 Poster: A snowHead
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I'd like to buy an apartment or something in Lech or close by. Does anyone know if it's possible? Or are foreigners not allowed. I've never seen an estate agents there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Austria is no longer ruled under a nazi regime, foreigners are actually allowed to own property. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Well it's EU, so any EU citizen it entitled AFAIK. Nice place, but must be pricey?
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Erica has obviously won the lottery.  I understood the position in the Arlberg was that no one can own a second home in the Arlberg. An EU citizen subject to that proviso would have an equal legal right to buy their principal residence there.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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erica2004, it's not quite as simple as 'we're all in the EU so it's fine'. Last time we checked (about a year ago), the provincial governments of both the Tirol and Vorarlberg (where Lech is) provinces did not allow foreigners to purchase property as a 'Zweitwohnsitz' (second home). So you can buy there to live (Hauptwohnsitz), but not as a holiday home. This includes if you want to rent it out to holidaymakers. If you want to buy for someone to live in permanently then that's OK too.
The EU law now says that no local government can dictate to the owner of a property, what they may do with it, so technically the provincial laws no longer have any teeth in EU law, but the problem is that nobody has yet tried a test case and so there is no precedent of over-ruling the provincial governments on this. Somebody with the money/time/inclination to do it would probably win, but nobody has yet.
Because of the long-standing historical restriction on foreigners buying in certain regions of Austria, it is likely that you may find some measure of local resistance, e.g. estate agents refusing to show you property, banks refusing to discuss mortgages with you etc. (we encoutered this in Salzburg, where the provincial government have said it is fine for foreigners to buy what they like). If you managed to actually purchase something, you would need to make a big effort to keep locals/neighbours onside. Lech is a bit like Ischgl where a small number of families own a lot of the local property, and so can be quite protective of their 'territory' so to speak. You also need to be aware of things like for example the local mayor may be related to hotel owners, and so on, and so it is a good idea to keep everyone on side so that bureaucracy runs a bit more smoothly for you.
None of this means it can't be done, so I didn't mean to sound negative, but you would need to be prepared to meet lots of resistance along the way. There are also of course lots of friendly locals who may be happy to help you, and if you find any, then hang onto them! We bought in Salzburg which is a lot easier, but we did encounter some of what I have described above.
I am sure others will be along to help soon!
D
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erica2004, there doesn't seem to much going! Your best bet is probably to get in touch with the banks in Lech or in Bludenz, (e.g Raiffeisenbank), but I suspect that all the good stuff is kept in the family!
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erica2004, I know there are restriction in the Tirol but not sure about anywhere else. From what I hear banks are the best way to go about buying property in Austria. They seem to own and control the property markets. Happy shopping
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We did it alone in the end. We looked at a few options such as the link above, and on the whole, they tended to be higher prices, or developments in newer or out of the way places, whereas we were very clear that we needed immediate rental returns.
Most of the banks have an immo service, and then each town has their own independent ones as well.
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Sorry, didn't mean to imply that there was anything wrong with those kind of companies, they just didn't suit our needs at the time.
D
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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it is hard to get a property in Austria as the Austrians generally have been selling to the Austrians and things don't appear in estate agent windows, in fact having been in the arlberg for the past few winter seasons i cannot recall ever seeing an estate agent in Lech or Anton, however the banks do produce property for sale magazines but again whenever i picked these up for a gander nothing in Lech or Anton. Anton is opening up a bit and i have seen stuff appearing o the internet at vastly inflated prices compared to what locals would pay which suggests to me in the end it may go the way of many a ski resort and sell out to wealthy foreigners which is sad but probably inevitable. The people i know who have bought in Anton often had a lot of local knowledge and contacts already which helped a lot in finding and buying. Lech as previously said is owned mainly by a few families and there is not a great deal of new development there, i would suggest going over for a week and plying the burgermeister with much jager.... till you find what you are looking for.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just to point out that even where banks do advertise property, they can still be very resistant. We had one bank refusing to let us view a property, even when we had a copy of the EU statute saying that we were allowed to. So for many the illegal local law is more important than their commission. We also had estate agents telling us that it was impossible as a foreigner to let out a holiday apartment, because there would be nobody to clean it, as 'such companies do not exist in Austria'. Guess what, they do, the agent in question just wanted us to give up the idea of renting out our apartment.
