New Home..

[Steveboy]

We just bought a new home here business apartment right on the river , completion January 2021 though this building firm always complete the project 3/4 months ahead of schedule and we have already been told we should have the keys October next year..
Paid a big deposit and took three years credit on the balance directly with the building company, so we will only have 24 months payments left when we move in.
We bought the apartment just as a shell so around May next year as soon as we get access we will be sending in contractors to fit the floors, bathrooms and plastering that , that is all very easy..

The only real thing I miss from living by the sea in Dorset some years back was boating, this place will have boat parking outside eventually , and there is a marina just down the road.. so finally Im going to get myself a big boat soon enough:)
Will post some pictures next summer..

https://etalon-na-neve.ru






 

[andrewfi]

Congratulations on this big step onward and upward!

[Steveboy]

Congratulations on this big step onward and upward!

Onwards for sure.. Russia becomes visa free pretty well very soon, St Petersburg is this month I think there was 4000 online applications in the first day for the new e-visa.. I have been checking out the boating situation in the last year , there are few top end boat trips for tourists and what there are are not marketed very well I plan to fill some of that gap within a few months of moving.. trip down the Neva .. out to the Gulf of Finland then down to the new tower marina .. lets see..

[NS1]

Congrats, good luck with the venture.
Nice looking property when done.

[2tallbill]

Congratulations!

[justadude]

Congrats! I have wondered about buying an unfinished shell. It seems to be a very popular concept in Ukraine, both for houses and apartments. How much do you think you would save going this route as opposed to buying a unit that is turnkey and ready to move in?

It seems like a great way to go for you but I think as someone who has little grasp of the language I would be better off buying a finished unit. Or no unit at all...

[2tallbill]

I would be better off buying a finished unit. Or no unit at all...

My advice is to live in a new place at least a year before buying
and that's in the USA. In Ukraine or other foreign country that is
doubly important. Until you know if you can even stand the place,
learn the language and live with the BS it makes far more sense
to rent.

After living in a place for a year or two you will know if you can
hack it, you will know your day to day living routine and what
places would be best to live based on that experience.

Even when you rent, you will find that you wished that you chose
a place closer to this or closer to that. It's far easier to correct a
decision when you rent

Udachi!

Bill


 

[andrewfi]

Absolutely agree with that Bill.
As for buying, given that buying the shell is pretty much normal in this part of the world, as a foreigner, I'd be very much inclined to buy a place that I liked that was completed.

A friend of mine bought a house as a shell and it was a nightmare. The first purchase fell through before he even got to the fitting out stage and the second took forever and that was with a savvy wife well tied into the local ecosystem. It was much harder because neither of them had any experience with buying and fitting out a property. Also, of course, experience from the U.S will not help much when dealing with local requirements.

[Steveboy]

Construction work has come to a halt in Moscow ... for a month at least Im hoping it will not come here depending on the zombie virus!

We only got around 5 months till we move in to our new home now.. wife is alrady shopping online for stuff..

[Twinky]

Congratulation! I think it would very nice to live there

[Steveboy]

We are finally on the last 3 months before we officially get the keys to our new place, it has been two years since we purchased the place.. We got Bob the builder and a few others finally ready to fit it all out 

[Gipsy]

We are finally on the last 3 months before we officially get the keys to our new place, it has been two years since we purchased the place.. We got Bob the builder and a few others finally ready to fit it all out 

You got one of the topish floor places, or much lower down...
Overlooking the river, or at the other flats...
Hope that it dosen't turn into a ghetto for you..
Well done...

[Steveboy]

We are finally on the last 3 months before we officially get the keys to our new place, it has been two years since we purchased the place.. We got Bob the builder and a few others finally ready to fit it all out 

You got one of the topish floor places, or much lower down...
Overlooking the river, or at the other flats...
Hope that it dosen't turn into a ghetto for you..
Well done...

We are on the forth floor exactly on the corner of the front of the building ..next to the river..will put some photos up in a couple of months..

It will only be short stay wife already looking for another bigger place we plan to rent it out end of next year

[Steveboy]

Got the keys to our new place a few weeks ago.. so were busy with Bob the builder at the moment sorting out fitting the place out.. made a nice profit on the place over 2 years. Wife already scouting around for the next project probably will live here 12/18 months then rent it out on Air&B if all goes to plan..

[Contrarian]

Congratulations Steve!! Looks fit for a king! 

[andrewfi]

Steve, how big is it?
It does not look like a shoebox!

