How do you find property genuinely for sale

[EMIZZZZAGREB]

Mery:- other than spouting nonsensical Pro Croatian propaganda, what have you added here? Answer nothing, o well apart from insulting al's of course; I am sure he wont lose sleep.

None of your points stand up; Croats are not generally hard working, everything is relative and when compared to other European nations, the average Croat is lazy and unmotivated; where else can you sit and drink coffee for an hour before you work? Then Take another 10 cigarette and coffee beaks during the day?

Croats; honest people...give your head a shake; I have never been to such a corrupt place, a place full of so many people trying to cheat each other; mostly Croats cheating each other btw; me me me attitude.
Luckily the smart ones realise this and don’t play their stupid games; these are the people who are making money.

Also you don't really have estate agents like we have back home; these people are merely sales agents; trying to make insanely high commissions for very little work.

Don't kid yourself; most foreigners are not welcome here, the people that come here and don't work here don't understand Croatia and Croatians at its worst; get involved in the seedy twisted corporate world of “corporate” Croatia and I use the word corporate loosely and you will understand; all I see on this site and in Croatia is people defending anything Croatia regardless of its merits or lack of them; way to go, it really takes guts to say how wonderful everything it…d**n communists.

[alsdoubles]

Mery said:

Alsdoubles-''Albert Einstein'' is again throwing his rubibsh at you.
If you have such an opinion on Croats, why did you even bother coming to Croatia? Croats that live in UK have much more culture than you do, because they accept the laws and the customs, and not invent their own. How can you even think about saying that people who have been working for 15 years are not real estate agents? There's only one dilemma: how to find a good real estate agent, not whether there are any.
What can you say about people from other countries who come to Croatia, introduce themselves as buyers, viewing properties and gathering information, and then opening their own real estate agncies. Are they perhaps good real estate agents? There's a saying that goes, the one who does not know but think he does, is the one who you should be aware of, he's dangerous. This goes for you Alsdoubles. Croatia is a small and proud country, with centuries old culture, with hard-working and honest people. And whoever thinks otherwise is not welcomed here. Fortunatelly, very few dissagree.

I can say it Mery, and mean it and believe it. What is an estate agent, after all. Chancers who sell items they don't actually own. Dealers in other people's things. And perhaps I do generalise but, from the so called estate agents I met in my quest in Croatia I found them completely vague, and many talked back pocket deals which were often higher than the asking price. Houses that were not on the market. And houses that were just not available. The rubbish was available. I never saw the good stuff. And most of them are STILL available.
Estate agents in the UK. I know them. Used them a lot. It's a job. Fair enough. But in Croatia where anything goes and the whole country runs nicely with 23% unemployment because many are working 'on the side' I would suggest outsiders thinking of buying should beware. And regarding your coment about me not being welcome. You have NO SAY mate. Think what you like I really do not give a money's. I've been in Croatia one year. I've seen the crack. End of story.

[Mery]

Answers to EMIZZZZAGREB and Alsodoubles:
I am a real estate agent, it is not inportant in which agency for I do not want to promote it in this way. However, you are insulting me and the other honest real estate agents by your statements.
How you can say that the agents who have a few hundreds of satisfied clients and many recommendations for well executed deals are unprofessional?
On the other hand, UK agents come to Croatia and they are saying that they are buyers, stealing information from Croatian agents and opening their own offices.
Usually, they are increasing the prices of properties by 10-20 % and sometimes even more.
You are saying that they are professionals.

It is not a problem to find a good real estate agent in Croatia. The simplest way is to phone the British Embassy in Croatia and ask them to recommend a well established agency or when you get in touch with one of the agencies directly, you can ask it to put you in touch with one of their clients with whom they dealt before.
Life in Croatia is not as you described it. This is proved by many examples of British people who decided to live here permanently and who made friends with many Croatian people. When I was saying that the Croats are good employees I was referring to the ones that live abroad for it is normal that the quality of work is in connection with the payment got for it.
When I said that someone is not welcome, I was referring to the people who were biased against us before they came here and who always criticise us and have all kinds of objections.
As far as the pro-Croatian propaganda is concerned, I don't have to do it, it will be done by the people who came to Croatia to live there apart from the exceptions who were born unsatisfied.
If you are interested in concrete answers to some questions, send a private e-mail to me directly

[EMIZZZZAGREB]

I certainly didn't pre judge Croatia; I was very pro Croatia and all things Croatian; I even particpated in the Croatian propoganda that I was fed by the locals.

I had visited this place for 5 years and was fooled; I took it all in, in buckets; then suddenly I came to live here and I realised it was not like it said on the tin.

I could accept that this place is in a mess; that it is screwed up; if I didn't have to read sites like this where people paint Croatia as Utopia, trust me it isn't.

[Giles]

Someone seems a little bitter. Must have been a bad experience!

