Getting a second home abroad - is it a good idea or not?

I have written my experience of acquiring and using property abroad after five years...

It's been five years since we acquired a second home by the sea. Although I live in a beautiful place in NP Czech Switzerland in a nice village with a great community, it has always been my dream to occasionally escape to the sea and live there for a while. Not to be confused with vacationing. Simply having a second home.

After five years, I'll try to write down some wisdom and, most importantly, experiences. What surprised me, both pleasantly and unpleasantly.

We purchased an apartment (2 rooms + kitchenette) on an island (connected to the mainland by a bridge) near Zadar, 300 meters from the sea, 100 meters from the nearest restaurant and small shop. We were looking for a place that would be accessible for our Good Sailors colleagues in wheelchairs, so the otherwise not very beautiful surroundings in the Croatian style of "let's concrete everything we can" is an advantage here - actually, everything is barrier-free because of it.

Acquisition

We bought the apartment through a Czech-Slovak-Croatian real estate agency, which eliminated a lot of worries (communication, translations, paperwork...). So I recommend it, feel free to contact the ladies and mention me. More in the first article about acquiring a cottage in Croatia.

Appreciation

In five years, the price of the apartment has practically doubled, so from a financial perspective, it was more than a good investment. But we hit a good time; currently, I find real estate in Croatia quite expensive (which doesn't mean it won't continue to grow).

Location

The right location is probably the most important thing that will either put a smile on your face or give you wrinkles. And I don't just mean whether you have a beautiful view and clean sea or a ski slope behind your house...

Car or Plane?

I believe it's always better to have the option to drive to your property. And I don't mean an adventurous week-long journey across the continent. Especially in the case of islands, the limitation to planes or long ferry journeys is something that needs to be thought through. We experienced this during Covid, when we spent a considerable part of all lockdowns in Croatia. And that's exactly the moment when you're glad you can get out somewhere (pandemic, war...). But if something really significant happens in the world, you end up like property owners on Mallorca, for example, where for a large part of the pandemic, you simply couldn't get there (planes weren't flying, no one was allowed on the island...). If this doesn't bother you and you want to fly from Prague to your apartment in Malaga for the weekend, why not. It just has some limitations. I'm not even talking about the additional costs of renting a car, electric bike, and other equipment. Those who hate traveling by car have it easier :-).

Right by the Sea!

When you're on vacation by the sea, houses where the sea splashes at your doorstep look like the ultimate choice. When you come here in winter during a storm and see how houses in the first row by the sea are half a floor underwater, you'll change your mind. When you see owners doing a new facade every year and replacing everything metal, you'll change your mind. Moreover, proximity to the sea often means more noise from people in summer (not necessarily). So, with consideration, because not only global warming will likely make you regret it soon. A bit high up and away from people? Then yes.

Ground Floor or Views?

For barrier-free reasons, we were acquiring an apartment on the ground floor. And I admit - I was a bit sorry about it. I like views, and apartments on higher floors are brighter. If you come somewhere for a week or two on vacation, you want a view and really enjoy the sun. If you want to be somewhere for a month, you're glad to be in the shade and cool, hidden under trees on the ground floor. It's only with time that one understands why Greeks, Croatians, and other southern nations have closed windows everywhere and bedrooms preferably in the basement.

Location as a Starting Point

Count on the fact that you're acquiring a place where you want to spend a lot of time. You'll soon get tired of the beach by the house, the restaurants around as well, and when you know the whole island by heart, it's good to have the opportunity to go somewhere further. When we go to the Adriatic today, we look forward to the mountains more than the sea. We have Velebit quite close, a few historical towns and ports as well. Choose a place where you won't be bored even after a few years. A small Greek island sounds romantic, but will you really have something to do there?

When Will We Go There?

Go to see the place at the time when you'll be spending time there. Especially for seasonal destinations, the differences are incredible. We primarily go to the island off-season, when half the restaurants are closed, there are minimal people, and we feel good here. Off-season, 3,000 people live here. In full season, up to 100,000. And that's very noticeable. So you might easily find yourself choosing a beautiful village in the Greek mountains with tavernas and shops in summer, come there in October and meet only abandoned cats and a grandma who's come to look at you on the streets (happened to me on Samos).

This is also related to the weather. In the middle of Crete, you'll probably feel great in April, but in July, you'll be falling on your face from the heat. A cheap and beautiful cottage in the middle of Swedish lakes looks great in the ad, but as one of my acquaintances says, hitting the period between "fucking cold" and "fucking mosquitos" isn't exactly easy. I recently found an amazing and cheap house in Norway, I was almost buying it until I came across a discussion where locals were arguing whether there are 260 or 300 rainy days a year.

