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Posts by Avalon  

Joined: 11 Sep 2007 / Male ♂
Warnings: 1 - S
Last Post: 16 Feb 2016
Threads: Total: 4 / Live: 3 / Archived: 1
Posts: Total: 1,067 / Live: 857 / Archived: 210

Displayed posts: 860 / page 8 of 29
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Avalon   
22 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

I am hoping to not pay more than 3800 m2 in Wroc. If things get properly choppy, that will seem high too.

I would wait awhile. Milky has stated that prices are dropping by 3% a month so you should soon get the 30% reduction you require. I might even buy a few myself then to rent out.
Avalon   
21 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

It is a large Real estate investment project, some companies see a slow down in the economy as opportunity to invest.

When there is a slowdown in the economy, leisure is one of the first industries to suffer, hence, restaurants and bars being empty or have you not noticed this. Weather will be another factor, to close down the rides for eight months of the year means high maintenance costs which in turn means that big profits have to be made during the milder/summer months, prices will have to be fairly high to attract investors. The parts of the park which will remain open will only be offering what is available in most cities and large towns, so why travel?

When DisneyLand in Paris was first proposed, most people were surprised about the location, many thought Disney would have chosen Spain for the guaranteed weather/climate. Disney struggled for the first few years and at one time had lost some $80 million, price restructuring and promotions have improved things but they are still barely making profit.

Having been to DisneyLand, California and Disney world in Florida, I would be afraid of trying the one in France for fear of disappointment at the French staff's attempts to be polite.
Avalon   
21 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

A bit off topic for this thread and according to all the doomsayers, nobody will be able to afford to go there on their 1200 PLN a month salaries.
Avalon   
20 Jul 2012
Law / Rights of a consumer when dealing with faulty goods in Poland? [65]

Of course, because I don't speak more than the odd disjointed word of Polish and the retailer hotline chap spoke good but not perfect English, I could have got this all wrong.

You could always go to the EU website and print off the directive in Polish, then be assertive when you present this at the counter.
Avalon   
18 Jul 2012
Law / Rights of a consumer when dealing with faulty goods in Poland? [65]

Shoppers with faulty goods are being routinely denied repairs or replacements because they are not told about their rights under a guarantee scheme.

EU law creates a minimum period of two years in which a faulty product can be returned, and in England and Wales the figure is six years.

But many High Street stores are denying customers these rights, either because the staff don't know the law or because they think they can get away with it.

Generally, retailers hide behind the offer of a standard one-year guarantee and refuse to do anything when this lapses. Consumer experts say this means they are failing to abide by the law.

Most shoppers are in the dark about their rights and often simply throw out a faulty product.

digitalworldz.co.uk/210967-eu-law-gives-consumers.html

They have 14 days to repair, failing which they must replace or give you a full refund.

Directive 1999/44/EC, May 1999
Avalon   
18 Jul 2012
Life / Free Poland Health Care - Paying minimal to no Zus [105]

If you're a resident of Poland with no obligation to pay the full ZUS and no health insurance from another country (meaning no EHIC card), you don't have to set up a company - you can just pay the NFZ healthcare insurance. I've checked it on the NFZ site, it's in Polish but it says so clearly.

This is what I have been doing for the past 5 years.
Avalon   
16 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

So a few months ago you were saying no developers were going bust but now that they start to go bust you say they were the wrong kind of developers. Let me guess, Poland is different :)

Housing development is different from civil engineering, unfortunately the Polish media calls everyone builders and does not differentiate between the two. A doctor is not a surgeon although they are both in the medical profession.

I was not referring to this type of construction as the topic is habitation, not public works:-

"Poland has worked hard to try to get its road, hotel and stadium infrastructure ready for the tournament it is co-hosting with Ukraine, but the final push has left a number of leading builders bankrupt or heading for insolvency.

Up to 100 contractors are seeking about 50 million zlotys (9.5 million pounds) for their work on the Gdansk road from general contractor Hydrobudowa, part of the debt-laden PBG group."

"WARSAW (Reuters) - Spain and Croatia fans heading for the Euro 2012 Group C clash on Monday may find the main road to Gdansk's PGE Arena blocked by up to 60 bulldozers and diggers because of a protest over payments due to sub-contractors.

Local authorities stress they will provide alternative routes for trams and buses to the match, which kicks off at 20:45 local time (07:45 p.m. British time), but that may not help foreign car drivers following GPS-recommended routes to the stadium."

In fact PBG's housing operations are not massive, only 8 developments, but neither are they tiny.

