Real Estate / Real Estate Agencies in Poland (they are greedy for money) [18]

Someone who works in the finance industry recently advised me against buying in Poland for the time being so I am thinking of renting somewhere if the 4700 zł /m2 apartment I was thinking of buying is now sold. So, anybody here on PF who could help me assess a tenancy/rental contract or translate it into English, please PM me. I prefer not to go through rental agents as they charge fees to tenants but if you're an agent whose fee is very low (by that I mean under 200zł) or who doesn't charge then I would be interested in hearing from you if you have a good value 2-rooom in Wrocław or Bielany.

Language / How hard is it to learn Polish? [178]

Lyzko, thanks, I do try my best to speak a few words but it's unfair on the Poles I speak to as they try to fight off their laughter when I'm heard pronouncing words hilariously badly, like the Englishman pretending to be the French policeman in the BBC sitcom (situation comedy show) " 'Allo 'Allo! "

I could tell you anecdotes which would I hope reassure you that thinking/intelligent Brits have the utmost respect and gratitude to Poland and Poles, but it would probably be off topic :o)

Love / Do Irish / British guys like Polish girls? [138]

My impression of the UK was that in some age groups, there's a shortage of single females or a surplus of single males. I think in the big cities, it's quite easy for women to meet men whether in the usual places or at dating activities such as speed dating or internet dating. My female friends tell me there are a lot of players and creeps in the UK and it's not so easy - but I think a lot of them are just very fussy or only want the Brad Pitt level of attractiveness in their partner. I think for realistic women, there are plenty of decent British men still available if you choose carefully and take your time

Travel / Any Anglican churches in Poland? [35]


You are right, I acknowledge that. Although I've no beliefs, I respect others' traditions and views and wish them well

Travel / Any Anglican churches in Poland? [35]

When I was in the UK, I was working with dozens of native Brits of all backgrounds, from what I gathered they were all the same as me - not the slightest bit interested in religion. Now, whether that's a good or bad thing is beyond my knowledge, but I have no interest in religious activity whatsoever although I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm an atheist because everything in the world and beyond didn't get here on its own - but organised religion is of no appeal at all

Language / How hard is it to learn Polish? [178]

As an Englishman, I find Polish exceptionally difficult. The way sentences are constructed and the way words change are completely different to what I am used to and I am 99.9% sure I will not ever be even remotely fluent. However, some lucky people have a knack with language learning, and can gain any number of them easily. I think it's probably the case that if you have experience of learning other languages, particularly of the same family, you'll be fine. (The last hope for me is Polish For Dummies which I will pick up when I'm back in London soon. he said naively...)

Life / Moving to Poland Part-Time (probably Katowice) [56]


I'd prefer normal sized, the thought of the housework in a 1m zl job fills me with dread, I hate the Hoover as it is

Real Estate / Real Estate Agencies in Poland (they are greedy for money) [18]

Unfortunately, in the UK letting agents (agents that act as middleman between a landlord and a tenant) have for many years been charging fees to the tenant when the contract is commenced and sometimes at renewal and at the end. These fees range from GBP100 to the more usual GBP200 and in some agencies GBP500. They also charge a fee to the landlord.

The cost of checking a tenant with a credit checking agency is usually GBP25 or less (it can be as low as GBP10) so the agents make a lot of profit.

The UK government allows this fee, despite many complaints.

______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________


You really do have an unfortunate way of communicating your points. Are you about 15 years old?

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Thank you Midas.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Thank you Midas, that's what I thought too.
So what does the new law say, in basic terms? I am not sure.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Is a new law coming in shortly adding greater security to the deposits potential buyers have when purchasing off-plan apartments? What security is there for deposits currently?

If I see prices continue to fall I will dip my toe in, want to be prepared

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


I think that's a silly remark about Indian call centres, and anyway the thread's about residential property - apartments in particular.

Food / Comparison of supermarkets in Poland. Which one is the cheapest? [30]

I do too, despite the fact I hardly speak a word of Polish I still manage to buy at the market stalls, all very honest even when I get confused with the money (I have in the past confused a 10 for a 100 and handed it over thinking it was a 10 !!). Whenever I can I prefer to buy the fresh produce there, eggs etc. Even when I was in my large town in the UK, my neighbour used to give me free eggs from her hens - supermarket eggs are rarely on my list.

But you do have to shop around at the supermarkets here, just as in Britain, for example a bag of frozen same brand of bób (broad beans) are 7.99 in one well-known supermarket here in Poland but 6.49 at Auchan. If you use ingredients a lot, such savings are important over a year

Life / Catholic "Telewizja Trwam" from Poland - your thoughts? [98]


It means that in the UK too.

In Poland a multiplex is I think the term for digital television, rather than the old analogue (analog) broadcasting system

Food / Comparison of supermarkets in Poland. Which one is the cheapest? [30]


Is there not a version of mysupermarket.co.uk in Poland?

Problem is, to get the best prices on everything you buy, you have to travel, spend time and fuel if driving. Most people can't. In the UK, all the main supermarkets deliver although they charge extra for that, usually. Online, you select your groceries and choose a delivery slot. Delivery is from GBP3 to GBP10, from what I recall.

Food / Comparison of supermarkets in Poland. Which one is the cheapest? [30]

Depends what you buy - you will find each supermarket is cheap for something, none of them are cheap for everything on my list.

Just a few examples for March (prices may now have changed) :

quality coffee - cheapest at Tesco
soya milk - cheapest at Biedronka
digestive biscuits - cheapest at Auchan
vegetarian (animal fat free) croquettes - cheapest at Carrefour
from concentrate grapefruit juice - cheapest at Lidl

These were not special offers, but usual prices, which of course do tend to go up from time to time anyway.

