May the 22nd, 2024 – Gorski Kotar is an overlooked but utterly stunning part of Croatia. Being somewhere “in the middle” of continental and coastal Croatia, most people just skip straight past it. However, this “neither here nor there” geographical position seems to be working in its favour as far as investment is concerned.
If you’ve ever driven from continental Croatia to the coast or vice verse, you’ll have driven through at least part of Gorski Kotar. This gorgeous, mountainous region of Croatia is full of valleys, beautiful landscapes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and plenty of opportunities for… investment.
While the majority of foreign nationals keep their eyes fixated on the coast and snap up properties across Dalmatia and Istria, many others are looking in the other direction and choosing to invest in Gorski Kotar. This upcoming part of the country could take on an entirely different character over the next few years if this silently continues.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatia has become an extremely attractive country for foreigners to buy real estate in, and the most important thing for them is safety, writes Dnevnik, and when it comes to that, Croatia is exceptionally reach.
“Of course, they also love natural beauty, they tell me: ‘the sky is a different colour in Croatia!’ They also choose Croatia because of the quality of life and the proximity of the country as a car destination. Last but not least, we’re still a much more affordable purchase than Spain or Italy”, explained Branko Papeš, director of Dogma real estate from Rijeka.
However, buyers from abroad know very well that even in Croatia they can no longer buy a house down by the sea for 40 or 50,000 euros.
Of the locations in terms of demand, the stunning Istrian peninsula continues to lead the way, which is easily accessible by car, especially for Austrians and Germans. The Czechs, for example, typically look for property down in Dalmatia the most. The surroundings of Zadar and Split are also attractive to them, as are the islands of Krk, Brač and so on.
Although it is a little further away from the sea, Gorski Kotar has become an extremely popular destination for buying holiday homes and other such properties.
“Prices have literally exploded since the coronavirus pandemic ended. Before the pandemic, land could be bought in most places in Gorski Kotar for 7,500 to 10,000 euros. Today, the price for the same land stands at 40 to 50,000 euros. This is now slowly spilling over into Lika of all places. So, whoever is planning an investment, this is certainly a location where they should invest,” concluded Papeš.
