Anne
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by Anne on Jan 16, 2006 16:10:54 GMT 1
Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully bought a property in Croatia specifically on the Island of Hvar and who could reccommend a good English Speaking lawyer who has integrity. Our current lawyer doesn't answer our emails, faxes or phone calls. The property agency that we bought through is also avoiding contacting us. Is this normal for Croatia? We have paid for this property through this lawyer who we now learn is related to the seller and are wondering whether we should now contact the police? Any ideas?
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Post by irac on Jan 16, 2006 16:45:34 GMT 1
Have you the keys and contract for the place Anne? I only ask as if it's a matter of chasing up the application for purchase (sorry, that sounds odd, I mean the documents are up in Zagreb and being processed for you to own the place) then you can do the checking yourself and see where it's at. If you have no keys for the place, and that they've taken your cash and you only have a contract to show, don't worry just yet, it might be something simple or just laziness.
It is a fact here that many of the businesses don't exactly operate on the lines we might be used to at home, okay, every place is due an off day or time that's human nature, but even some of the bigger agencies in Croatia (including one that sold up to a bigger one and had British and Irish folks at the helm) were notorious for not being entirely customer friendly, having no after sale back up and basically once you handed over the cash you were on your own.
If you wish you can send me a pm as I head back from this trip on Saturday and could, if nothing else, try calling from a local number.
Main thing is, don't worry just yet, no matter what you can get recourse.
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Post by mambo on Jan 17, 2006 0:15:52 GMT 1
The fact about the e-mails can perhaps be explained by the fact that most Croatians still don't use the internet at all.
I know many companies, even the big ones, who simply don't read or react to e-mail. The only way to reach them is sometimes to go over there or send a fax and hope there will be an answer.
It is a very strange kind of mentality they have here, but in some cases only the boss is allowed to react and is he is not there....................you can wait until hell freezes over, but nobody will do anything.
So perhaps try calling them or send them a fax, see if they react then.
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Post by Frederick on Jan 17, 2006 8:28:34 GMT 1
Hi,
we have also bought a property on Hvar over 2 years ago now and used a lawyer in Stari Grad. I must say he is absolutely USELESS. We even gave him a direct line to the MFA that he refuses to call and check on the status. We have a very good local friend (not a lawyer) who has basically taken over from him. I think paying the lawyer was the biggest waste of money we have ever made. I have some Irish friends who have bought property and used a lawyer in Jelsa and are very happy with them. If you PM me I can give you details.
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Post by loneranger on Jan 17, 2006 21:09:56 GMT 1
Hi Anne, It is not very reassuring to say to you that this is a common problem - it doesn't help your situation! However, we have heard of so many situations like yours - coming from a country where we respect and trust solicitors, it is totally different in Croatia. We are still waiting after 2 years for some word from our lawyer about MFA Permission. He fails on EVERY count to respond to us, he has been difficult to the point of rudeness on many questions that we have wanted help on, he failed to send our paperwork off to Zagreb for 6 months, and he refuses now to chase it up. Most of them seem to be tarred with the same brush, and like all Croatian businessmen, will never call you back, reply to letters or e-mails. How the country can ever hope to join the EU when the most basic politenesses are ignored is hard to say.
It might be worth getting help from another lawyer, although they are sometimes reluctant to take on someone elses work. If you ring the Croatian Embassy/Consulate, they should be able to provide you with a list of English speaking lawyers, otherwise your above post is the next best thing to find someone on Hvar with some good experiences of reliable, user-friendly help! There is an English estate agent there that I have heard of called Balustrade Estates - they might be able to put you in touch with someone who they use and trust. Good luck!
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Post by nikh on Jan 22, 2006 13:04:19 GMT 1
go to croatian bar association google them and you wll find a list of registered lawyers and english speakers,wth phone umbers and email address. they are reluctant to cross another lawyer, but what you need is a project manager that is local and can keep you posted and put pressure on the lawyer. This is what we did and it was worth every penny.The foreign work is a pain in the butt for them so they concentrate on the local stuff as well as the problem of language and understanding. No prob taking your money though. Pm me if you want to know who si on Hvar that can help you to chase up your lawyer. we paid between 15 and 20 euro per hor for our project manager, but it didnt amount to that much overal and sped everything up. You can also arrange a flat fee
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Post by mark2 on Jan 22, 2006 13:46:41 GMT 1
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Post by jill on Jan 24, 2006 8:38:48 GMT 1
Our experience has been great, we bought a property in Supetar through Broker and Sanya, who speaks very good English has been helpful and efficient throughout. Broker use their own lawyers which may seem a conflict of interests but is not, they have been 'up front' and clear every step of the way as long as you do as you are told! You pay Broker 6% for the complete service. I know this post doesn't really help you but I thought others ought to know that there are those about who have had troublefree purchases!
