Western Ukraine Migration

[Texan77]

I just got back from the Ukraine. My Russian ethic girl wanted to move away from the Russian border. She used to live in Lugansk but had been staying in Zaporozhie until the war ended. She has now given up on the war and ever being able to return home and wanted to move to Ivano-Frankivsk.

On my last trip I meet her in Kiev but she did not want to live there. We had a lot of fun in Kiev. There was some building going on Kiev which was a surprise for me because I see almost nothing being built in eastern Ukraine when I am there. When we arrived in Ivano Frankivsk, about a hundred fifty miles from the Romanian boarder, she could see this was a completely new cultural to her. She was interested in this city partly because her sister moved there a while back and just loves it. This will be the first time she ever lived any place where the Ukrainian language is spoken by most of the people on the streets.

But the real story for me was there are old building and news one like in the last year and nothing in the middle. All this construction is the new boom that started after the war started in eastern Ukraine. So I feel that what I am seeing here is a migration of Ukrainians out of eastern Ukraine into Western Ukraine. There were new buildings everywhere. No they are not empty. I bought her an apartment in one that will be completed in March. The building was nearly sold out and they had started another new building after this one. When we were at closing we had to wait in line as there were two other buyers ahead of us. By the time we left there was someone waiting to close on their apartment after us.

This apartment will not be finished when she gets it. It will have a front door and just be bear concrete floor with rough plumbing and electric. She is hoping to sell her house in eastern Ukraine to complete the interior. But the market is depress in eastern Ukraine and she does not believe it will sell for enough money to buy anything she would want in western Ukraine. It looks to me like the Ukraine is becoming a country of two different economies. 

[Tom Cat]

Texan77,
Do you think that Ukrainians are wanting to live in western Ukraine because it's more prosperous, or they don't want to live under Russian influence?

[Texan77]

Texan77,
Do you think that Ukrainians are wanting to live in western Ukraine because it's more prosperous, or they don't want to live under Russian influence?

My girl wants to move there just to be completely away from the war. She does not like Kiev because of all the protest. She wants a stable wholesome place to raise her son. She wants to have as little in her life to do with wars or governments (both Russian and Ukrainian) as possible. I am sure she is not the only one that feels that way but I did not conduct a survey.

She also said, western Ukraine had cleaner air which would be helpful to reduce her allergies. She thought near by mountains and fishing would provide good activities for her son. She said that Europeans and other foreigners come here to snow sky at the many near by resorts. She felt that property prices here would continue to rise more than in most of the rest of the Ukraine. We bought an unit near the center of the city where is not easy to build many more units like areas further out. 

Most of her friends moved to Kiev but she really did not want to go there or any of the near by cities. The protest and things burning because of them and the violence was not some place she wanted to live. She said in Kiev everything cost more than anywhere else in the Ukraine. I feel a worker could earn more money in Kiev also. That is why I believe her friends went to Kiev.

We went to a store in Ivano Frankovsk where you could buy supplies to finish off the interior of the apartment. They were also very busy and a very huge store. All this building is creating work both to construct the original building as well as the completion of the units. It is most likely some people are coming there for the available work.

[andrewfi]

You don't see a future where she lives with you then?

Is this what we call a girlfriend these days?

Long live the Ukrainian branch of the Russian Bride industry.

[AvHdB]

The first wave of those fleeing from the war with Russia were ethnic Ukrainians. They felt threatened and discriminated against.

A second group that is coming now are in fact those who identify themselves as Russian. They all choose Kivy for a variety of reasons. So you know in general new build in Ukraine is delivered with bare exterior walls, you are getting a shell. I think I know the chain of stores you visited, the one in Kiev is like Home Depot on steroids.

For an hour one morning and for an evening on my last trip I was Ivano. It is considered by some as the center of Ukraine culture and customs. We will return and pass through the city on our way to the Carpathians. If you study prices of real estate in most major cities in Europe you will see property is almost always more pricey on the west side. Paris, Amsterdam and London being good examples.

Oddly enough supposedly Ivano is a bastion of support of the Right Sector and Svoboda is big there. In reliaty the two combined do not exceed 2%. Slogans and posters directly after the election were not present.

[Ste]

Wait, you bought her an APARTMENT?

[andrewfi]

Wait, you bought her an APARTMENT?

Maybe he is going to retire there?

On the face of it though it does look more than slightly daft!
And, I'd lay odds that,  even if a retirement to the heaven that is Ukraine is the dream, it doesn't happen.

Texan77, why?

[Ste]

To be fair, always wise to invest in bricks and mortar.

Better stacked one on top of the other though not in a pile after a rocket's hit them.....

[AvHdB]

Texan, I would be curious to know the structure or mechanics you used to buy the apartment.

Is it in joint custody?

Did you use a specialist (international) lawyer to organize payment and hand over?

What were/are the tax implications for your partner?

Curious for a variety of reasons. In Kiev property values have fallen some 30% +/- some area's on the left bank even more. It is expected that they will fall further and there is a likely hood of strong inflation in 2016 to 2017 in Ukraine.

[el_guero]

Tex,

Can you catch me up on this thread? Or is this one long dead?

I was more interested in costs and what not.

Wayne

[Steveboy]

Texan, I would be curious to know the structure or mechanics you used to buy the apartment.

Is it in joint custody?

Did you use a specialist (international) lawyer to organize payment and hand over?

What were/are the tax implications for your partner?

Curious for a variety of reasons. In Kiev property values have fallen some 30% +/- some area's on the left bank even more. It is expected that they will fall further and there is a likely hood of strong inflation in 2016 to 2017 in Ukraine.

There usually is no "Structure or mechanics " to these situations. Usually the punter just hands a pile of cash over to the women, who takes a small cut in commission and buys the apartment. No point a guy having his name on any property anyway, it means jack shit in that part of the world. If it comes to it the women just shouts rape and your banned from the country anyway, however good your lawyer is