Buying/Building a house in Poland/Wroclaw metro area

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Apr 29, 10, 03:45 #1

Hi

I'm Polish but have lived outside of PL for the past 20 years. My wife recently started talking about moving back to Poland (Wroclaw is where we used to live). I know absolutely nothing about purchasing or building a property in Poland. I was only 14 when I left the country. Can somebody suggest how to look for property (besides Domy on Wyborcza and Onet). How can I research neighborhoods in terms of schools, transportation, etc?

We were thinking of getting something in Wroclaw or not too far from the city. Small place of about 130 sq. meters. What's the price range we should be looking at. We do have a budget in mind, but obviously the better deal we get the better it would be for us. Also when it comes to loans is it possible to obtain a mortgage with a fixed rate like it is in the United States? Has anyone taken a loan from US bank with fixed APR financing for a property in Poland or anywhere else in Europe? Is it even possible?

Thank for your help.

♂ [Moderator]

Apr 29, 10, 10:01 #2

notInPLnow:

How can I research neighborhoods in terms of schools, transportation, etc?

Just ask the Forum. There are a quite a few members living in Wroclaw and the surrounding area.

If you want to know what a neighbourhood looks like it might be possible for one of us to take a picture and post it on the Forum.

notInPLnow:

Small place of about 130 sq. meters.

For a flat, that is actually quite big

notInPLnow:

What's the price range we should be looking at.

Do you want brand new or pre-war.

Do u want a house or a flat ?

♂

Edited by: jwojcie Apr 29, 10, 11:51 #3

Hm... If I were you I would first rent a flat and look around for couple of months before purchasing anything, and for sure I wouldn't start bulding a house at once.
Unfortunately all valid sources I know are in Polish. Before I'll post links some warnings:

1. Wrocław lately was choosen as third most congested city in Europe
(59 biggest cities was examined)
http://www.thenews.pl/international/artykul130207.html
it will probably change when highway ring will be finished (about two years to go), but till then buying property outside of the city and work in the center will kill your spirit ;-) All traffic national/international goes through city center...

2. There is huge road building program around and in the city, so be carefull where you choose property to buy. You will think that it will be quiet and calm, but there can be some main road next to it in couple of years, example = 9 maja street (it actually wan't be that bad because there are high noice standards so noice barriers are builded, but still).

Here some links to start with (in Polish):
- overall housing investments in the area:
http://investmap.pl/galeria/mieszkania-i-domy/
- forums and opinions about it:
http://forum.investmap.pl/
- similar stuff (probably you will need to register):
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=292321&page=122
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=349592&page=834

Some useful maps:
- current and future roads (when there is no road on google maps and is here, then probably it will be in future)
- future road map of Dolnoslaskie Province
[hm.. sorry those two above are to big to attach..]
- fload range (1997) - next one probably in 2997, but you never know ;-) :

fload map

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Edited by: notInPLnow Apr 29, 10, 19:49 #4

Thanks for the replies and tips. What are the costs for doing general renovation on a house that's about 80 years old. I came across this large house outside of Wroclaw that requires a lot of attention. Assuming that it needs paint (interior/exterior), windows, roofing, electrical and plumbing, what are we talking about in terms of price range? Is it 100,000 PLN or even more? I can put 100K into it, but don't want to spend equivalent of a purchase price on renovation. Are these houses somehow governed by the city and puts them under "historic building" code?

BTW, I don't have to rent in PL. My in laws have a house so we could move in there for a while, although I'd prefer that time period to be as short as possible. :) For obvious reasons...

Edit: We're looking for a house (wolno stojacy and not blizniak or two-flat).

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Edited by: jwojcie Apr 30, 10, 00:32 #5

I wan't help much with those precise questions, but:
1. house is not historic monument just because it is old. It depends. There is conservator office where there is list of such objects.
2. I'm not sure, but I think that for major renovations you will need some official permits and plans
3. as for cost I have no idea, I guess it could be easilly 100 000. My family is planning roof changing in different and cheaper location than Wroclaw area, and first estimates are that it would be at least 30 000. So if you add painting, windows, electricians, plumbing... what about heating system?
Well you will need some professional advice! Good luck :-)

inkrakow

Apr 30, 10, 00:43 #6

notInPLnow:

Assuming that it needs paint (interior/exterior), windows, roofing, electrical and plumbing, what are we talking about in terms of price range?

My rule of thumb is to allow 2-3,000zl/m2, depending on the scope of renovation required.

notInPLnow:

Are these houses somehow governed by the city and puts them under "historic building" code?

You need to check this with the Wydzial Architektury and the Konserwator.

notInPLnow:

Can somebody suggest how to look for property (besides Domy on Wyborcza and Onet).

www.krn.pl

♂

Apr 30, 10, 09:13 #7

notInPLnow

What are the costs for doing general renovation on a house that's about 80 years old

Is it 100,000 PLN or even more?.

How long is a piece of string?. Renovation work is always a lot more expensive than new build and with a house that is 80 years old it can be an absolute "bottomless pit". Before you even start on the shell, you will need to check the foundations (if there are any), roof/floor timbers, electric and plumbing and external drainage. If you are talking about a complete refurbishment then it may be cheaper to knock it down and start again.
Spend a little money on a full survey before you contemplate buying, it could save you a fortune.

notInPLnowThreads: 1 Posts: 2 Joined: Apr 29, 10 ♂	Apr 30, 10, 15:31 #8
Is home inspection negotiated through the seller/town/or something else? Are they independent workers in Poland? In the US they are typically independent and home inspection takes about a day if they are good and look for things. How much does it cost to do an inspection of the building?

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