Entering the Murky World of Croatian Real Estate

Start at the beginning! Notes on a Small Island, Part One

Notes on a Small Island, Part 16

It was October 2003 and a good time to take stock. The previous two and a half years had included a nine month overland trip from Oxford to South Africa, 6 months in Somalia and 6 months in Japan, and now I was back on Hvar, with winter once again approaching.

On the plus side, I had a lovely home, a lovely girlfriend and a lovely island. All good.

On the negative side, the heating solution did not work, I had no job, and my limited savings were ebbing away with my daily visits to the excellent Cafe Splendid.

Employment options for a non-native speaker out of season with no discernable skills were limited. My two big ideas – to become a world famous writer, or to start a language school – looked doomed to failure.

While I knew that deserved to be an international bestseller, it seemed that the many agents who received my synopsis were blind to the fact, and after a couple of good leads, the lights had gone out, and I was destined for a fate of posthumous literary fame.

The teaching idea was not looking very clever either. My idea to do business English courses in Split throughout the winter, as well as an intensive course on the island during the summer was not practical, with the catamaran return ticket price almost equivalent to an hour in the classroom.

I was out of ideas and, not for the first time in my life, a mild panic entered my inner calm, causing me sleepless nights. Just WHAT was I going to do with my life?

The answer arrived in my inbox, in the form of an email from a chap named Graham, who rather cheekily enquired as to the possibility of staying in my house for free (I had made it available to friends and family while in Japan), as he wanted to buy property on the island, and was struggling to find any information. His wife was suffering from ME and he had heard that Hvar had the best recuperative climate in Europe, and he needed my help.

Not knowing the first thing about buying property on Hvar – I assumed the policy of looking for old men in straw hats waiting by the catamaran did not work in every case – I fixed him up with some accommodation and a real estate agent. I say a real estate agent, it was actually a lawyer, for the lawyers back then were the agents, and also acted legally for buyer and seller, very often holding a power of attorney for both sides. I should have run away then...

Given the choice of a November morning dealing with more rejection slips for my bestseller, or having a free tour of the island’s properties for sale, I opted for the latter, and my eyes were opened. If only I had the money, there were some real bargains out there, and Croatia was just beginning to be touted as a new property hotspot.

By the end of the day, Graham had found his dream home – ideal for his needs – a charming modern 2-bed bungalow in Vrboska, in a quiet residential area a short walk from the sea. He was eternally grateful for my help and went home a very happy bunny.

I went home also quite excited. There were bound to be many more Grahams coming off the ferry in the coming months, who would also be lost on arrival and hopefully grateful on departure. If I could turn that gratitude into cash in the form of a sales commission, perhaps – just perhaps – I could make a living on Hvar, while I waited for the literary powers that be to turn me into the next Bill Bryson.

Hvar Property Services was formed in my head over a cold one or three that very evening. It was a decision that caused me many, many sleepless nights as I entered the murky world of Croatian real estate...

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