ahead and rent it. This is normally between half and one month's rent, depending on the term of the lease agreed. If you don't want to take the property, you shouldn't have to pay anything to the agent.

This is how we do it anyway.


Mostly we still only take 1 month's rental amount as a security deposit, though I have noticed more owners recently asking for a larger deposit, particularly if there is any doubt about the tenants, i.e. they are students, for example, or a risk in some way.

Real Estate / Advice about rent settlement with landlord???? [6]

Yes, this is possible in Poland.
We have used such an agreement with our clients in Krakow who are medical students from Norway. They study for the period from Oct 1st - June 30th, and then go home for the months of July, August, September.

The normal agreement here in Krakow is that if the student wants to stay on for the next academic year, then they pay the landlord half the monthly rent for the summer months while they are away (plus admin + bills).

Some landlords in Krakow also like having an apartment empty over the summer months, as if it is suitable, it can be used for tourist accommodation during the busiest months

Real Estate / Land Around Krakow, Poland - how to find it? [22]

Sorry, but I think that's a pretty unfair generalisation.
The fact is that most people, unless they have lots of spare time, or get lucky in finding the right offer/buyer privately, will use the services of an agent. This applies to pretty much anywhere in the world. And in Krakow, just like pretty much anywhere in the world, you will find good agents, bad agents and ones in between.

I think you will find that the bad agents in Krakow, the ones who in the past have done little or no work and charged high commissions, are the ones which are now going to go out of business given the slower market. From my experience in dealing with foreign clients, I know the huge amount of work which goes into helping such people, and I believe that the fees charged are reasonable. However, I too have had experience of greedy agents who I have had to co-operate with in the past demanding big fees for doing absolutely nothing.

Real Estate / Land Around Krakow, Poland - how to find it? [22]

If you have Polish citizenship, then you can buy any land you want, no problem!
The best place to look for plots around Krakow is krn.pl - Polish only portal. There are lots to choose from!

Alternatively, you can PM me as I work in an agency in Krakow and we also use several other databases (POP for private offers, MLS for agency offers) - let me know the size of the plot you want to buy, areas of interest, budget etc and we will see what we can find.

As for non-Poles, well the basic story at the moment if you want to buy land is that you will probably need to apply for a permit from the government. If you want to do this, definitely consult a Polish lawyer to get some help.

All the definitive information is here:
paiz.gov.pl/index/?id=55603a5f239e435c642244be3e891b85

On the same site, you can also download an English translation of the property ownership related laws of Poland with regards to foreigners:

paiz.gov.pl/files/?id_plik=7117

In terms of foreigners, you will need to get a permit from the government in the following cases:
1)To purchase agricultural and forest land - for 12 years after Poland became a member of the EU (i.e. until 2 May 2016),
2)To purchase a second home (i.e. the real estate which is intended to be developed for residential or recreational purposes and which will not be used by a foreigner as the habitual residence) - for five years after Poland became a member of the EU (i.e. until 1 May 2009).

So, basically, 8 months from now, it will get a lot easier for foreigners from EU countries to buy building land for single family homes or development.