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]

Yes, that sounds about right

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.

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 / 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.

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

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

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 / 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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]

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]

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 / 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

Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

I think it very much depends on where in Poland you are planning to move to.
My opinion is that Krakow is the most "expat friendly" city in which to live, though I have lived here for 5 years and can't comment on other cities. Certainly, you will find it easier to adjust and make friends in the larger cities, I think if you move somewhere small it will be a very big culture shock

Travel / 100 things to do in Krakow for free [11]

Visit all the mounds (Kościuszki, Krak, Piłsudskiego, Wanda)

Travel / 100 things to do in Krakow for free [11]

Ride a bike to Kryspinów on a hot summer's day and have a swim (ok you have to pay to get in, but not much)

Work / Where can I find potential English learners? [6]

I suggest you put up a post on gumtree in Warsaw in the following section offering your services: I just came across this ad in the above section, which I thought was pretty funny

Native Speaker "NORMALNY"
Miasto: Warszawa Warszawa Śródmieście
Data dodania: 27/01/2009

Hi,
Have you been learning English with someone who either smells bad, is stoned, hung over or drinking alcohol during the lessons?
I've heard all the stories. If you're looking for someone to help you prepare for classes, tests, in a unique and comfortable environment. Don't hesitate, just give me a call and I'll do my best to provide you with a comfortable and enjoyable one on one learning experience

Travel / Hotels, Hostels and B&Bs in Krakow [28]

EasyJet flies to Krakow from Belfast. I am not so knowledgeable on good/cheapish hotels in Krakow, but maybe you would consider renting an apartment.

For example, krakow-apartments.biz

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

A 35% deposit is a pretty good starting point. Of course, pretty much all mortgages will be dependent on how much you earn, offset against any ongoing liabilities you have - such as other mortgages, personal loans, credit card debts etc.

You don't necessarily need to be working in Poland to get a mortgage - we can still source mortgages for foreigners working in other countries who want to buy in Poland.

Real Estate / Interest Rates for Home loans In poland [39]

Yes, foreign currency loans are still available in Poland. In general the margins charged by the banks are higher than for PLN loans.

The offer for non-residents (and foreigners) who want to get a mortgage in Poland is much more restricted, but there are still a handful of banks who will grant such mortgages.

Current interest rates:

PLN 4.6% (Wibor 3m) + margin 1.5-2.5%
EUR 1.91% (Libor 3m) + margin 2-3%
USD 1.24% (Libor 3m) + margin 2-3%
GBP 2.06% (Libor 3m) + margin 2-3%
CHF 0,49% (Libor 3m) + margin 2.5-5%

If you believe the zloty has been oversold, then it could be a good time to be taking out a foreign currency mortgage in Poland. Obviously, such a strategy is more risky, as the events of the past six months have demonstrated.

If you are interested in being referred to Polish banks that can potentially get you a mortgage in Poland (as a non-resident or foreigner) please visit my website.

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


So we can help you with a rental in Krakow, see our listings on .property-krakow.

Law / Temporary residence card to obtain a mortgage in Poland? [17]

Not true Grzegorz.

Olamonkey, there are still around 5 banks in Poland which will consider applications from non-residents who earn money outside of Poland. Being Polish will help you, but more important will be your quality as an applicant - size of income and place of work, amount of liabilities etc.

We can assess your chances if you fill in the submission form on our website, poland-mortgage-direct