Of course, few of us have the time to go everywhere and shop around like this!

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Go back and read the figures you posted, that's why

edited to add that I don't know whether that's it now for the decline, and if it's going to be stagnation or what have you... :)

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


If you told someone that a house for sale in NJ US$70,000 had fallen to an asking price of US$48,000 but that it was not a crash, just a levelling out, they would assume you were doing stand-up in Atlantic City

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

In my book, dropping from 7500 to 5500 is certainly a symptom of a bubble, I don't know what else you'd call it. If a fall to 4800 is not the aftermath of a bubble, perhaps you should've had a browse round Dublin and heard the "no bubble" suits talking there in '07

If genuinely a "market value" reduction, 7500 to 4800 would be something like a 35% deflation

Now, I am not sure what discounts Polish developers give when you offer to buy their apartments - so it could be that the drop is not really as much as 35% if they would have agreed to 7000 m2 or less anyway - but it is still quite a reduction, question only being how much further will prices correct if they do continue downwards

By the old fashioned measure, in some locales prices seem about double what they should be as this UK market housing charity video suggests
youtube.com/watch?v=9rfmKYSgsH8&feature=player_embedded

Travel / How can I get from Wrocław, Dworzec POLBUS-PKS to airport? And to the PKP Main train station. [6]

Just ask for directions to the 406 bus stop - destination sign will show the airport. Ticket is I think 3.50 or 4zl, from 01/05 the fares rise . wroclaw.pl/nowe_ceny_biletow_mpk,1.dhtml

Journey time is about 45 mins to 1 hour.

Nearest stop to you might be outside Renoma, by a lake or whatever it is. I think the buses go twice an hour to Wroclaw airport.

A taxi is about 40-50zl last time I enquired. Get a price quote before you book perhaps.

406 bus
um.wroc.pl/rozklady/linie/406.html

Not sure if Dworcowa is the nearest, you will need to ask someone there if nobody else answers here on PF. Also check with the driver on the ticket you need, then validate it in the machine with the time on it. If you are just meeting someone at the airport, get a 24 hour ticket as that's cheaper

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Cuban property, such as in Havana, is most probably being purchased by expat Cubans in Florida etc through various family links. Wages in the US are generous, so it's not a hardship for them financially at all

Life / Please recommend a news website for Wroclaw [8]

Thank you, Sofort

Travel / Need Help About Buses from Wroclaw to Budapest and Bratislava. [5]

Merged: Bus / tram fares up in Wroclaw, from 1st May

First rise since 2008, apparently.

In the UK, they were putting the fares up in my town about once a year, but once I think a particular bus company made substantial price hikes twice in one year, due to the cost of diesel. When diesel reduced in price, fares did not drop...

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Can't compare Ireland to Poland...


,,,can we?

Wish I knew.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

I have no idea who these people are, but they call Poland's market the second worst in Europe
and claim >10% falls in 2011

globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/Poland/Price-History

For Wroclaw, they suggest 31% fall in real terms since peak

I have no firm idea on these figures, anecdotally I think prices are down a bit, yes. Some would say more than a bit, depends where you look.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Thank you, Pip

I might be reading it wrong, but it seems you have supplied a sales organisation's newsletter and they suggest property prices are to fall?

From the first link ---
"Main factors influencing market perspectives in the next months
– Demand
- Further exacerbation of the credit policy of banks granting mortgage loans – new regulations of the ‘S recommendation”
will come into force in January 2012, limitation of the debt carrying capacity, especially for the € loans
- Further limitation of the accessibility of the „Family on its own” („Rodzina na Swoim”) Programme – lower price limits
- Uncertain situation on the international financial markets, increasing investment uncertainty, waiting and withholding
mood towards making decisions with long-time consequences + media information on lowering housing prices and bigger
and bigger offer of residential developers = postponing decisions on buying dwellings and on incurring mortgage loans
- Part of potential buyers may postpone its decisions until the “Developer’s Act” comes into force.
Main factors influencing market perspectives in the next months – Prices
- Oversupply of dwellings in relation"

Just by the by: In the UK, during the major property crash of the 1990s and the boom of the 1980s, major newspapers carried stories of a never-ending boom, no bubbles, recovery around the corner, etc etc. It didn't happen - there was a bubble, there was a much longer crash than their reams of reports forecast, things were very bleak indeed even if trying to sell in London.

Language / Do the Polish words for 'please' and 'piglet' sound very similar? [24]

Thank you everyone for the tips!

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


Wage rises cause inflation, inflation supports property prices for the most part - unless there is sufficient unemployment


A number of non natives do just walk away from their debts in the UK - somehow they manage to give creditors the slip. That can't happen in Eire? It was in the British media a month or two ago that non Britons were running up tens of thousands in debts and then absconding from the UK, sometimes returning and doing it all over again. I can't find the news link right now. Here are related links.

immigrationmatters.co.uk/crackdown-on-immigration-fraud-%E2%80%93-banks-and-ukba-to-share-information-on-debtors.html
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7912548.stm
askmrcreditcard.com/creditcardblog/can-credit-card-companies-go-after-you-if-you-leave-the-country
uk.answers.yahoo/question/index?qid=20090903135139AAN01h8
birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/birmingham-business-news/financial-business-news/2009/09/24/foreigners-flocking-to-uk-to-clear-debts-quicker-65233-24768097

Life / Please recommend a news website for Wroclaw [8]

I'll check those ideas out too, thanks