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Post by Carol on Jan 4, 2007 7:58:50 GMT 1
When you buy your property it is a good idea to do the following:- 1. Check that either your estate agent or your lawyer will go to the land regsitry and leave a complete set of documents (i.e. not just the sale scontract) so that your name can be entered into the land regsitry. 2. ditto the katastar 3. ditto the tax office (must be done within 45 days or you will be fined) 4. If you are buying privately, ask for evidence that your application to the Ministry of Justice has been sent. 5. Make sure that the sales contract was notarised at the point of signing and take at elast one copy for your own records. In fact keeping a full set of all documents is a good idea, including a copy of the contract of the sale when your vendor bought the property! (Don't leave all copies with your lawyer in case he loses them!)
It all sounds obvious when people don't know what should be done, or trust that they will be guided by their lawyer/ agent, they all to often get into trouble and only find out that things were not done when they want to sell.
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Post by darcy on Jan 10, 2007 16:34:44 GMT 1
My 2c are: Before signing the contract, check the building permit for the house you want to buy. My understanding is: - your house needs to be in the area zoned as residential. Areas not zoned as residential are worthless. - your house needs a building permit or "gradevnksa dozvola" (ask the vendor for the copy and check with the council) - measure your house and compare with the building permit to check that all conditions are met - ask the vendor for a document called "uporabana dozvola" what I understand as - all inspections had been carried out and completed.
In CRO, there are huge numbers of houses that do not meet these conditions. Most often, the houses are much larger then allowed in the building permit. The funny part is, for all properties built in the last 30-40 years, there is no time limitation for the complaint to be lodged and authorities can inspect the property at any time and order sanctions if you do not comply with the zoning or/and (?) permit.
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Post by nikh on Feb 4, 2007 17:41:57 GMT 1
Great advise Darcy, you have no idea how many foreigners I have come across that are in a mess as a result of unqualified estate agents not knowing all the the pitfalls or forgetting to mention or check this out when they put a property on their books
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Post by rijekafan on Feb 6, 2007 16:04:41 GMT 1
I am negotiating the purchase of a place that is not in the land book due to a dispute of the neighbours. Crazy you think? Well I am getting the place at a big discount and the only problem is that it will be harder for buyers to get a mortgage on the place. My lawyer will try to bribe the neighbours to resolve the dispute. I have talked to the city administration and various lawyers and they say that the deal is Kosher. Another interesting thing I learned is that because the place is older than 1968 I have more flexability regarding the permitted use. The city has said they will give me a permit for a commercial space or a residence.
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Post by mambo on Feb 6, 2007 18:32:09 GMT 1
Do you have anything on paper, with stamps on there ?
If not I can only advise you to use great caution, you won't be the first who is fooled by a whole group of 'well willing' neighbors and cooperative officials.
A beautiful example was a German who bought a nice piece of land, which was more or less surrounded by land of the seller and his neighbors. Of course the seller would allow the buyer access to his land, they would widen the road a little bit and all would be perfect. Deal was signed, money was paid, company was hired to widen the road and..........both the neighbor and the seller turned like a leaf in the wind, they refused to give permission. It took 2 years and a hell of a lot of money to convince them to grant access to the land.
Another nice example ?
Company buys commercial land in Pazin, on which there is already an old factory building. It needs to be rebuild and of course the new buyers do the right thing, they check at the local goverment office if it would be possible to get a permission. The lady is helpful and says that she sees no problems, but cannot put that in writing since they need the official application and for this you will need the proof of ownership. The company decides to buy, applies for the permission and.................finds out that they don't get permission after all. The former owners have huge depts with the goverment, goverment has it under investigation and during that time they will not allow anything. Did the official know about this ? Of course ! Did they tell ? Of course not, since they know the former owners very well.
Next example ?
Factory space in Umag is for rent, meeting is set with the director and a representative of the local goverment. The space is empty, looks in good condition, negotiations start about the price. During a subsequent meeting about the price the interested party has to wait a little bit, they are shown into an office to wait for the director. While they are sitting there their eye falls on a official looking piece of paper. The translator reads the document and finds out that the company was about to enter bankruptcy and the fax was to confirm that the goverment was sending an official to take over all duties. In addition the translator finds out that the guy posing as the director was not the director at all (at least no more, he was fired a few months earlier, but could still walk in and out of the building). It explained why the meetings were always after working hours.
How do I know this last example ? Because it happened to me and I found this paper, then asked the translator to translate it for me. That is why you should never let me alone in an office, I will read everything I can find, it can be really helpful.
In other words Rijekafan.
