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Posts by LwowskaKrakow  

Joined: 9 Mar 2007 / Female ♀
Last Post: 12 Sep 2014
Threads: Total: 28 / Live: 21 / Archived: 7
Posts: Total: 431 / Live: 376 / Archived: 55
From: Krakow

Displayed posts: 397 / page 6 of 14
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LwowskaKrakow   
13 Sep 2011
Law / Why is US $ getting so high or Polish zloty falling? [60]

"54% of Polish homebuyers who got their mortgages in Swiss Francs". Could you provide a source or link to that data? I have a feeling that's not accurate.

The data is from the Financial Times. Journalist : Jan Cienski

Here is the thread:
ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/09/09/polands-zloty-falling-and-falling/#axzz1XqMz7IS4
LwowskaKrakow   
13 Sep 2011
Law / Why is US $ getting so high or Polish zloty falling? [60]

The exact sentence published in the Financial Times on the 9th of Sept 2011 is (quote)54 per cent of Polish Mortgages are denominated in Swiss Francs

I personally think it scary but if you think that everything is ok...

Let's hope you are right.
LwowskaKrakow   
13 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

thats not including the dziaƂki of 382 m2

Small is beautiful when it comes to heating big houses or properties during Polish Winters!
LwowskaKrakow   
13 Sep 2011
Law / how much should a babysitter in warsaw cost? [6]

She's not expecting to get paid,

Then the best is to give her a nice present or money for a present if you don't have a clue what to give her to thank her.

As for babysitting rate ( for students etc) babysitters can charge between 15zl to 20zl an hour but this is my experience in Krakow ,don't know the going rate in Warsaw.
LwowskaKrakow   
14 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

The owner of the house I lived in has refused to bulge from her 27 000 pln and guess what, after 8 months, she still has no tenant. So, who was right?

You are both right Bullfrog: You because you wanted to find a tenant and get some income and did not mind lowering the rent and your former lanlord who prefers to have her house empty ,does not care about income ,rather than lower her rent.

She might have her reasons you know.
There are millions of people who own places everywhere in Paris in London in NY and if they have spent a lot of money decorating and refurbishing those places(Bulthaup Kitchens, Designer's furniture etc) and are attached to their places they want to find the tenant who can afford the price they want for it or just leave the place empty for months or years .

I have italian friends who have a house in Florence Italy which has not been rented for 2 years now because she says the rent they want is too high for the local market but they don't want to lower it because their property is luxurious, the value of their fitted kitchen itself would be worth several years of rent. He does not care for he is the president of an international company in France, so they target specific tenants with specific profiles.

Now if your choice was to have a tenant for your house at any cost then your choice was right but i know of a Polish owner in Kazimierz Krakow who still has his flat for rent on the market after a year( through a Real Estate agent) and who has been turning down lower offers from potential tenants.The place is a bit over 2000 zl so over 10 times lower than yours but still he does not mind waiting,does not have any morgage and his yearly czynsz slighly over 1 month rent.

I think it can also be a question of scale, leaving without tenants a place worth 24 0000 zl per month empty is not the same as leaving emptya place worth 2000 zl a month !
LwowskaKrakow   
14 Sep 2011
Travel / Cheapest eating places in Warsaw? [27]

In Poland check the places called "Milk Bars" ( they don't serve milk and there are not bars!) but some sort of subsidized restaurants , they offer Polish specialties at extremely low prices, and are popular with tourists too and are noted in tourist guides.

Look for BAR MLECZNY in Warsaw. You ll get a lits of them on Google or a few Warsaw PF members might be able to recommend some.
LwowskaKrakow   
14 Sep 2011
Travel / Cheapest eating places in Warsaw? [27]

No idea , it depends on what you eat!
Just check the cheapest dishes, every Bar Mleczy( pronunced Bar Mlayshnay) has different dishes. Those without meat are the cheapest.
LwowskaKrakow   
14 Sep 2011
Travel / Cheapest eating places in Warsaw? [27]

a milky bar will cost you between 15 to 20 PLN on avarage

There is also a Chain of restaurants called GREEN WAY( Warsaw ,Krakow etc) , it is vegetarian place but the dishes are quite good that even if you are not vegeterian you don't miss meat or fish.

the big Pitta full of vegetables is less than 20 zl .
LwowskaKrakow   
14 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

If all landlords follow this logic then it looks better to rent for 100 zl than for nothing ! Would you have rented your place for 100 zl a month?

In your case i fully agree that at this end of the market there are not so many potential tenants and that by refusing to reduce by a few PLNs her property 'rent, in your eyes she lost an opportunity to rent her place but since we are talking about luxurious property , imagine you make a slightly lower offer than the asking price to rent a flat on 40 Bond Street NY from a landlord called Ian Schrager, do you think he would accept even to reduce the rent by 5 $ even if his apartments are on the rental market ?

Nope, Monsieur because he targets people who can afford his places.And of course he can afford to do without a few thousands of $.
As S Fitzgerald said ,the rich are different.
LwowskaKrakow   
14 Sep 2011
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

The Poles are Continental Europeans who have more in common with France ,Germany and Italy than an Englishman has with a Frenchman, A German or an Italian !
LwowskaKrakow   
14 Sep 2011
Food / Polish Pizza !! The best in the world? [329]

Any recommandation of a good Pizzeria /pizza restaurant in Krakow ?

