Saturday, 20 October 2007

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.

Friday, 12 October 2007

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.

Thursday, 11 October 2007

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.

Wednesday, 8 August 2007

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.

Friday, 6 July 2007

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.


Friday, 29 June 2007

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.

Thursday, 28 June 2007

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

Poland the Overseas Investment Property Hotspot Uncovered

Here is an interesting article:

If you want to make money from overseas property investment then your answer could be to invest in property Poland. In April alone the average price of property in Poland rose by 11.3%. This figure way outstrips the returns being achieved in other emerging markets.

Overseas investment property is a big business worth billions, investors are constantly searching for the next property investment hotspot. Some emerging markets may offer short term gains but Poland is a great long term bet.

Like a lot of people from North America or Europe you may not have much knowledge of Poland or its property market, but the people who have successfully made excellent returns from overseas property investment in Poland have this knowledge and use it to make money.

What do these people know? they know some key factors about why property in Poland is currently top of the overseas property investment league. Some of the reasons are:

there is a shortage of good quality property for locals, any new quality properties that come on to the market are sold quickly

there is strong local demand it is not just from foreign investors looking for overseas investment property so prices will continue to rise

Poland is receiving billions of Euros from the European Union to improve it’s infrastructure. Poland is becoming a well developed prosperous country.

cities such as Poznan, Lodz and Wroclaw are experiencing rapid property price rises ahead of the more well known cities of Krakow and Warsaw. Other smaller cities will follow and overseas property investors are aware of this

the Polish mortgage market is very open and competitive and it has become far easier for Polish people to get a mortgage

it is straight forward for a foreigner to obtain a mortgage in Poland

Poland has won the right to host the Euro 2012 Football Championships bringing in more investment, jobs and opportunities in the country

Polish people’s income is rising year by year

Overseas Property Investment


Property Shows

It's quite interesting to visit an overseas property investment show is the UK and see the lack of exhibitors with Polish properties for sale. There are really very few, you will find many other countries being exhibited but Poland seems to be the exception. I don't think people have such a good inpression or have not been made fully aware of some of the investment opportunities that Poland has to offer.

I don't read about the country too much in the press, not as much as other countries and there don't seem to be as many features in British newspapers compared with the amount of features on other property markets around the world.

Price Growth

Apparantly property price growth has slowed a little in Wroclaw but is still steaming ahead in Poznan. There is still however a large shortgage of new properties in Wroclaw so I'm sure the market will continue to rise. Warsaw is seeing stable growth too, not as fast as it did grow at one time, but still stable growth.

A good site for information on property in Poland.

Back from Poland

It's been a few days since I last posted which I'm annoyed about. I just haven't had the time.

I spent a few days in Warsaw looking at property and visitng developers in the city. I've decided not to buy just yet but I'm going to keep monitoring the market and see what is happening. This blog will continue to be written as I want to give people as much information as I can about Polish property.

For me, it's a really interesting area there is so much potential in Poland. There is not only potential in property but there is also potential in other areas of business. The economy has not developed as much as many western economies have and there are still many businesses we have here in the UK that they don't have out here. I'm afraid I'm not going to talk about those businesses though as I may decide to start one myself and I don't want to give away my ideas!

The property market in Poland still seems to bew growing very fast. Everyone I spoke to in the country seems to be talking about property and how much it is going up by. It's starting to remind me of the UK a few years ago.

Sunday, 24 June 2007

Warsaw

I've spent a lot of time in Warsaw recently and it is really an up and coming city. Building work seems to be happening everywhere. Everywhere I went a new building was going up or being renovated or a new road was being built. The city is becoming modern and cosmopolitan and I believe it will become an important capital city of the future.

Warsaw in my opinion is a great city to invest in the property market. Prices are low compared with other capital cities and I believe there is still a lot of space for price rises in the years to come. My advice would be to get in now.

Monday, 18 June 2007

To Poland Tomorrow

I'm off to Poland tomorrow, flying to Warsaw. I'm looking forward to having a look at some of the properties on the market 'on the ground', not just on the internet.

There are quite a few new developments that I want to have a look at, one particular one has caught my eye, it's called Galileo Poznan. It's right in the centre of Poznan so I will have a look at that as Poznan seems to be the place to be at the moment in terms of investment in Poland.

The figure of 11.3% price rises on average in April keeps springing to my mind! And over 20% increases in the first quarter of 2007, very attractive to someone like me.

Hopefully I'll have time to update the blog whilst I'm in Poland with interesting news of my property search.

Sunday, 17 June 2007

Euro 21012

Poland is jointly hosting the Euro 2012 football championships with Ukraine. This is good news for property prices in the country. The Polish government will be building a lot of new infrastructure to cope with the amounts of people visiting the country, new roads will be built across the country. It can only be a good thing. Take a look at http://www2.e2012.org.

The two countries will want to showcase their countries and so will be hoping to put on a good championships.

Saturday, 16 June 2007

Interesting and Unusual Polish Property

I've noticed that it's quite hard to find Polish property on the internet that isn't a new development, like an off plan investment property that hasn't already been built. I know that is where the good investment sense seems to be for investors. It's easier to buy a new development through a company that does everything for you like rent it out. And then you can just sit back and watch the value of your property rise. That definitely makes sense, the market is growing so fast at the moment.

