European Real Estate - Poland

Poland is a country of magnificent lakes, a long Baltic coastline and the

dramatic Tatra mountain range. Moreover, it's a country with a long and

unique history with 14 UNESCO World Heritage sites sitting within its borders,

many of which doubling as the historic centres of its most popular towns like

Krakow, Warsaw and Zamosc. Both its spectacular natural history and its

cultural wealth combine to make it one of the most visited countries in the

world, 19th most visited to be specific, ranking just below Canada.

However, belying its beauty as a country and its popularity with visitors around the globe, Poland is

one of a number of countries whose European real estate is currently heavily under-priced. Despite

the fact that the Polish economy remains the fastest growing in the EU it suffered along with many

other former members of the Eastern Bloc when the international banking crisis shook the world in

2008/9. The effect this had on the Polish economic environment meant that house prices took a 10%

nose dive within a year and have, as yet, failed to recover.

What this means for an investor, however, is that Polish property currently represents an

outstanding long-term investment. All it would take would be for Polish property to rise to pre-crisis

levels within the next 20 years and you would make a minimum of 10% depending on where in the

country you bought. Some of the most desirable properties are in areas that were even worse

affected by dint of being in urbanised regions – prices in Warsaw are currently down 13.1% and in

Lodz 35.7% on pre-crisis levels.

The property market is currently bottomed out and has pretty-much flat-lined since 2008 making it

seems unlikely that it could fall much farther. In other words, in the mid to long term, things can only

get better making it highly likely that investors will see a return. Many of the phenomena that were

exacerbating the property crisis such as excessive property development are now beginning to turn

around, presaging improvements to come.

For those who are less interested in an investment and more interested in value for money, it's

possible to look at the issue from another perspective: city centre properties in Warsaw are just

€2,387 currently. This fact is all the more shocking when you bear in mind that the architecture of

the city centre of Warsaw has led to it being named a UNESCO Heritage Site and the city itself is

classed as an Alpha global city for its economic and cultural importance.

If you are looking for a holiday home, whether for city breaks or out in the countryside, then buying

European property in Poland could represent some of the best value for money you are likely to find

within the European Union. Moreover, its presence within the EU makes it easy for citizens of other

EU member states to purchase property and even emigrate there without any hangups or legal

difficulties. This is useful for buyers from the UK but, moreover, it helps maintain the buoyancy of

property prices overall which is an important point for any investor to bear in mind.