Poland Property and the Economic Climate

The world economy is not in the best shape at the moment as many of us will know. Overseas property sales companies are probably gearing up for a turn for the worst, however they may not admit this.

I can't predict the future but I can say that it is quite certain that overseas property sales will decrease in 2008. We just can't keep us this relentless push to own property abroad with interest rates rising and economic uncertainty in the UK, USA and the rest of Europe.

There is a real worry that property prices in the UK will go the same way as they have in the United States where real estate values have fallen over the last couple of years. There is the possibility of this in the UK, however we have slightly different market dynamics to the US and so personally I can't see such a big fall in prices.

What will happen in the Polish market? I really don't know is the honest answer. With demand stronger than supply the market is still looking very healthy which is in contrast to many other markets, even other Eastern European markets are suffering price adjustments. The Baltic States of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia has seen some quite sharp falls in value over the last few months.

Only time will tell what is going to happen to the property market in Poland, at the moment though, it looks great.

Real Estate in Warsaw is about Districts

Investing in property in Warsaw is about choosing which district to invest in. Property price rises in recent years have usually been higher in certain districts of the city.

A district such as Ursynow in the south west of the city that to some observers can seem detached from the centre of the city is in fact very well connected with the city centre and the Metro line and has seen capital appreciation that is higher than some more central areas.

The reason for this difference in property in Ursynow is that workers in the city centre often want a quieter area to live. An area that is better for bringing up children, with recreation facilities and green open spaces. Ursynow has this and the area is proud of it, in fact that local government uses this to attract business and people.

Investing in Poland property as a whole (not just Warsaw) is a little like investing in Warsaw but on a larger scale. You have to invest in certain areas at certain times in order to get the best results in the short term. In the longer term things could be different and so the market is less easy to predict.

Overseas property investors in property in Poland need to know the market, they need market knowledge. Its just the same as investing in your own country. Often the best place to invest is your own area because you know it the best. Get to know where you want to invest in Poland well and your investment will be good to you.

Long Time no Post

Well it's been a long time since my last post about property in Poland so I thought I'd just update the blog a bit.

Poland property is still going strong, the market is still on the rise and keeps looking that way. The main point is that there is strong demand in Poland. I keep saying this and will continue to until the demand subsides. Strong local demand means property price rises.

The fact that globally the economy is looking a little shaky and there are predictions of a recession in the United States and Europe has not had too much effect in Poland. We are perhaps not seeing the crazy price rises we were a few months ago but the market is stable which is a good thing.

There are people all over the internet now saying good things about Poland property and this really can't be bad after being overlooked by overseas property investors for quite some time.

Property in Poland

The Warsaw property market seems to be doing well still and it looks like it will carry on growing at some predict, 20% a year, a more conservative figure would be 10% per year I think.

The western side of the city seems to be the most popular area for Polish residents to buy, it has the best transport links to the cty centre and prices are cheaper than the centre.

Discounting Poland at Your Peril Overseas Property Investors

I hear people discounting Poland as an overseas property investment location recently. I can't understand why frankly, in fact it's annoying. People don't seem to know anything about Poland to start with, is our education and knowledge of Geography so bad in the UK that we don't know anything about our fellow countries in the European Union.

I have spoken to a lot of people who say, "why are you so interested in Poland? it's a really cold country isn't it?" it is cold in winter but in summer it gets a hell of a lot better weather than the UK does. More sunshine for a start.

A lot of British people wouldn't dream of visiting Poland on holiday, the picture they have in their heads is one of grey communist buildings, freezing temperatures and people queuing for food. This may have been the case in the past but now Poland is a thriving country economically with a young energetic population.

The other day I showed a good friend of mine the picture of Warsaw at night you can see above with all the skyscrapers lit up. He couldn't believe it was Poland he thought it looked more like an American city sky line or Hong Kong or Singapore. Yes, amazingly everyone in Poland doesn't drive around with a horse and cart and live on a farm.

I am not biased to Poland in any way, in fact I thought a lot of these things before I first visited the country and so I know where these people are coming from. But now I have been educated about Poland I feel like I have to share my thoughts with the rest of the world.

People who discount Poland as a great overseas property investment location are missing out on a great opportunity.

Property Investors Double Money in Poland

As a buy-to-let investment location, Britain also continues to prosper, lying in third place behind Poland and Bulgaria, with gross yields of 6 percent and a total return on cash invested of 68 percent.
France ranks fourth with total returns of 59 percent over the past 12 months, while the newest entrant to the tracker of investment hot-spots, Cape Verde, is also producing rosy returns.
The islands, off Africa's west coast, have returned 40 percent on cash invested in the past year, boosted by low purchase costs.
Looking ahead, Assetz expects Poland, where a typical two-bedroom apartment costs just 50,000 pounds, to maintain its strong position in the table for the rest of 2007.
New French president Nicolas Sarkozy's pledge to create a nation of homeowners through a number of tax breaks could spark a mini property boom in France, while the outlook for Cape Verde is also positive.
Stuart Law, managing director of Assetz, said: "Cape Verde is looking like a very interesting prospect, as tourism levels soar and the introduction of mortgages opens the floodgates to investors."
But he warns investors must take a long-term view and ensure there is a strong rental demand to cover costs.
"Due diligence will become even more important during this next phase of the global property market's cycle, and investors must be more selective to ensure they are not only buying in the right country, but in the right town or city, in order to benefit from the highest returns."
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Double Your Money in Priceless Poland

Poland has retained its position as the world’s top overseas investment hotspot.

Detailed research from Assetz, the UK’s leading property investment specialist has bought together all the key investment criteria for UK buy-to-let and overseas hotspots, to form the first comprehensive and authoritative property investment tracker.

Poland has held on to its position at the top of the Tracker in the second quarter of 2007, with returns of 100% enabling investors to double their money in a year.

This figure has fallen back on the last quarter (165%) due to capital growth for last year levelling out at around 20%, but with minimal deposits of just 20% required, Poland is expected to hold a strong position in the table for the rest of the year.

The price of a typical two-bedroom apartment is currently just £50,000, with excellent local demand for property as well as foreign investment.

Asstez- Press Release