TanyaN

Anyone out there bought property or living in Montenegro?

Ray51

No , Tanya ,
Montenegro is one terribly backward place , with the laziest natives you could ever imagine , no infrastructure and tons of bribery & corruption all around !
Who would EVER want to settle there ?

Nykky

We're considering Montenegro.

Friends of ours recently bought an apartment by the sea. The process is very quick and minimal red tape.
The climate is gorgeous, the inner country is beautiful - a real nature lover's paradise. Property is very cheap but rising steadily and relatively quickly.

It depends what you want from life. Moving to Montenegro is like moving to the middle of nowhere of France or Spain - slow paced life, basic amenities, that sort of thing. For many, that's heaven. But on the coast, it's quite lively in comparison. Tourism is the coast's business, but high rises and large hotels haven't made it yet.

The people are friendly if you show respect, like most places.
I'd love to hear from others who have bought property or are living there.

TanyaN

I've been living in Montenegro since November while getting my house renovated. Certainly been a learning experience and have had a few very Balkan moments but really enjoy it.

Just hoping the place doesn't get swamped with too many foreigners. Having been an expat myself for a long time would hate that kind of culture to pop up here.

Nykky

Hi Tanya,

Good to hear from you.

Where abouts did you buy?

Montenegro used to be a tourist place where lots of Hollywood stars went to holiday. It's beautiful coast line has the potential to bring it back to those days. So on the coast, I can imagine it could become touristy. It's just too idyllic not to. The Croatian coast has seen the popularity towards the Balkan coast and I imagine Mn would follow.

My hubby's parents are Serbian, he was born here in UK. So we have the advantage of language. Wealso have friends who have bought there so have those with experience to advise us. But it'll be totally up to us as to where exactly.
I never dreamt of going anywhere around there, but recent photos and the fact I could have my dream (lots of land in quiet countryside) has shifted my focus. I'm not interested in the coast as such, but would be nice to be within 1hr drive of it.

Sorry to ramble on, but it was nice to find somebody there/going there.

Nykky

oh, if you don't mind. Internet access - Did you have any trouble setting it up? Do you happen to know about its availability in the countryside?

Utilities - a rough estimate of costs?

much appreciated

TanyaN

I'm in Herceg Novi and on ADSL broadband. All the major towns are hooked up and Montenegro Telekom is surpisingly efficient. Not sure how far into the remote areas the network extends.

Montenegro is a very clan based society and if you're in the club it's fine but an outsider can easily get fleeced and taken for a ride without even realising it. It's also a country in transition and trying to move forward with all the problems that involves.

Nykky

Thanks Tanya. You live in the same town as our friends.

Looks like it might be difficult for us to get info about inland, as everyone tends to move by the sea.
see you on the other board too

Ray51

You don't mention the proposed Referendum and possible independence of Crna Gora from the Serbian remainder of so-called Yugoslavia ;
- nor what life could be bringing , if the murderous nationalist Serbs act aggressively again , as they have been seen to have done amply previously i.e. when Slovenia , Croatia , Bosnia claimed independence from the late madman Milosevic and his corrupt communists/socialists/chetniks ?
- nor what might happen very soon , if war criminals Mladic and Karadzic are not delivered to Hague Tribunal : this month still ( e.g. huge EU-sanctions and cutting-off of any civilised form of contact by the western world , with Belgrade and Podgorica ...);
- nor how the impending new crisis re : independence of Kosovo , might yet affect the paradise , which this thread is alleging Crna Gora to be ...;
- and what about more mundane things in life , like : medical services
( famously : excellent , even in very remotest of France but truly rudimentary , at best : in Montenegro ), provision of a little culture , incredible difficulty of travel to anywhere outside the darkest Balkans by a civilised train or in own car , security aspects : in a place where even the official police force may well be suspect in many a crime , under any of Yugo-ruling regimes ...etc etc...
True , I know many British expats working in some really terrible places like Azerbeijan , Saudi , Indonesia and worse , this : in exchange for some grand tax-free compensations' packages ...but for a Brit risking it , to voluntarily go & live in a place like that - tsk , tsk , tsk : a fantasy step too far ?

Nykky

*laughing so hard falling off my chair*

there's always one....

- life in the mainstream news - how comfy -

Ray51

Sorry : didn't notice before , that you were residing in Sydney , up to '95 ;
oh well , that should explain it , then !

Nykky

Hi Tanya, or anyone else, do have some idea about utility costs?

thanks a bunch

TanyaN

There's no gas so everything is on electricity. Depends on how many people in the house and season. Water bills are cheap and there's a small council fee covering garbage collection. Basically the average income here in 250 Euros a month so the utilities must be reasonably inexpensive.

Nykky

Thanks Tanya.

philxyz

Hi all. I'm considering buying a cafe/bistro on the Montenegrin coast but I can't see any for sale on the internet. Any suggestions? Thx. Phil.