|
|
Post by Anja on Aug 15, 2004 5:45:24 GMT 1
I read these beware stories bellow and it really makes me laugh.
It shows Croatian people in a bad light, which might or might not be true.
I do not know who has time to write these comments and what is THEIR interest in writing them.
My first thought was: competitors.. ;D
Maybe not.
I never dealt with Broker so I do not know..
I dealt with Trgostan in past before I went solo, and I can assure anyone that they are one of the most 'correct in business' people I ever met.
My advise to anyone trying to purchase a property in Croatia: GET A GOOD SOLICITOR
In this case, no agent or agency can trick you into anything..
I personally think, most of the croatian agents work fair.
Much more honest than sending an old lady from Ireland, as a potential buyer, who is actually not buyer at all..
'The old lady syndrome' might be the reason why many agents in Croatia keep the old/already sold properties on their website and not showing the 'current offer'..
I understand them.
As if they advertise a new property with a nice photo and a good description, which they have costs in finding, the same property next day will be shown on other websites too.
On the end of the day, the agents and buyers are people.
These 'get rich quickly' methods do not lead too far.
It is much harder, to stay there for many years and be able to show your face to everyone.
This is a kind of goal that is amazing to reach.
|
|
|
|
Post by elsanddee on Aug 15, 2004 9:06:19 GMT 1
Anja i do not beleive you live in the real world. We have had horrific experiences with many agents. We recently saw a property for 250,000 euros, when we know for fact it had been on for about a year for 150,000. The property is still on currently on with at least two agents at 150,000. This seems very common practice. As for Trogstan, we are still seeking legal advise on what we are aloud to report, of our experience. But we know from very trusted sources, whom have also had major problems too. We will tell our story in the future, and it will shock, so atleast you will have one verified report on here. There is also a Channel 4 program being made, which is going to highlight peoples problems, we were contacted and are still deciding whether to appear, to lift the lid on a very shoddy practice. It is not an attack on Croatian people, just on a few dishonest ones. There are dishonest people in every country in the world, so this is not an attack on the Croatia.  |
|
|
|
Post by Anja on Aug 15, 2004 9:52:59 GMT 1
As I said if you have a good local solicitor than you have one worry less.
Regarding the house of 150 000, after year sold for 250 000, it is a free market, like everywhere in the world, people are allowed to ask anything for their goods.
The price is dictated by number of requests for the same goods.
If the seller is keeping the high price, he must be aware that he will wait longer to sell it.
Also someone who really likes it and who can afford it might as well buy it. ;D
From my point of view, there is no difference between Croatian owners increasing the price and the new developments with prices hitting the roof.
Same time, if you are unhappy with an agent you can report it to the body of estate agents which exists in Croatia.
You can not expect other contries laws to apply in Croatia, when in Rome do what Romans do.
|
|
|
|
Post by elsanddee on Aug 15, 2004 10:08:37 GMT 1
Let me be more precise, the property was on for sale at 150,000 and confirmed by the owner to the other two agents it was still 150,000.
I can give you examples all day, e.g.
A house recently shown to us, opposite a resteraunt that had a roof terrace. I declined, the property was great, the agent assured us that that noise was not a problem. The next day a full page article in the local paper about loud music from this resteraunt from 10 pm till 4 am in the morning and a partition signed by the local residence to try to close it down as it was ruining the tourism. It was a local agent who knew the area very well.
I could go on for ever. My wife is a Croat, and can talk to locals and in particalar council for urban planning, so we can find out info much easier than foreigners, so what chance do they stand. You want examples i could go on all day. There are by far more good decent agents out there, but the unscrupulous one must be exposed, as they are, in any other democracy.
|
|
|
|
Post by Anja on Aug 15, 2004 10:42:53 GMT 1
I am not saying that I am on the side of dishonest agents but .. what I am saying is that Croatia is a modern European country and there are common ways in there to complaint if you wish.
I worked with Trogstan for a while and only I can say is that these people are extremely busy, hard working and in my case - very honest.
I think they are members of Croatian Association of Estate Agents.This is my view of them.
|
|
|
|
Post by elsanddee on Aug 15, 2004 10:55:25 GMT 1
I respect what you say. But our experience was bad, and we have spoken to others who have also had bad experiences with Trgostan. We will make our greivencies public, when all our legal consultations are over. There is no more contact with Trgostan. As far as their opinion is concerned as with many agents, their word is beyond question, they are the proffesionals and as buyers we have no say or experience in these matters. Our Solicitor was the one who confirmed all our suspicions, opinions and fears.
I feel there is a total lack of respect for foreign buyers from many agents.We are not trying to get rich quick, but buy a holiday home. Although my family is Croatian, i feel Croatian and foreign buyers should be treated equally and with respect.
Croatia is a modern Europen economy, the government is doing a great job with fiscal policy. But in my personal opinion there are a lot of bad apples, spoiling it for the rest of the country. It's just not estate agents, i could also mention bad examples of police inaction, but i'm sure this happens in all countries. We are all pro Croatia on this site, but we must be honest too.
|
|
|
|
Post by Anja on Aug 15, 2004 12:22:38 GMT 1
No estate agent can sell a property more expensive of the selling price if the owner doesn't agree with that so I can not believe in your story that the agent was selling the property more expensive without the owners knowledge.