Local Businesses only please no Chains because I had some stuff they dare to call Pizza at a place in Kazimierz Pizza Pizzy or something like that and it was horrible :seemed like some frozen low quality food they defrost)

Grazie Mille!
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Each language proposes a Standard Accent when it comes to learning or Teaching languages

1) the Queen's English accent
2)The French central France accent( Tours) not the Marseille's accent
3)Hoch Deutsch not Swiss German
4) Castillano Espagnol
5) Midwest American English Accent
6)Chinese Mandarin not Wenzho Chinese
etc
Does it reflect any discrimination? Yes! But it's just easier for Language students who are beginners to have some kind of reference, i guess
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Law / Why is US $ getting so high or Polish zloty falling? [60]

It wouldn't go far. The renovation of one roundabout in Poznan will cost around 60 million dollars. One roundabout.

Sorry Delphiomine, I do not believe that.
60 Millions of Dollars for the simple renovation of one roundabout in Poznan ? Come on what will it be made of ? Gold?
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

In the Western world, people bargain when the price seems too high for them , Anglo saxons take it for granted that the prices are always over inflated but if the price is correct and reflects the market price ,why bargain?

I think that every buyer/tenant has a budget in mind or in his/her pocket and should stick to it and very seller/landlord should also stick to his offer.

( In the Middle East it is different and part of their tradition to discuss for prices for hours and hours)
having said that, A Polish seller or landlord will go down in price if he /she is desperate!

No doubt about that.
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Interesting but i am not sure i agree with you, the bubble in the US was created by greed ( investors and speculators buying tons of properties and selling them the next day before they were even built) with the complicity or the help of Big US financial Institutions.

How do we know that a price reflects the market price? Well ,sellers , landlords , property buyers and tenants just look at the other offers on a specific market, don't they?
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Sure but this is not bargaining! You said it yourself , the offer price did not meet any potential buyers so the city decided to lower the price because the city needed money, no one came saying i want to buy it at this much and the city did not lower the price until they wanted to .

Now was the city silly not to offer an affordable price in the first place? Certainly.

For me there is a nuance between bargaining and negotiation ,bargaining means to want everything for nothing and negotiation involves that the 2 parties come to a suitable agreement for both parties.

If bargaining is a rule in Poland and you are right then it is mainly in Real Estate because how come Internet and Phone services are the most expensive in Europe? How come Poles don't bargain and break those monopolies and high prices?
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Life / Which sim card to buy in Poland? [30]

PLAY ONLINE INTERNET PREPAID WIRELESS INERNET , you can get a prepaid cards in any PLAY shop in Poland ,get some info in Polish on playmobile.pl

You can buy the stick( modem) + a card or just a card if you already have a stick/modem
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Life / Which sim card to buy in Poland? [30]

Also have a look at abroadband.com ( i have not tried them though it is a worldwide provider which belongs to Austrian Telecom) ,you need to check on the playmobile .pl site if they offer 4 G connectivity as i simply used them for internet access, it was ok and cheap
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
News / Poland hosts lowest proportion of foreigners in the EU [115]

The tables can turn any minute, just look at the enconomy here, who knows in a few years it will be you packing your things and heading towards Asia or Southamerica to be able to feed your family.

Well said. I would find it quite daring to hear Poles rejecting Immigration since for centuries they had to leave beautiful but poor Poland to give a better life to their children.
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
UK, Ireland / The British law on someone cutting down a piece of your garden [13]

First you need to identify who( a neighbourg ?) did this to your property because even if it is a tree ( some of them cost a fortune) since it was not going to another part of land but only in your garden it really was a destruction of your property and you can file a complaint (criminal for the offense and civil for the damages and costs).

The problem and the hardest part will be to prove who did it . Some people are really nasty ,leaving the cut part into your garden is really disgusting.
LwowskaKrakow   
15 Sep 2011
Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

PERLA AND LOMZA are my favourite Polish Beers because i can't remember the names of the other delicious "small breweries "beers i had in some good bars in Krakow.

I find that industrial beers like Zywiec are ok but nothing special .
LwowskaKrakow   
16 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

And knowing the culture I can totally see them being too proud to lower prices and insisting they "deserve" a higher price.

The Poles are also very aware of prices abroad ! So they might also resent it when a foreigner who they believe comes frrom a rich country(UK, US etc) and is trying to lower their prices when they know for certain that a Shoreditch pad may cost up to 1000£ per week (4900 zl !).

They want foreigners to pay more than the Poles and not less!

If you are not Polish (and not going through a Polish spouse or a Polish friend) and the price is not written down in the first place you can be sure you ll be quoted 3 times the Polish prices for absolutely everything(services,flats ,etc) you wish to purchase or rent!

Just like in Marrakesh !

Right or wrong?
LwowskaKrakow   
16 Sep 2011
Life / Which sim card to buy in Poland? [30]

Yes but in Poland they offer cards which do both : Phone and Internet access, the OP said that His primary need would be internet
LwowskaKrakow   
16 Sep 2011
News / Poland hosts lowest proportion of foreigners in the EU [115]

She is correct.

No she is not.
I have a European dream today. That no matter what faith,colour,cuture, language someone has, he /she will be able to live and work and mix with every one, no matter if it takes a century or 2.

The Americans did it ,why not Europeans ?
LwowskaKrakow   
17 Sep 2011
Life / Racism & study with part time jobs in Warsaw ? [53]

Why come to study Technology in Poland?
The best for you is to attend the CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY IN BUDAPEST ,HUNGARY ( sponsored by Georges Soros) if you are bright you may get a scolarship because 80% of their students do and the courses are in English.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_European_University

As the PF members told you it would be near to impossible to work on a part time basis in Warsaw because you are not from the European Union and life is more expensive in Poland than in Hungary.