First timers!

[cathyc]

Myself and my partner are travelling to croatia on the 14th of may for 10 days in the hope of purchasing a property or at least to start off the search - we are keen to buy a property (or 2) but want to ensure we find the right area for us. As we have never been before we have decided to travel up the coast from split to istria to give us an idea of what croatia has to offer.
I would appreciate any advice on good areas to buy (which are still relatively cheap) and names/contacts for any reputable estate agents based along the coast so we can make some appointments beforehand. We would prefer something as close to the sea as possible but we are also happy to go a little further inland where we may be able to get more house for our money.
I would also appreciate any advice on rental potential as i have been warned that the season is relatively short July-August which will not give me the return I am hoping for.
Thanks in advance xx

[Graham Amiss - Bosmere Travel]

Speaking from a travel agency perspective you are correct about July and August being peak season. However it depends on your marketing as to how many bookings you can get for the rest of the year. We have clients on holiday in Croatia all year round, and in some cases they stay for a couple of months during the winter because rentals are so cheap (lack of demand). Charter flights mainly start in April and end in October, but these are mainly for people on package holidays and therefore not the type looking for private houses to rent. The Italian season is what has the most influence on demand and that is from mid July till the start of the 4th week in August.

for the rental market you should know who you are selling against and get some ideas of their costs. If you are borrowing and expecting UK type returns you might be in for a shock. A Croatian who owns a house would have no need for a mortgage and the average wage is something like about 500 Euro a month. Just be realistic about potential and do a detailed business plan and cashflow forcast.

[Peter]

The season is currently quite short as the Brits who used to come here in their thousands have only just started to return this year. For the first time in several years they are now reappearing from Easter onwards, particularly older people wanting to avoid the heat of high summer.
We learned one thing from a client of ours who sails. Because it is far cheaper to winter a boat here in Croatia, lots of Brits are leaving their boats here for the winter. They come down from time to time to do maintenance jobs during the winter. Since this often means pulling the interior apart and using odorous varnishes, it is not possible to sleep on their boats and they need apartments to rent.
Choosing somewhere accessible to a marina and advertising in the yachtie mags can pull in useful out of season rentals.
HTH

Peter
www.croatiapropertyservices.com
[phone]