In my search for properties, I sometimes find properties up to 70% off the market values, some exotic lands plots for 5000 EURO..etc..
If I was dishonest, I could buy the land and sell it three times the value and get rich quickly myself, but I do not..
I could also tell some of my close friends about the 'good deals' as in this business I learnt to notice them.
But I do not.
I like to stay in this business for years and therefore I
like to be fair to everyone.
I tell the owners they are making mistake and the value of their land is higher.
We set up a new price but are almost always able to decrease the price for the serious buyers.
In case of dealing with agencies this is not quite possible but sometimes the agencies have very interesting properties, which are a pleasure to advertise.
|
|
|
|
Post by elsanddee on Aug 15, 2004 12:33:52 GMT 1
I give up, you obviously have an invested interest, i will let others coment. I am not the only one now to question your motives. If i have signed a contract as you do with an agent to say i have seen a property, i can always back up what i'm saying in a court of law.
What you are saying is totally wrong, i have experienced this many times and am not on medication. Hopefully in the vuture, tv companies independant investigations will expose the truth.
|
|
|
|
Post by Anja on Aug 15, 2004 12:50:42 GMT 1
I give up, you obviously have an invested interest, i will let others coment. I am not the only one now to question your motives. If i have signed a contract as you do with an agent to say i have seen a property, i can always back up what i'm saying in a court of law. What you are saying is totally wrong, i have experienced this many times and am not on medication. Hopefully in the vuture, tv companies independant investigations will expose the truth. Sorry if you understood me wrongly, I just wanted to explain on an example - what most of the agents do when agreeing a property price with owners. I believe it is in interest of agents that the property is cheaper as then it is easier to sell but if the property is much under the market price ( i.e. if the agent has on his books similar properties in same area with a different price) than the agent needs to tell the owner. I have no hidden motives and I am not based in Croatia, so I do not have any hidden interest either in this topic - except the topic itself is a interesting for a debate. It is not nice to manipulate people in a way they get a picture that Croatian agents are canning creatures sitting in their corners and waiting to trick new comers. I know how hard these people work and I wouldn't agree with your presentation. If you like to show your views on the television or any type of media I think this is positive and hope this approach would bring an improvement into the real estate market. But I believe it is useful to see the other side of the coin too. I am not on any medication too ;D Best Wishes in your property search. |
|
|
|
Post by Mirko1 on Aug 15, 2004 13:23:47 GMT 1
Elsanddee, please tell us of your experiance with Trgostan. It would be useful to all!
|
|
|
|
Post by Broker team on Aug 15, 2004 16:48:52 GMT 1
Bad gossips about our company started from some british agents, they said many lies about our company.
Besides, they said we pay for adversting 2x2pages in Sunday times, once 2 pages in Financial times, and few times on the BBC in UK, and in many Italian, German, Hungarian and USA newspapers.
It is easy to check, with jurnalists!
Broker team
|
|
|
|
Post by AnjaIsNaive on Aug 15, 2004 20:59:30 GMT 1
anja, sorry, but you sound naive. i belive the other guy. accept that in a country which is still modernising the procedure of home buying, there is
still some 'wild west' attitude in croatia.
accept that there are bad and dishonest agents else you live in the fantasy world.
eldesee makes sense to me. yes, get a good soliciter but you also have to deal with agents. don't have to defend everything croatia. but also some solicitors are not good either so, there lie the dilema.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ireland FL on Aug 15, 2004 21:16:05 GMT 1
what I am saying is that Croatia is a modern European country. Haha! Croatia a modern european country! I have seen the country and it is far from modern, Croatia is a country which is 30 years behind almost any EU country, it will take croatia years and years to become "modern" |
|
|
|
Post by alsdoubles on Aug 15, 2004 22:22:16 GMT 1
In my search for properties, I sometimes find properties up to 70% off the market values, some exotic lands plots for 5000 EURO..etc.. If I was dishonest, I could buy the land and sell it three times the value and get rich quickly myself, but I do not.. Anja. Sorry to butt in to this debate.....but...That aint dishonest. That's the way deals are done and money is made. You buy at a price and sell for a profit. Nothing dishonest about that. That's good business. Show me the land plots, I'll buy them. All of them, tomorrow. Regarding Croatia being 30 years behind the times..Someone mentioned that. That's not true. Croatia(n's) is/are pretty smart, I think. Pretty smart. They must be! |
|
|
|
Post by Neno on Aug 16, 2004 8:05:29 GMT 1
To Ireland guy- we live better than anyone.
One comment of US guest:
I just can't figure it out. I just came back from
almost a month in Croatia and I swear I spent
half my time trying to figure out how the average
person working there could afford it.
Food in the supermarkets was just as much as it
is here ( U.S.). Clothes, same thing. Forget about gasoline.
Yet everywhere you look people are dressed in whatever
the latest trend is. Designer sunglasses. New cars.
I don't get it.
It's not just the young adults either. You would see families
walking through the cities dressed what had to be 6 months worth of salary.
I stopped in one shop while in Zagreb to check the price on a kids
backpack. 659kn. No joke.
How do they do it?
|
|
