How to find a property in Czech Republic

The topic of today’s blog is how to effectively search for a property to buy. The actual process of finding and buying a property is quite challenging even for a Czech citizen. For a foreigner, who faces a number of language barriers, it can be an almost impossible task.

The Czech Republic is currently experiencing a strong real estate boom, which is understandably associated with high demand from the population. It is quite common for a newly published advertisement to be answered by several dozen people interested in buying, who subsequently want to come for a viewing. This is when the race against time begins, as the property is usually acquired by the first person who has the money ready and is willing to put down a deposit.

The foreigner is usually handicapped already at this step – real estate agents usually don’t like to communicate in a foreign language, which automatically excludes the prospective buyer from most potential deals (unless they have a translator with them). Other problems arise when dealing with mortgage, translating purchase and mortgage contracts, dealing with authorities, etc. At Czech Advisors, we arrange all translation services for our clients – from calling the selected advertisement, to simultaneous translation of the inspection, to assistance with bank or office visits. This makes it possible to have the same or better chances than a Czech buyer.

Ways to find a property

The next challenging task is then finding the right property for your needs. After defining what kind of property you want to buy, in what location and for what purpose, the search can begin.

Listing portals

There are dozens of different property listing sites on the internet, but in general, the following two can be recommended:

Sreality – the largest Czech site collecting real estate offers mainly from real estate agencies

Bezrealitky – an advertising portal for private sellers who do not want to use the services of a real estate agent

Both sites have English localization and at the same time it is possible to find the vast majority of publicly advertised properties. Another advantage is the possibility of setting up a so-called watchdog, which will alert you every time an advertisement with your desired parameters is published. This will give you a head start when contacting an estate agent (or private seller) and increase your chances of a successful purchase.

Auction portals

When an individual or business goes bankrupt, it is usually through the sale of their assets that debts are satisfied. This is usually auctioned and sold to the highest bidder. The advantage of these auctions is that they are watched by significantly fewer buyers and sometimes make it possible to buy property at an extremely low price. There are several online portals collecting auctions, the largest of which is the Auction Portal. Please note, here too it is possible to set up a watchdog according to similar parameters.

Real estate land registry

Katastr is an internet application operated by the Czech Cadastral Office. All data on all real estate in the Czech Republic are recorded in this application. Their geographical location, owner, liabilities. It can be useful if you want to find out the owner of a particular property and contact him directly. It is also possible to check before buying that the property is not subject to a lien or other easement preventing the purchase.

What to do when you come across an offer you like

 

Take action.
With our watchdog, you will be one of the first to know about new offers, so take advantage of this opportunity and act immediately. And that means really right away – that is, as soon as you hear about it, call the broker (don’t send an email) and ask for a viewing. Ask for the earliest possible date, don’t be afraid to go that day, and cancel any other appointments. With well-priced properties, every hour counts.

Be decisive. Ask for a booking contract in advance and express your willingness to sign it very soon. On your own, study the details recorded in the Land Registry, the link to which can be found above. Be prepared to increase the price by a little if you see that this could help you to acquire the property. You must remember that many other people will be interested in the advert and some of them will certainly be experienced buyers, so there is no time for indecision.

Go for a viewing. In the best case scenario, you come to the viewing first, make an appointment and you’ve won. But it may be that the estate agent or seller will do a viewing with all the interested parties, of which there will be no shortage, and hold an auction to get the highest price. In this case, I recommend not to participate in the auction, the price will usually increase significantly and the offer will lose its attractiveness.

How can we help you?

In case you would appreciate help with finding and buying a property, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are able to provide our clients with a full service throughout the process – consulting on the type of property to be purchased and how to finance it, setting up watchdogs, arranging and completing viewings with the client, preparing legal documents and much more. If you are interested in any of the above, or are considering purchasing a property, please do not hesitate to contact us.