[Balustrade Estates]

Culchie, A slightly delayed reply to your comment, but have another look at my sight and re read my last posting!

Just to give you a clue, I am not an estate agent, I am a property finder/searcher. A huge difference, as I work for and advice the purchaser. For this very reason I do not hold Property for sale, except in a few situations which happen to be personal contacts. And no there is not a conflict of interest as I happen to be honest and professional and make it clear that I work for the purchaser and will not take a fee from both parties, which seems to be the norm here.

I believe this was the type of service that Jayne was searching for in her original comment? So please do not confuse my services and my company to an estate agent, I work for the buyer and the buyer alone, who can be cofident that they have someone looking after their interests! Try me, you will find a reasureing diffenece!

All the best Rupert
Balustrade Estates

[Balustrade Estates]

It sounds as if somewhere down the line you have had a bad experience with the humane race Alsdoubles! Or you certainly have a chip on your shoulder about something.

As you say it is 'humane nature' to earn a living and make money - I don't see that as a problem where ever that may be, as long as it is done honestly and above board.

I except that their are one or two bad apples around, but you shouldn't tarnish everyone with the same brush. There are numerous so called estate agents in Croatia who feel it is easy money and therefore do jump on the band wagon. They have no professional experience or accreditiation and in the most are trying to earn money illegally for very little work and the vast majority of these happen to be Croatians not foreigners!

There are also a few 'professional' and 'honest' Estate Agents as well, it is a shame that you haven't come across them. Maybe being less synical might help?

It also maybe the reason that you have not sold your property to one of the many foreigners you believe you can hood wink into pay a rediculous price, is that you are asking an unrealistic price in the first place, no wonder you agents have given up and lost interest and are consentrating on more realistic clients! It happens you know, welcome to the reality of economics and a free market, something that a lot of Croatians haven't yet got to grips with!

If you have only tried a dozen agents then you have plenty of work to do,I am sure there is at least triple that amount again in Zagreb! Do let us know when you find them, Maybe you can then recommend them to others,free of charge of couse ( unless you want to join the filthy habit of taking money).

[Balustrade Estates]

To Alsdoubles and all, apologies for the bad spelling in last posting, hit the wrong button before checking!!

[EMIZZZZAGREB]

BE; I have no problem with your company; you are very open about the service your provide and have invested in your website unlike most of the similar companies.

However; there is only a need for your company because their are so many people ripping each other off here; your company can only function because of the total mess of the real estate industry in Croatia.

In reality there should be no need for your company; Estate agents should advertise for the clients take 2% from them; and the buyers should be able to trust them and pay them nothing.

Unfortunately as your site stated in somewhat more polite terminology; the Croatian real estate market is primitive to the extreme, and because of that, there is a need for your company.
Therefore you shouldn’t attack people who point out the obvious, many people are trying to cheat naive foreigners; I understand you point that not all companies are the same; of course this is true, but you are wrong in stating it is a few bad apples; the industry is rife with rip off stories.

Good luck with your project; I wish you well; but don't expect the stigma of your industry to disappear soon, because for every decent hard working open company like yours; there are 10 stealing from naive people.

Why should the same agent charge 3% to the buyer and 3% to the seller? 6% is a disgrace and stricter rules should be enforced, the Croatian system should be more open so these rip off agents can no cheat hard working people.

[Balustrade Estates]

EMIZZZZAGREB said:

BE; I have no problem with your company; you are very open about the service your provide and have invested in your website unlike most of the similar companies.

However; there is only a need for your company because their are so many people ripping each other off here; your company can only function because of the total mess of the real estate industry in Croatia.

In reality there should be no need for your company; Estate agents should advertise for the clients take 2% from them; and the buyers should be able to trust them and pay them nothing.

Unfortunately as your site stated in somewhat more polite terminology; the Croatian real estate market is primitive to the extreme, and because of that, there is a need for your company.
Therefore you shouldn’t attack people who point out the obvious, many people are trying to cheat naive foreigners; I understand you point that not all companies are the same; of course this is true, but you are wrong in stating it is a few bad apples; the industry is rife with rip off stories.

Good luck with your project; I wish you well; but don't expect the stigma of your industry to disappear soon, because for every decent hard working open company like yours; there are 10 stealing from naive people.

Why should the same agent charge 3% to the buyer and 3% to the seller? 6% is a disgrace and stricter rules should be enforced, the Croatian system should be more open so these rip off agents can no cheat hard working people.

Thanks for your reply, yes with a lot of what you have said i agree with, and i certainly don't expect the stigma and prejudice to disappear over night if at all, i have been in the business far too long!! As long as bad apples exist in any indusrty people will always think the worst.

However, regardless of the bad apples there is still a place for me, estate agents in my view, should take one fee only, and work for the vendor, that is who pays them and that is their client, as is the practice in the Uk.

