Buying real estate in ukraine

[Glyn Thomas.]

Thanks... we bought land through a bank auction for $50k - 7 sotkas... then did the design - got all the approvals and off we went. It had it's ups and downs but we are very pleased with the result. Could not have achieved it without my wifes leadership and ability to keep the sub-contractors in line. No bribes were paid ... and all permissions were obtained fairly swiftly... except Kyiv Gas who were a pain in the ass.

Workers.... our concrete gang and bricklayers came from Ivana Frankiv and slept on site ... the rendering team again were from Lviv. Good workers - none drank - and all were hard-working and very polite. We invited the project manager to the house warming (He was the structural engineer who put in a construction bid and won)... and he was almost in tears - nobody had ever invited him to anything before. He was used to the Ukrainian attitude of cap doffing and putting up with the wife changing the layout daily.

We should really do the roof terrace but spend so much time in the garden I can't see the point...

You're spot on with the price - all up it cost $250k and it was valued last month at $500k. We won't sell - but could rent it out if we go back to UK in a few months time.

Apartments are nice - but you cannot beat a house in Ukraine.

[Reggie]

except Kyiv Gas who were a pain in the ass.

Same experience with gas.

[Paulenko]

@ace123, that's very interesting, clearly a lot of hard work was put in by all parties involved, but well worth it as the end product looks great. The house looks pretty big. I think you were quite lucky having such a dedicated team of locals help build the house, and of course having your wife keeping on top of things, must of been key to the success of the whole project. A lot of Ukrainian workmen can be a bit laid back and unreliable, so by the sound of things, I think you did well to find such a great team.

I've always thought about the value of having a house built here in Ukraine. Land is pretty cheap and the labor force doesn't come at an expensive price either, so having a house built here sounds value for money. Kitting the interior of the house out well with quality furniture, fittings and other accessories, is also bound to appreciate the value of the property quite a lot as well.

Thanks for explaining how it went and once again mate well done, you must be chuffed with the end result.