[Steveboy]

Steve, how big is it?
It does not look like a shoebox!

About 95 Square meters not to bad size but still not big enough really ..nearly all the apartments there are about 18-40,million roubles, so not a bad place, no riff raff. If all works out were planning to buy a place 130 square meters next not long after Christmas we have a place in mind ready 2023. 

[andrewfi]

About 95 Square meters not to bad size but still not big enough really ..nearly all the apartments there are about 18-40,million roubles, so not a bad place, no riff raff. If all works out were planning to buy a place 130 square meters next not long after Christmas we have a place in mind ready 2023. 

That's strange! Yours is a tad smaller than mine but it looks mahoosive! Is it pretty much an open-plan layout? I really like the internal finishing on these modern places, makes mine look like a hovel!

[Steveboy]

About 95 Square meters not to bad size but still not big enough really ..nearly all the apartments there are about 18-40,million roubles, so not a bad place, no riff raff. If all works out were planning to buy a place 130 square meters next not long after Christmas we have a place in mind ready 2023. 

That's strange! Yours is a tad smaller than mine but it looks mahoosive! Is it pretty much an open-plan layout? I really like the internal finishing on these modern places, makes mine look like a hovel!

Yes its like open plan for the sitting room and kitchen ..trying to find some good builders to do the work at the moment. Not easy they charge stupid prices like 1000 quid to render and plaster a small bedroom ready to paint, we had a few in last week and got a few more coming this week..everyone I know has had problems with builders 

[Gipsy]

About 95 Square meters not to bad size but still not big enough really ..nearly all the apartments there are about 18-40,million roubles, so not a bad place, no riff raff. If all works out were planning to buy a place 130 square meters next not long after Christmas we have a place in mind ready 2023. 

That's strange! Yours is a tad smaller than mine but it looks mahoosive! Is it pretty much an open-plan layout? I really like the internal finishing on these modern places, makes mine look like a hovel!

Yes its like open plan for the sitting room and kitchen ..trying to find some good builders to do the work at the moment. Not easy they charge stupid prices like 1000 quid to render and plaster a small bedroom ready to paint, we had a few in last week and got a few more coming this week..everyone I know has had problems with builders 

Lovely Steve,
You may wish to consider covering the walls with plaster board (Gips karton), its much easier, faster, (should be cheaper) cleaner and straighter...
Also easier to finish with either/both paint and wallpaper..
It also adds a further level of warmth to the place...
HTH

[redroo]

Looks good Steve 

[Steveboy]

About 95 Square meters not to bad size but still not big enough really ..nearly all the apartments there are about 18-40,million roubles, so not a bad place, no riff raff. If all works out were planning to buy a place 130 square meters next not long after Christmas we have a place in mind ready 2023. 

That's strange! Yours is a tad smaller than mine but it looks mahoosive! Is it pretty much an open-plan layout? I really like the internal finishing on these modern places, makes mine look like a hovel!

Yes its like open plan for the sitting room and kitchen ..trying to find some good builders to do the work at the moment. Not easy they charge stupid prices like 1000 quid to render and plaster a small bedroom ready to paint, we had a few in last week and got a few more coming this week..everyone I know has had problems with builders 

Lovely Steve,
You may wish to consider covering the walls with plaster board (Gips karton), its much easier, faster, (should be cheaper) cleaner and straighter...
Also easier to finish with either/both paint and wallpaper..
It also adds a further level of warmth to the place...
HTH

Probably rendering the walls ... We got heating under the floor also throughout..

[Steveboy]

Blimmey that time shot on by!! During that period there has been a Global Pandemic, a war in Europe ups and downs on the exchange rates like a bloody yo yo.. we never even got to finishing the renovations JUST incase some other shit happens.. 

But finally apartment is paid off .. dust has settled luckily not radioactive dust, and we can finally move on to finishing things off.

Good news is were onto our next project which is just 500 meters away from us, completion for the end of next year a studio apartment for rentals ..   https://setlgroup.ru/projects/astra-marine

[Manny]

Can you buy easily as a foreigner or do you have to have them in your wife's name?

[Steveboy]

Can you buy easily as a foreigner or do you have to have them in your wife's name?

No you can buy as a foreigner but not as easy as a few years back there are some temporary restrictions for unfriendly countries a few small hurdles. But if you have cash it's usually no problem as far as I know. Our last place wife bought in her name we only recently transferred to both of us, same for the next place.

Plenty of foreigners in this city still buying though.