The Story of One Purchase: How We Tried to Buy a House in Serbia

Preparing for the Purchase: Money First

The story of trying to buy a house in Serbia began with the decision not to choose a property before selling our apartment. There was a fear of finding a dream home only to lose it while our old place was being sold, which could lead to psychological trauma. Therefore, the decision was made to get the money first and then start the search.

The apartment sale agreement was signed on December 1st, and the money arrived in the account at the beginning of the month. To avoid the fee for holding euros charged by the Russian Raiffeisen Bank at the end of the calendar month, the entire amount was promptly transferred to Serbia via SWIFT in mid-December. Despite the well-thought-out plan, stress was ultimately unavoidable.

First Steps in Serbia and the Online Search

Upon arriving in Serbia, the house search began immediately, even though one of the buyers was on crutches. The initial plan was to postpone the process, but having the money in the account spurred them to action. The main problem at the initial stage was making a choice: to make an informed decision, they needed to see several options, but there was a risk that the first house they liked would be sold in the meantime.

The search began on Serbian real estate websites. Several listings were found, one of which was in a village with a name amusing to the Russian ear, Jabučje, which means 'Apple Village'. However, this option was not suitable, and the search continued.

Two Final Options: The Manor and the 'Grandma's House'

On the advice of acquaintances, the search moved to the Russian platform 'Avito'. It turned out that some intermediaries find houses in Serbia that are not listed online, photograph them, and post ads for Russian-speaking buyers. In this way, two interesting properties were found 30 kilometers from the city of Novi Sad.

The first house, tentatively called the 'manor', cost 42,000 euros, which was at the top of the budget. It resembled an old estate that had been uninhabited for five years. Despite its atmosphere, the house had drawbacks, such as suspicious mold in the attic and a huge heating boiler.

The second option — the 'grandma's house' — was cheaper, at 32,000 euros. It was smaller but cozy and well-renovated. The main downside was that people had smoked in the house for decades, and it required a deep cleaning of all surfaces. In the end, they decided to go with the second, more affordable option.

The Failed Deal and the Sudden Price Hike

Having agreed to buy the 'grandma's house' for 32,000 euros, everyone was ready to sign the preliminary agreement. However, on the day of the deal, the realtor announced that the sellers had changed their minds and raised the price to 36,000 euros. This offer was rejected.

Four days later, the realtor called back and said she had managed to persuade the owners to return to the original price of 32,000 euros. But by that point, trust had been broken. A suspicion arose that it was an attempt at manipulation by the sellers or the realtor, so they definitively backed out of buying the house.

An Important Detail: The Role of the Cadastre in Serbia

In the process of preparing for the deal, an important legal aspect came to light. According to the documents, the owner of the house was the son of the previous owner, who had inherited her share after her death a year and a half ago. He had the inheritance documents in hand, but he had not updated the cadastre.

In Serbia, all real estate transactions are conducted exclusively based on data from the cadastre. Having paper documents of ownership is not a sufficient basis for a sale if the information in the official register has not been updated. The seller first needed to register his full ownership rights in the cadastre, and only then could the transaction proceed.