And in the end, we bought off a 'local', and our property was never 'on the market' as such.
If you are really keen, I would advise taking a few trips out there and be-friending local people, and also not taking offence at those who don't seem to want your business.
However, on the up side, there are some more enterprising open-minded people who are happy to help you out, it's just a case of finding them!
D
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You know it makes sense.
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I rather like the locals waving two fingers at European law and ensuring that a town retains lits local flavour. Long may they do so in Lech.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Tue 24-06-08 14:05; edited 1 time in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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try dropping an email to info@propertiesinaustria.com or browse their website www.propertiesinaustria.com I know they have sold properties in st anton recently. I purchased last year in schladming, direct with local agents, no problems at all. Know plenty of foreigners that own property in ski amade area.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| waynos wrote: |
| try dropping an email to info@propertiesinaustria.com or browse their website www.propertiesinaustria.com I know they have sold properties in st anton recently. I purchased last year in schladming, direct with local agents, no problems at all. Know plenty of foreigners that own property in ski amade area. |
Lech is in a different league to St Anton!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I guess there's no future if you're not going to be particularly welcome. We've been going to Lech for several years now and it is my favourite ski resort. And I suppose one of the reasons why is that it does have a 'local flavour' to it. I would like to be able to just 'pop on a plane' and go skiing when I felt like it and not have to book in advance etc.
I see there are properties available in the Salzburg area. Perhaps a trip to the Gasteins would be the way forward.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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there are some nice penthouse apartments there  I dread to think how much property is in lech even if you could find anything. having only skied there 2 days from st anton i was very impressed.
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erica2004, I would recommend a look at places in or within reach of the Ski Amade area (Gastein, Flachau/Wagrain/Radstadt, Schladming etc.), because:
- there is so much scope to go at, and if it is purely for your own amusement then that will be a big plus as no chance of getting bored
- there are some mid/higher altitude options (Sport Gastein, Dachstein glacier, Hochkeil, Zauchensee, etc.) on the liftpass for poorer snow seasons (although the region does very well snow-wise considering its altitude)
- there are some very good value properties available in this region
- flights to Salzburg are plentiful and usually available at reasonable prices (except for in May and October!).
If I was buying just for our own fun, I would definitely buy in the Amade region.
Good luck and happy hunting, although there are always some frustrations and wrong turns, we had a blast looking for a ski pad!
D
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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stanton, I've seen the 'lama' properties. They are up near Oberlech, not far from where we stay (Hotel Salome). I'm going to e-mail them. Cheers
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| erica2004 wrote: |
| stanton, I've seen the 'lama' properties. They are up near Oberlech, not far from where we stay (Hotel Salome). I'm going to e-mail them. Cheers |
Please do tell us how much they cost
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Another vote for www.propertiesinaustria.com. They seam to have quite a few connections with immo's and banks in the country.
I'd also recommend buying somewhere in the Ski Amade area. It really is an excellent part of Austria!  My understanding when we bought in Bad Gastein is that buying in the Tyrol is near damit impossible.
Feel free to PM me if you consider buying in th Gastein Valley and i'll put you in contact with some people.
Cheers
Kersh
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| erica2004 wrote: |
| stanton, I've seen the 'lama' properties. They are up near Oberlech, not far from where we stay (Hotel Salome). I'm going to e-mail them. Cheers |
I,ve been in them
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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stanton, sent you a pm
dan100, 500,000 euros
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Deliaskis, Kersh, Thanks.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Take a look at www.immo-planet.at perhaps you can find there somethin interesting or an real estate agent, who will help you!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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It's not just international resistance to foreigners buying. If you're not a local or linked to a local then Austrians have problems buying too.
