FenTiger

How are property selling in your area?
Come September mother-in-law property would be on the market for nearly two years. Personally I think it is overpriced. Not a surprise as it was sister-in-law husband who ramped up the price, then estate agent added on another 5 million HUF. I had initially expressed an interest to buy but backed out when sister-in-law stated she'd want a share of profit if we sold it. But hey, that's despite buying out 75% of the property, of which 25% belonged to my wife. In addition we'd offered to take care of mother-in-law 24/7.
Suffice to say I do not offer any help to maintain the garden. Harsh but if someone tries to take advantage of my financial situation they can forget it. Oh, oops, too late I've ordered a brand new car, costing half the value of deceased mother-in-law property!

scrubbedexpat142

Prices in Budapest have stabilised (although apparently rents are still rising). However I am seeing some extraordinary "kite flying" around here with small apartments (less than 60m2) being offered at between 1.5 & 2 million / m2 ( as opposed to the 1 to 1.25 million that was the going rate for most (regardless of size). Also read recently that Romanians are buying (cheaply) significant numbers of properties in the east.

FenTiger

I read an article Romanians are buying property just over the border in Hungary as so much cheaper by 90%.

scrubbedexpat142

Found this (for last year)

Sachina

In my part of the country it's Slovakians who are buying up properties. A Slovakian friend of mine and her mother have bought 5 properties for renovation. Two in the village where I live and 3 in a nearby village.

Several new houses have been either built or old ones renovated in my village of which at least 2 that I know of have been registered as Vendégház. I have a brand new house next door to me which must have cost well over 40,000,000HUF to build for which they're asking 480,000 a week rental. Looking at the bookings for the other one so far they only have clients for about 6 weeks this year. Apart from some nice walks the village has no shop, no pub and the nearest restaurant is nearly 20 miles away. Having spent years in the hotel and rental business it's certainly not something I'd invest my money in!

scrubbedexpat142

Are these ethnic Hungarian Slovakians, possibly moving because of the Benes decrees?

Sachina

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Not as far as I know but property is much cheaper than in Slovakia. There are almost as many estate agents in Kosice (Kassa) selling porperty in this part of Hungary as there are in Miskolc.

Another Slovakian friend is married to a Hungarian who has owned two properties in the village long before I moved here, as well as a house in Slovakia.

I can walk across the fields at the back of my house into Slovakia which is about 5 kms from the border. Last Monday I spent the day in Kosice which is 54 minutes by train and slightly less by car. It's considerably easier(and less expensive) to fly from Kosice to the UK than from Budapest.

FenTiger

If you had a 4x4 you'd be able to drive across the border from your garden.

Sachina

Once by mistake I did drive into Slovakia. There are a couple of cart tracks that at one time were suitable for cars to drive along which are now disused..

Apparently during the Soviet occupation these roads/tracks were covered in white chalk so that if a vehicle or person walk along them their tracks could be seen by the border guards.

This is the old road leading to Slovakia

FenTiger

Wish we had something like that here.