Will You Fit In?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how buying property affects the local community. If you, as a rich person from the west (which you practically are if you're thinking about it), buy an apartment in the middle of a tourist destination, probably not much will happen. But when city slickers start buying cottages in some small fishing or mountain village, it can happen that the genius loci will quickly disappear and you won't be popular with the locals either. Let's buy properties where it will help the locals more than hurt them.

Healthcare

Especially if you have children or plan to spend your old age in your dream apartment or cottage, think about healthcare. None of us want to end up in a hospital, but there are countries where it can be really hell. And there are places where you can't even get to a hospital. A small island in Croatia or Greece is very romantic, but if you have a heart attack, you're simply done. On the other hand, you have the certainty that you won't be living out your days in a long-term care facility...

Water

This is and will be a problem in the south. It's good to verify what sources it comes from and what the prognoses are for the future. In Spain or Greece, you can buy a beautiful and cheap house where there are big problems with water. On islands, there's often no water supply and water is brought in (or rainwater is caught) into underground tanks. We have it like this at our place too. For a newcomer, it sounds like a "no-go" at the beginning, but it's not a big problem.

Fires, Earthquakes, Politics...

You can buy a beautiful house near the town of L'Aquila in Italy for a few crowns, but it's possible that it will fall on your head one day (or maybe not!). You can buy a stylish cottage near Yosemite in California for the price of a 2+1 in Ústí nad Labem, but the chance that it will burn down one day isn't very small. A nice house in the middle of an olive grove on a Greek island far from town sounds beautiful until the local firefighters explain to you that when things get tough, they protect towns and villages and isolated houses understandably have bad luck. If you don't mind looking at the "angry Turk" or boats bringing migrants from Lesbos, you're fine. We each have different levels of risk and fears. It's just necessary to think about the fact that not everywhere is as safe as here. I wouldn't underestimate the political situation in the target country either. The EU and Schengen are good starting points. You don't want to deal with the fact that they don't want you in the country or that you won't even be able to get there one day.

Living

Having a second home somewhere is very different from going somewhere on vacation. You have commitments in the place, you'll make new acquaintances and friends there. Soon you'll find out where to go to the port for fish, who to go to for olive oil, who will repair your roof... It's different, it's not for everyone, but one thing is certain - it will enrich your life. I wanted to have property abroad precisely because of new experiences - after all, that's the most important thing.

What Did People Around Me Say?

It's like an RV - you'll buy it and won't use it

True and untrue. Probably very individual. Some people want to have their second home, some want to go somewhere different for every vacation. If you choose a suitable place, you can discover the surroundings for the rest of your life. But if you have 2 free weeks a year, it probably doesn't make sense. And compared to an RV, there's a chance that the value will grow...

It's just worries, you'll always be repairing something there

This has absolutely not been confirmed for us. In 5 years, nothing significant has broken in the apartment or on the house. Once a neighbor replaced 2 tiles on the roof for us. Once we blew the fuses in such a way that a guy from the power company had to come, whom the neighbors called for us. And then they brought us a gift pack of candles in case it happens to us again.

What if you have terrible neighbors?

It's good to have someone local around you and have good relations with them. When something happens, they'll help you and that's priceless, especially if there's a problem with communication. Whenever we go to Croatia, we bring some small gifts (bribes) to the neighbors. When you need something once in a while, it goes much easier.

It costs a lot of money

This depends a lot on what you get. If you have a villa with a pool that someone has to come to maintain every week, it won't be cheap. Our costs (taxes, electricity, water, waste) for running the apartment are around 1,000 EURO annually. No big deal.

For yourself or for rent?

Be careful here - locals perceive very much what you're after. If you're a cottage owner who comes once in a while, enjoys the place and disappears again, you're welcome. If you acquire a house next to a neighbor who rents two apartments in their home and put it on Airbnb, it will look completely different. I haven't experienced it, but I've heard several stories about how this way, nice neighbors become tough competition. And getting into a fight with locals?

Go for it

Our experience with property in Croatia has been purely positive over five years, it was a great decision that broadened our horizons and showed our children a different life. There are many properties on the market today and there are still places where they can be bought at reasonable prices. Croatia unfortunately no longer belongs to them, but who knows, maybe in 5 years the prices will be 100% higher again. Personally, I think Croatia has the potential to become a kind of "Switzerland by the sea".

Different things are suitable for different people. The choice is - great prices - Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands, Azores, but also Canada or the USA. If you're not looking in Switzerland, you can find something affordable almost everywhere.

Do you have your own experiences with a second home abroad? Are they different? Share them here! 🙏