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| erica2004 wrote: |
stanton, sent you a pm
dan100, 500,000 euros |
sorry lost the thread. How big an apartment in terms of bedrooms and sq metres do you get for that?
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You know it makes sense.
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As you are probably aware by all the comments it is extremely difficult to buy in Lech. I have been looking pretty seriously for the last 18 months at Austria. Was considering around Kaprun etc as there was more property available than my beloved St Anton/Lech and the prcess did seem easier. My understanding from this process is that you must, as a foreigner, rent your property out to 'tourists'.
There is a flat for sale for €777,000 in Lech through Rightmove http://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas/austria/vorarlberg This is the 1st flat I've seen for sale in around 2 years of searching. I have been advised by the agents, who ironically are based in Kaprun, that I could buy as a foreignor but must make available for renting.
Secret is to keep digging around and you will find something. OK it will not be cheap.
If you need someone to chip in with you, give me a shout!
Bob
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| DB wrote: |
| It's not just international resistance to foreigners buying. If you're not a local or linked to a local then Austrians have problems buying too. |
'Are you local ? This is a local shop for local people.'
Great stuff !
Austrians. Dontchajustluvem ?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| boabski wrote: |
As you are probably aware by all the comments it is extremely difficult to buy in Lech. I have been looking pretty seriously for the last 18 months at Austria. Was considering around Kaprun etc as there was more property available than my beloved St Anton/Lech and the prcess did seem easier. My understanding from this process is that you must, as a foreigner, rent your property out to 'tourists'.
There is a flat for sale for €777,000 in Lech through Rightmove http://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas/austria/vorarlberg This is the 1st flat I've seen for sale in around 2 years of searching. I have been advised by the agents, who ironically are based in Kaprun, that I could buy as a foreignor but must make available for renting.
Secret is to keep digging around and you will find something. OK it will not be cheap.
If you need someone to chip in with you, give me a shout!
Bob |
Seriously expensive but not compared to other premier resorts eg courchevel/ val d'sere
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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in Zuers at 10.500 Euro per m². EU citizens can buy. These are official holiday flats > local authority gave this permission in the middle of the 80ies. Since beginning of the 90ies no holiday flat permissions are given. The sale already started two months ago and there are just two appartments available - rest sold out.
Regards from the Arlberg - I stay here the whole year long
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Dear Friends! You can always visit web-site of AUSTRIA-PARTNER where you can find the best offers of real estate for any choices in all lands of Austria. There so many properties for skiers such as ski chalets in Lech am Arlberg, holidays appartments in Sankt Anton, Soelden, Ichgl etc. I think they have a lot of exclusive real estate which are not available on the market. Here the web link - http://www.austria-partner.co.at
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Dear Friends!
You can always visit web-site of AUSTRIA-PARTNER where you can find the best offers of real estate for any choices in all lands of Austria. There so many properties for skiers such as ski chalets in Lech am Arlberg, holidays appartments in Sankt Anton, Soelden, Ichgl etc. I think they have a lot of exclusive real estate which are not available on the market.
Here the web link - http://www.austria-partner.co.at
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I quite fancy the castle in a small ski resort for a mere 22 million euros 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Blatant advert from Nitish, BUT very nice site. Some cracking properties on there. Just wish I had a spare few million € kicking around 
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Is anyone else hearing an Austrian-like echo around here?
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There's one place on that site with a living space stated to be 1,600 m2 - that's over 1 1/2 sq kilmoetres! What is that in football pitches?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Can anyone find the impressum for that Austrian-Site?
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RattytheSnowRat, um, 1,600m2 is not 1.5 sq Km. That would be a property with boundaries of > 1000 * 1000 m, or 1^6m2.
We are looking at something that is closer to 40 * 40m... Still big tho!
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FAQ