On the other hand if a purchaser requires help, advice and negotiation skills on their behalf then that is where Balustrade Estates comes in. Saving the purchaser having to deal with hundreds of different agents some good and other s less so and no doubt getting confused with conflicting advice/staements. Dealing with one person is generally so much easier!

I do agree that the bad apples probably promote my cause though! However, bad news always makes good news, there are many people who have had excellent experiences in buying property, but we hardly ever hear about it, because it doesn't often make that interesting news! So why not promote good news, which will in turn help people go to the right agents, which will then strangle the sharks, or is that too simplistic!

[alsdoubles]

Ballustrade...... I believe you. Congratulations. Talking of ballustrades, do you not think they suffer from severe 'plonkerness' 'naffness' to the highest order. Croatia is nose to tale with concrete ballustrades.
Bad experience with the human race? Er, Yeh? Hate them all eqally. No discrimination whatsoever.

[Culchie]

Balustrade said:

Culchie, A slightly delayed reply to your comment, but have another look at my sight and re read my last posting!

Just to give you a clue, I am not an estate agent, I am a property finder/searcher. A huge difference, as I work for and advice the purchaser. For this very reason I do not hold Property for sale, except in a few situations which happen to be personal contacts. And no there is not a conflict of interest as I happen to be honest and professional and make it clear that I work for the purchaser and will not take a fee from both parties, which seems to be the norm here.

I believe this was the type of service that Jayne was searching for in her original comment? So please do not confuse my services and my company to an estate agent, I work for the buyer and the buyer alone, who can be cofident that they have someone looking after their interests! Try me, you will find a reasureing diffenece!

All the best Rupert
Balustrade Estates

Hi Rupert,

I'm not doubting your honesty or integrity at all.

However, playing Devils Advocate, based on your business model of charging a up front fee of €500 (which is not far off the average monthly wage in Croatia), what is there to stop you charging this fee to 3 or 4 prospective investors each month, and topping up on your suntan .... it's a win win for you, you could sit in your deckchair and wait for the phone to ring, and send off a few e-mails to your clients so that you 'look busy'.

Find a property.....2.5% commission....lovely jubbly.......don't find a property €500 per person, non-refundable, .... nice work if you can get it

At least with the agent (am I am not defending their high commission rates either), they do not get paid unless the property has been purchased, after legal work has been completed.

As I say, I'm not saying you are dishonest by any means, but it's easy to see how a dishonest person could use this type of relationship to their benefit couldn't you? ... So it's not quite as nice and fluffy as your post comes accross.

I also note that you have now 3 properties on your site...an trend maybe that you plan to increase your 'stock'?

[Balustrade Estates]

Culchie said:

Hi Rupert,

I'm not doubting your honesty or integrity at all.

However, playing Devils Advocate, based on your business model of charging a up front fee of €500 (which is not far off the average monthly wage in Croatia), what is there to stop you charging this fee to 3 or 4 prospective investors each month, and topping up on your suntan .... it's a win win for you, you could sit in your deckchair and wait for the phone to ring, and send off a few e-mails to your clients so that you 'look busy'.

Find a property.....2.5% commission....lovely jubbly.......don't find a property €500 per person, non-refundable, .... nice work if you can get it

At least with the agent (am I am not defending their high commission rates either), they do not get paid unless the property has been purchased, after legal work has been completed.

As I say, I'm not saying you are dishonest by any means, but it's easy to see how a dishonest person could use this type of relationship to their benefit couldn't you? ... So it's not quite as nice and fluffy as your post comes accross.

I also note that you have now 3 properties on your site...an trend maybe that you plan to increase your 'stock'?

Topping up my sun tan, now that's a good idea, unfortunately a bit on the chilly side at the moment, even in lovely sunny Hvar.

Unfortunately, it is not cheap trying to get off the island and once you make several trips a month with the car and piling the miles on, the costs add up, so i have to have a certain amount of expenses up front. Yes, if i was dishonest i could 'talk the talk' and spend the money on going to night clubs in Hvar(if they exisited). Anyway if i took this approach i certainly wouldn't be doing too much talking for very long as i am sure that such watch dogs as yourself would spread the word !

By the way call an agent on the mainland and ask them to show you a property they have on an island, they would be happy to do it with a fee of 100 euros for their troubles??!!

Yes, i have now got three properties, my personal contacts and reputation seems to be growing! As soon as you can find a decent and staright forward agent, i am sure that i could off load them!

[Culchie]

That's a fair and honest response, and I wish you all the best.

I know all about the agents viewing fee as well, and in fairness without it, you would become unpaid tourist guides.

[alsdoubles]

Balustrade said:

To Alsdoubles and all, apologies for the bad spelling in last posting, hit the wrong button before checking!!

Checking...What, your pulse, to see if you are still enjoying the Croatian experience. Go on then, point us all to your website. Post the URL. Let's all have a good look. One HOPES to be stunnned with admiration.