I hope for you this deal is honest and real, but ...........if something sounds to good to be true.....it usually is.
Be extremely careful in this country, trust nobody and make sure you have things on paper, with stamps and signatures. Otherwise simply take it as a nice story. If it was such a good deal the Croatians would do it themselves. I have never seen a group of people so greedy, it really is not normal.
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Post by dravlic on Feb 7, 2007 12:41:41 GMT 1
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Post by firefly on Feb 7, 2007 15:25:57 GMT 1
Mambo, you're beginning to get boring with your moaning. How about learning the language of your host country instead of spending time typing all this crap? It is kind of sad that some of you guys walk around with a translator having lived and worked in the country for years.
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Post by mambo on Feb 7, 2007 17:05:30 GMT 1
Firefly,
What has a translator to do with the honesty of the local people ?
Please explain that to me.
Or are you trying to tell me that all these fraude schemes would not exist if I (or anybody else) would speak the language ?
Grow up, will you !
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Post by firefly on Feb 7, 2007 17:15:40 GMT 1
Mambo, dosadan si vise, daj promjeni plocu.
Quick, get the the translator.
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Post by rijekafan on Feb 7, 2007 18:08:00 GMT 1
If not I can only advise you to use great caution, you won't be the first who is fooled by a whole group of 'well willing' neighbors and cooperative officials.
Thanks Mambo I appreciate the advice. I have been at this for a while and had numerous people try to rip me off so I am wary. I thought I knew alot about business here but it keeps throwing new problems at me. In the end it is not what you know but who you know. I have had two sets of lawyers check over the deal. I have all the papers which are clean and have made a Cadaster survey. I hired the city engineer to do an engineering report for me. I even got the neighbours above to go to the notary and renounce any possible claims on anything. I have had a local builder with an excellent reputation go over the place. Critical to the deal has been I stumbled on an honest agent. Yes they exist. He has lived in Australia and understands my business culture. There are a few reasons why a Croat has not bought the place. First it looks like crap. Secondly its hard to get credit for it because of it not being in the land book. Croats are very suspicious of this. Thirdly its freezing cold here and everyone seems to have the flu. Several interested buyers have cancelled appointments due to them coming down with the flu. The reason I left a golden summer on my Aussie farm for freezing fluville is that in the dead of winter in certain areas there are hardly any buyers. They all come after easter and peak in summer.
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Post by rijekafan on Feb 7, 2007 18:22:31 GMT 1
Be extremely careful in this country, trust nobody and make sure you have things on paper, with stamps and signatures. Otherwise simply take it as a nice story. If it was such a good deal the Croatians would do it themselves. I have never seen a group of people so greedy, it really is not normal. [/quote]
I love this eccentric country for all its faults. I have found that it is a land of extremes where people are utter arse holes or utterly lovely. I lived in Ukraine for two years and Croatia is a paradise in comparison. There like here people lose their souls in all the troubles or they dont. Who would say what would happen to us if we went through what they did and do? Those that keep their souls here can be trusted completely. I have met super honorable people all over this country. Like I have said it not what you know but who you know.
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Post by capio on Feb 7, 2007 19:50:16 GMT 1
Firefly you're a complete tard, I don't believe for one second you live in London. Thank you please.
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Post by rijekafan on Feb 8, 2007 13:28:35 GMT 1
BTW Thanks to all for your advice. Its great to get feedback as often I feel like a Mushroom in the dark
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Post by nikh on Feb 9, 2007 0:29:44 GMT 1
Mambo is right but if you wont be told you know best so good luck, Rijeka fan you are so right about the people and country and i have had about as much of the bile that comes out of all the expats living and working in Cro, Go home if its that bad, and if your contempt for the locals is written on your faces you all deserve whatyou get. the only people in Croatai hat have screwed me and I disagreeociates are all foreigners and are either British or Irish and the Croatians are the ones the have dug me out . Best of luck wth your acquisition
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Post by rijekafan on Feb 9, 2007 14:44:01 GMT 1
Thanks for the caution. One thing I have learned here is it is better to be a big fish in a small pond. Its best to hang out for a while in a small place and talk to as many locals as possible. Opinions vary wildly but by hanging around you can get a feel for the place and check peoples reputations. By hanging out I found a good agent, and a builder who does not drink in the middle of the day. In Rijeka I have finaly found a good lawyer and agent. As for my accountant she is a little crazy but really honest and lovely. She was my girlfriends neighbour. Personal networks here really are paramount. My girlfriend is from Belvedere a lovely village within central Rijeka. When in trouble I often just put the word out in the neighbourhood and someone comes up with a solution.
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