Croatian economy has been going through turmoil in the last year. While the pandemic is wreaking havoc on the travel and tourism industry, devastating earthquakes in Zagreb and Central Croatia caused even more problems and shifts in the local economy. Incredibly, the traditionally volatile real estate market in the country doesn’t seem to be going through a serious disruption, at least when it comes to prices.
Zagreb, the country’s largest city, is experiencing a turbulent period. The real estate market of the city has been rattled both literally and figuratively by a series of earthquakes. The damage from the earthquakes exposed a poor state of many buildings within the city’s centre. At the same time, much of the Croatian coast has had a rise in property prices due to the region becoming a global travel hotspot in the last 5-10 years. Many of the most attractive areas like Dubrovnik or Split centres seem overpriced to anyone looking to buy. With all this in mind, it would seem logical the crisis Croatia is facing at the moment would force the prices to drop. Still, according to an article by Dnevnik.hr, the prices generally seem to be stable or are even rising.
Regional Differences
The real estate situation in Zagreb is dynamic. The aftermath of the earthquakes left many searching exclusively for new buildings outside of the city centre. Consequently, there is a rise in prices for such properties. At the same time, there is a drop in prices for some centrally located apartments, but the buyers are rare, especially in buildings that are awaiting renovation. On the coast, Dubrovnik, the country’s most expensive real estate market, is seeing a drop in sales. Reduced demand doesn’t seem to be having a direct impact on the average price. It seems most property owners believe in a quick recuperation of this popular travel hotspot. This is also true for the rest of the popular Dalmatian areas. In Istria, the market seems stable and attracts plenty of foreign buyers, especially from Slovenia, Italy, and Austria. Around half of the properties sold in Istria are bought by foreigners.
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