Some company's will take on small projects to keep key staff employed, this is not there core business but you already knew that when you posted your stupid comment.
Avalon   
14 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

I haven't a comprehensive list of who is who, but PBG (as mentioned in the article above*) do have a residential construction division ...

It would not make any difference if they were losing billions on the civils That's where you are talking about huge amounts of money.
Avalon   
13 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

I also read that the gov of Poland were wondering if they should rescue some of the construction sector that's troubled

I think you will find that these are "civil engineering" firms. They build/maintain roads, hospitals, schools etc, government projects. The government has a budget, these firms price low to keep getting the contracts, they go over budget and invariably get into trouble. Chinese getting kicked off the A2 motorway ring a bell. The Government brags about saving 2 billion on the tender and then wonders why the project does not get finished. Same with the A4, nobody worked on section between Bochina and Tarnow last year as the contractor had not been paid, a whole year wasted.

There are only a few firms in Poland able to handle projects of this size, you cannot shaft all of them. (as much as you would like to Milky}
Avalon   
13 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

So Fitch rates Wroclaw above Spain and Italy, must be in big trouble then!!!! That news is going to make all the Polish property sellers drop their prices by at least 90%. Perhaps they will give the houses and flats away to avoid the huge property taxes?.oh, I forgot!!!...there are no huge property taxes.
Avalon   
13 Jul 2012
UK, Ireland / Renewing passports for children? We are back in the UK. [17]

I am not sure if the rules have changed Harry but when my partner was pregnant (seven years ago), I enquired about getting my daughter a British passport but the rule then was that she had to be registered at the consulate in Warsaw within the first 6 months of the pregnancy. I thought at the time that this was a bit stupid as, anything could have happened at the birth.

Anyway, the British passport is nothing special now that they give them away with a packet of crisps. I am happy for her to be a little Polska.
Avalon   
10 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

You need to know how many hours a teacher works for the state and how many hours of private lessons they give.

You are not painting a true picture as usual.
Avalon   
9 Jul 2012
Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]

There are loads of places with worse driving conditions and worse drivers.

I have driven in many countries and have never seen anything like Romania. Overtaking on blind bends is the norm and with a mobile held to the ear.

I spent about 10 hours driving from North to South-East and in that time saw a head on smash, Lorry turned over and 3 trees that had fallen across the main road.
Avalon   
9 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Sorry, I thought we were talking about Poland?

I am sure that there will be plenty of skilled workers who would rather stay in Poland.
Avalon   
9 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Skip the top earners and you'll see how much an average Pole really makes.

Gdańsk Shipyard to employ 600 new workers
6th July 2012

The Gdańsk Shipyard is looking for qualified workers including welders and fitters to fill 600 vacancies, reported Gazeta Wyborcza.

Approximately half of the workers will be employed this year, with the rest taken on during 2013. The best-qualified workers will be offered monthly salaries of as much as zł.7,000, the company said in a statement.

“The yard is going to be the best-paying employer in the shipping industry in this region,” said Arkadiusz Aszyk, board member of the Gdańsk Shipyard.

So welders and fitters are in the top 1%?

Spin it any way you like, it's not what you want to hear.
Avalon   
9 Jul 2012
Life / Are Polish roads really this bad? [237]

What about road deaths! Polish drivers are the worst in Europe and constantly blame the road (whilst using a mobile phone whilst driving)

Nah!! Just drove down through Romania, they have the Poles beat "hands down". I will never complain about Polish roads or drivers again. I am coming back through Serbia and Hungary, I do not care how much further it is, I love my family too much to risk it. I cannot believe they have the nerve to charge to drive there, they should compensate people for having to replace their suspensions and tyres.
Avalon   
9 Jul 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

BUT!!! they were living abroad earning up to 10 time more. Not from indigenous economy. If that was the case prices would still be at 2004 levels.

So to go back to 2004 levels, wages will have to drop.

Salaries stay highest in Mazowieckie
9th July 2012

In the first quarter of 2012, the average salary in the Mazowieckie voivodship amounted to zł.4,800 (gross), according to Central Statistical Office data.

That’s more than in any other region of Poland, although differences have declined slightly in the last 12 months, Parkiet reported.

Mazowieckie is the only voivodship where salaries have increased by less than the inflation rate since the first quarter of 2011. This shows that other regions are slowly catching up.

There is still a lot of work to be done, though. The gap is large, with the lowest average salary amounting to zł.3,360 (in Podkarpackie).