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Post by valj on Jan 24, 2006 8:59:56 GMT 1
Jill you paying 6% is an quite a lot! When we came out here we met quite a few "estate agents" who were very good and took us to lots of properties in different areas with no charge as some estate agents do. We found the best one was Zelko Capin of Dubrovnik Investicije. He only charges 3% - he took us all over the island and other areas looking at houses, we bought a property through him and he found us an excellent lawyer who is also a judge and very above board and speaks English! He also put us in touch with tradesman to use to finish the property - all local who have been excellent and all gave great prices. He is extremely friendly, speaks excellent English and always explained any negative points about any properties we looked at. He has property on his books for most of the areas along the Dalmatian Coast. If anyone wants his Telephone number, e-mail or website just pm me.
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Post by michaelfrankly on Jan 24, 2006 22:39:46 GMT 1
6% is not "a lot" if you are properly represented by your agent.
1% or 2% is "a lot" if the agent is not willing to act on your behalf or fight your corner.
A 1-2% agent is generally looking for the "fast buck" and receiving a premium from the vendor or has simply hiked the price by 20% to 80% and will split the difference with the seller.
6% is high. Very high.
But if you feel secure in your investment - it's worth it.
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ianl
Full Member
Posts: 80
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Post by ianl on Jan 25, 2006 0:33:27 GMT 1
6% isn't excessive if they do the whole service including the lawyer 's charge since the standard charge seems to be 3% then 1-2% for the lawyer then usually a bit more on top. The only worry would be whether the lawyer was independent enough to act in your interest and not the agents.
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Post by nikh on Jan 25, 2006 17:19:34 GMT 1
Broker???!!!!!Anyone that got away with a trouble free purchase is one of a minority. You should look at previpus posts regarding this company with a myriad of names !! 6% is excessive unless lawyers fees are included and in house lawyers absolutely do not represent your interests. Try pioneer properties , They have qualified real estate agent on staff, yes real qualifications and speak great English. They will also advise you on alist of lawyers which you should check out yourself via the croatian bar to be sure your lawyer is registered and for transferring money open a notarised account for holding funds for payment. Lots of rogues in real estate so do your research and trust your own research
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Post by michaelfrankly on Jan 25, 2006 19:31:08 GMT 1
I absolutely agree that the "in house lawyer" is not a good option. Sound like anti-quality control.
However; being a registered member of the Bar is no golden ticket to finding a respectable lawyer. By respectable I mean someone who actually gives a sh-1-t about you or your investment.
They do exist; but most lawyers / architects / doctors / mayors think they are special people and should command respect for their position in society. (which they happened to inherited due to their contacts and connections).
These people do hold a certain amount of power as they are privy to information which they will only divulge if it suits them. If you are on the receiving end of their "power" then just drop the soap and bend over because you have no recourse.
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Charles
Full Member
www.aplaceindalmatia.com
Posts: 75
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Post by Charles on Jan 25, 2006 23:05:48 GMT 1
6% is extortionate! + they are guilty of ripping off my company! They have completely illegally downloaded photos from my website, tried (in some cases rather poorly) to remove the watermark and then paraded them on their site with a cobbled together description for a price 20% higher than the market price. In this case 180k versus 150k. So they charge you 6% PLUS an extra 30k for the pleasure of doing business with them. By the way, I've got documentary proof of all this. How else do they get 2,000 properties! Be WARNED.
Any competent agency should be collating all the paperwork beforehand to ensure that what they are trying to sell actually has clean title/permissions etc and these documents can then be passed to an independent lawyer for verification. This cuts down enormously on the running around a lawer has to do and cuts the fee to a couple of hundred euros rather than 1.5%.
Lots of rogue agencies thats for sure, though there are in many walks of life but there are still a few who do try to do an honest job!
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Post by mambo on Jan 25, 2006 23:58:15 GMT 1
Well, in another topic I proclaimed that the prices of the houses were slightly rediculous, but some 'real estate agents' on this forum protested against my point of view.
I think what Charles wrote is more than enough explanation. His is not the only case in which this happens, so perhaps it is time for some regulations in this wild wild west housing sceme.
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