diablogun

Hi folks,

I have been perusing the threads here to find information on where to buy in/near Budapest, as I am an American wishing to move there shortly. I would actually like to live in a village somewhat close to Budapest and likely commute to the French School where I may have my kids attend (they are 6, 2, and 1 month old).
Anyway, I want to get a large house (5 bedrooms would be good) that doesn't cost more than 22 million HUF and is modern, and would love the opinion of folks here about where would be best to do so.
Also any specific suggestions for a real estate agent that would drive me around and help me find a place to purchase would be wonderful, as I have often noticed that personal recommendations are the best way to go. I would also like someone I could trust that would help consummate the purchase process and sort through that which needs to be addressed for a non-EU member.
Thanks in advance for any help that you could offer :-)

duztee

Modern 5 bed, 22 million fts near Budapest might be a bit optimistic!
There may well be such out there somewhere but finding it might take a fair amount of time and effort.
I think you might need to up your price a little or consider an older property.

I live 100 kms from Bp and didn't even consider looking for houses there so this is just a personal view based on prices in my region.
No doubt someone will be along soon to offer more useful advice, Good luck anyway!

wolfi

Diablo, are you serious?

Maybe out in the wilderness you can find something for that price. My stepson and his wife just signed for a small three room apartment (maybe 20 years old) in Buda and paid 21 million HUF.
And they know that before moving in they have to do a lot of repairs, painting etc ...

In any case I would look on the net to get a first impression - there are many agencies that advertise in English (and Russian, but that might not help you much ...).

PS:
I live near Hévíz, but that's probably too far away from BP for you.

diablogun

Hi guys,
Thanks for the answers, by your tone it seems that I may be wanting too much, which is of course the way things are usually when looking to purchase property. I saw some things on Ingatlan.com that seem to be close to what I was thinking, though I should also mention that something renovated would be as good to me if done right.

As an aside, where could one get a very large modern house in a more rural area (with amenities) for that price? I have looked through various threads here, but I would love to hear of specific towns that are unquestionably nice towns to live in, which is to say have very little crime and nice schools, etc.

I really appreciate everything in advance

diablogun

wolfi, I looked at Heviz, and there are alot of expensive places there. It must be nice...

wolfi

Yes, diablo, Hévíz and its surroundings are nice and the main reasons for me were:
It's not a seasonal place like the typical Balaton cities where in winter everything's closed ...
Because of the many spa tourists all kinds of services are available.
Many people speak German, some English, some Russian.
It's not too far from Austria.
It has an airport(!) - though this is not used too much nowadays - a few years ago however there were regular connections to London and many German cities.

These points may however not be important to you.

There have been similar discussions here and I think you should first collect more info - maybe look at some houses online, I'm sure there are many offers.

But then you have to think about what you expect from the place. With small children a larger city is probably better, if not Budapest then maybe Veszprém or Székesfehérvár?
Or just a village with good connections (railwise and roadwise)?

The nice places on the Danube north of Budapest are also very expensive afaik.

duztee

Diablo,
Hi Again, I think before you get too serious about house hunting you need to understand the country and it's mentality a little more.
Hungarians (most) have serious security issues and love their high walls, fences and locked gates, my neighbours are almost apoplectic every time I leave my gate open, not that it bothers me and I have (as yet) never had any problems.
Their attitude may be wise but to an English or American person it can be a tiddly bit depressing.

It would help us to help you if we could know a little more background, why Hungary? are you only interested in this country or also considering others in the general area.
Do you want hills ( more scenic) or the big boring flat part (great for cycling) Eger (great for wine) or the Lakes?
duztee.

diablogun

Good points Wolfi. As an example of a possibility I see a nice house in the village of Ujbarok less than 40 minutes from the French school for 25 million, though of course I do not know the village. I would imagine that I can find something, but because I am using all cash (I can't find a place that will loan to an American without residency yet) it limits how high I can go and be comfortable.

Peter_in_Hungary

Yes and fashionable as well !! It is a (famous) spa town which accounts for the prices

Mentioned above - Székesfehérvár - a nice (in parts) old town and just over 1 hour commute to Budapest, depending upon which part of Bp and how you travel. Veszprém also has nice bits but is a couple of hours commute.

Give us a clue - how much time are you prepared to spend commuting?

As a Bp price guide my brother in law just sold a 1 bedroom, kitchen, dining room (small) and lounge panel flat, 2nd floor (of 9) for 18.5 million HUF. it is located at the end of the M4 metro line. (BTW a panel flat is a a block of flats made from pre-cast concrete panels and are now several years past their design life span and still standing. They abound all over eastern Europe)

Peter_in_Hungary

A plan could be to rent for a while, get residency and look around for somewhere to buy, taking your time to find the right place.

How long to you expect to be in Hungary? Property can take quite a time to sell, depending on the type and area.

diablogun

Hi Peter,

I would be willing to commute an hour or so to BP. I do not work and am kind of a boring homebody, so a nice village would work for me--although I could handle a bigger town as well. Honestly, I would be happy with a far more rural area, but I know the wife needs to be somewhat close to BP.
I will look at Székesfehérvár; where are the areas one should avoid there?

diablogun

Peter, the wife refuses to move 2 times, even across town, so I have to pick a place and buy it, then make a life there :-)

diablogun

Hi Duztee,
When I was younger I lived in Sweden with a family that is Hungarian (we are still close), and we ended up going to Budapest and Balaton in 1989 before it left the bloc. I loved the people and the food, and I really love the centrality of its location in Europe.

I also like the costs, as my modest income of 7 K USD here enables me to live very well there.

Finally, it is one of the few places a person from the US can move to without a job. We also like Prague, but there is no ability to go there as a retiree and just live, you have to open a company or study, etc.

diablogun

Duztee,
I would probably like hills or eger sounds good, but I don't think I can sell the wife on any place except BP or its near environs...

As they say, Happy wife, happy life :-)

Peter_in_Hungary

A plan that I would have to say is fraught with danger. How long will you have to select an area and then buy a house within that area? Are you coming across to Hungary to have a look and decide before you move or will you stuff everything in a container and arrive having burnt your boats?

There are a number of threads here about buying in Hungary, including one at the top of the threads list. Its worth searching through and reading.