I bet this is something you do not want to read, or do you still want to insist that everyone in Poland earns 1,500 a month.
Avalon   
4 Jul 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

Is Poland a poor country?

Compared to what?

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2168507/Footage-shows-brand-new-Angolan-city-designed-500-000-lying-empty.html
Avalon   
1 Jul 2012
UK, Ireland / British person entitled to see a GP in Poland at no charge? [10]

Seems I have to take out medical insurance if I stay in Poland, not cheap

You can always pay ZUS. A voluntary payment of around 320 złoty per month gives you the same cover as a Pole. You must be fairly up to date with your British NI contributions, otherwise there is a lump sum payment to join the scheme. You can pay by internet but when you see a doctor or go to hospital, you have to print out your (up to date) payment as proof and show them. You will also qualify for subsidised prescriptions.
Avalon   
29 Jun 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

There is no place in the world for the uneducated - except for minimum wage work slaves.

Even the educated are having problems:-

Number of graduates in menial jobs doubles in five years with 10,000 taking posts that do not require a degree

Read more:
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2166241/Number-graduates-menial-jobs-doubles-years.html#ixzz1zAOPyl3k
Avalon   
28 Jun 2012
Love / What strange/unnerving/funny things do your Polish wives do? [153]

Funny! :):):)

I will tell you something funny. You mocked me once when I complained about the stupid things that the authorities do here.
My partner went to get our "health cards" so that we can go on holiday next week. The helpful lady in the office, said that she needs to get permission of her ex-husband who she divorced 7 years ago.

Even though we obtained these cards last year with no problem, apparently, the rules have changed. Her ex-husband has signed a declaration that she is part of his family and is a non-earner, despite the fact that she has been a state teacher for the past 20 years.

She now has to spend half a day going to the factory where he works to get a letter to say that she is nothing to do with him. You think that this would happen in a normal country?. You want to re-new your driving licence and they tell you that you have to take another test? When you need to re-new you passport you have to prove your citizenship?

F-kin ridiculous. The only problems I ever have here is when we have to deal with the authorities.

Yes I am angry and I am not blaming you. Just wish that Poland could get it together and stop these things happening.
Avalon   
27 Jun 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

But to be honest the banks will only lend on property that they know is worth the mortgage. What do the banks do...lend on a crappy built house..the buyer then defaults on the mortgage and the banks are left with not only bad debt but a repossessed house that nobody will buy? So in fact... Banks do control

Who mentioned a house?, the topic was flats?

On all the projects I have done, both in the UK and Poland, the banks have never sent anyone around to check on quality, you have no idea what you are talking about.
Avalon   
27 Jun 2012
Real Estate / Banks in Poland selling fewer mortgages in 2011, down 49% [285]

But I should point out that I believe the Germans are already considering Eurobonds despite official denials.

I love this post from last November. Now for the reality:-

Angela Merkel rules out eurobonds for 'as long as I live'

Angela Merkel has firmly rejected the use of eurobonds ahead of a crucial summit in Brussels this week, ruling out jointly guaranteed eurozone debt for "as long as I live".

Man makes plans and the Gods laugh.
Avalon   
27 Jun 2012
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

here's a house in one Ireland finest towns

If it's built, why are they showing an artist's impression and not a picture of the real house? Is it a re-possession on a half finished estate?
Avalon   
27 Jun 2012
News / Poland's Economy Is Booming! The EU's Success Story? [711]

Don't forget that Russia is also becoming very wealthy - and they will want nice Polish products too.

But if the scenario I outlined above happens, particularly:-

"Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be outsourced to other countries, and thousands of companies could go under".

Poland could gain either way.
Avalon   
26 Jun 2012
News / Poland's Economy Is Booming! The EU's Success Story? [711]

Wait until Germans start dictating who is the Premier of Poland.

They may not be in a position to dictate anything:-

Costs of Crash for Germany Could Be More than €500 Billion

The dream of balanced budgets would be dead for years. Government debt would rise sharply as tax revenues declined and government spending, on everything from bank bailouts to unemployment insurance, increased. Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be outsourced to other countries, and thousands of companies could go under.

According to a scenario by the major Swiss bank UBS, if the financial risks resulting from the decline in exports, the necessary bank bailouts and the company bankruptcies are added together, the total cost to the German economy could amount to a quarter of Germany's gross domestic product -- well over €500 billion.

spiegel.de/international/europe/fears-grow-of-consequences-of-potential-euro-collapse-a-840634-3.html

Interesting times.