However, if you are looking for an older property, maybe somewhere in the countryside or a little further out from the city and you don't speak Polish there really is not much on the internet to help you. I'm not really sure what I want to invest in, I know there is great money in just buying an off plan development but there also could be good money in buying an older property and renovating it. It depends where you buy, what costs are invloved and many other factors but it is definitely something I am looking into.

I'm also not just in it for making a quick profit and getting out. I really like Poland and some of the older properties have real character. Some of the Polish countryside is timeless and I hope it will stay that way with all the development that seems to have been attracted to the cities and the rising incomes of the Polish people. Many of the Polish people I have spoken to say they want Poland to keep it's character and charm but it is a balance between modern development and keeping hold of the past.

Thursday, 14 June 2007

Poznan a Short Guide

I thought I'd write a little bit about Poznan following my first visit there a couple of weeks ago.

Firstly the city is not too far away from the airport which is a good thing if you plan to get a taxi from the airport into the city. I seem to remember paying about 20 zlotys to get into the city.
There is a great old town square in Poznan, the 'Stare Rynek' is what they call it. It has some fantastic cafe's and bar's all around the edge. It gets a bit boring if you spend all your time around that area though, one bar or coffee shop seems to be the same to me after a while.

I like to get aquainted with a city by walking around by foot. It can be pretty tiring but you really get a good feel for what a city is like. I often think that is better than being shown around by a local because they might take you to a place they really like, you could spend ages there and not see much else. Just my opinion, but I think you can't beat going out on your own and exploring.

I like to stay in cheap hostels and there seems to be a shortage of them in Poznan for the foreign traveller. I stayed for one night in the Frolic Goats Hostel, just off the old town square. It wasn't bad but was then completely booked for the next night so I had to find somewhere else. I ended up staying in a hostel that was very Polish, only Polish people staying there. It was recommended by the Poznan Toursit Office. It was actually the Poznan academy of Music, most of the day all you could hear was students practicing on their musical instruments! Luckily they stopped during the night. The price was good though, it was 35 Zlotys for one person. Good value if you are basically looking for a bed with nothing else.

Sometimes when I'm in Poland I end up eating in the Sphinx restaurant, they are so popular, everwhere I go in Poland these restaurants are packed. They do give you a nice dinner though, it seems to be a mixture of Polish food and Western European/American style food.

As far as property in Poznan goes, prices are rocketing. In April prices here rose by 11.3%, that truly is unbelievable. I'm surprised there isn't more talk about that here in the UK. In the first quarter of this year property prices rose by over 20%, it will be interesting to see what the rest of the year holds.

New apartments are selling fast because demand is so high. Polish people's standards are rising as they country gets richer and workers are looking for better quality housing.

Cheap Flights to Poland

From the UK flights to Poland are cheap, normally you have to book in advance but not always. I've just bought a flight to Warsaw for £19 booking only a week in advance. I bought my ticket online with http://www.centralwings.com. There are other cheap airlines that I have used before like Wizz Air http://www.wizzair.com.

These are 'no frills' airlines but so far they have got me there and back in one piece and that is really all I'm looking for! I flew to Poznan a couple of weeks ago from London Stansted with Ryanair http://www.ryanair.com. The flight only took 1 hour 45 which is pretty good. Ryanair try to get more money out of you on the flight by selling everything else they possibly can, food, scratch cards, things like that but over all for such a short flight I don't care. I think if I was going on a longer flight I would go with a more expensive airline where the customer service was slightly better.

Websites for Polish Real Estate

There seems to be a severe lack of decent quality websites in English offering Polish property. There are some Polish sites but if you don't understand Polish you aren't going to get very far. You can look at the pictures and think "wow that looks nice, and it's very cheap for a place that big" but if you can't read the caption you have no idea what you are buying.

I'm sure of course that the best way to find a property is to actually go out there and search yourself, which is what I have been doing. Again, there are the problems that if you don't speak the language you won't get that far but now a lot of younger Polish people speak English and the real estate agencies in the cities have people who speak English working for them.

Another factor to take into account is that a lot of the Polish people seem to advertise their properties in local newspapers. I can understand why, it's a lot cheaper than paying an agent to sell it for you. This also poses a problem for English speakers as of course the adverts are in Polish.

My First Entry

I am going to be logging about Polish property because it is something I'm interested in. I don't own a Polish property, I'm from the UK but am interested about investing in a Polish property.

The market seems to be rising rapidly at the moment in Poland. We have been through a property boom in the UK and Poland is going through a boom at the moment. I'm not sure how similar this boom is to the UK but I think there are some similarities.There is a shortage of supply in Polish property at the moment so real estate demand is high which leads to price rises.

In certain cities such as Poznan and Wroclaw this demand is particularly prominent.I'm travelling to Poland on Tuesday 19th June. I'm looking forward to it because I love the country. Life seems to be a little less hectic than it is here in the south-east of England. Even in the big cities people seem to have more time for themselves.