E. Coenemans from Echt, Netherlands.

What may I buy as foreigner?

"Everything, with the exception of" is the answer. The forbidden and limited real estates are:

A foreigner can never buy a property in a protected nature area.

Agricultural properties normally can not be bought. Exceptions are only for foreigners with residential status an in some cases for firms. Foreigners should not try to buy agricultural properties. Do you need it for a firm? Our on real estates specialised lawyer will advise you about the legal possibilities.

Real estates in the "outer area". Outer area can be somewhat explained with outside a settlement, but it is not the same, it can be identical, but there is no need for it. Which property is belonging to which area can be seen in the registration. But there is an exception: properties with an identity as family-home can be bought with permission, as long as the property is not too large. The law describes exactly the circumstances and getting the permit is not sure.

So you can buy everything in the "inner area" of a community what does not belong to the points 1 and 2, as well as houses in the "outer area" can be excepted from the list of forbidden real estate. In the "inner area" is no limitation of the surface. The community can only disagree with a purchase when there are important reasons for the community not to allow it. At the komitat the interests of the buyer and the community will be compared. Further the komitat checks the legality of the purchase. Does anyone try to sell you real estate in a different way? Be careful and inform first at an independent Hungarian lawyer, we will arrange this for you if you want.

Can I buy everything without permission up from May 1st 2004, when Hungary joins the European Union?

I'm afraid you can not. Hungary has the right to limit the purchase during a longer period. How long this period will be is for example depending on the situation of the market and so I can't give a definite date for abolishing of the limitations. The first years this won't be done. Pretty enough does Hungary allow much more than other new members of the EU. But based on the regulations of free choice for citizens of the European Union to settle anywhere in the EU the purchase of a house ha been made easier when it will be used permanently.

Why is it for foreigners so difficult to get a construction permit?

This is not true! Foreigners may build a house under the same conditions as Hungarians. The bureaucratic situation is not very easy for foreigners, but therefore you make this together with a specialist that is familiar with the Hungarian rules! You even can not apply for a constructing permit personally; therefore you need an officially registered specialist. But all this is no real problem: the rules are less strict than in Western Europe.

Will the prices increase when Hungary joins the EU?

The prices increase and will keep on the next time. But who expect explosive higher prices is as seller a stupid dreamer or as real estate agent a liar who expect quick profit. It is not acceptable to make money with the fears of people! Realistic you should calculate with more increasing prices than in the Euro countries, but even with high economic impulses you should not expect more than 10 %, lower is more realistic.

Is it possible to be expropriated again in Hungary?

No! The opposite is true: in Hungary there is a special law for protection of foreign investments. The Hungarian state forbids some purchases (see also "What may I buy as foreigner"), but then the state is very protective with that property.

How is the political stability in Hungary?

Hungary has a young, but stable democratic system. Since the communists had to give up the power the government had been changed with every general election, every four years.

People say that there are some regions where is a larger risk of being victim of a crime, because the regions are very poor, caused by of the ethnical composite. Is it true?

It is true that there are richer and poorer regions in Hungary. Also the politics about the minorities is in some cases just perfect, in others - pity enough more often - just a catastrophe. Who Hungary knows a little and says that this would not be true is either blind about social realities or does not want to accept those realities. And of course it is true that Hungary is a country where many minorities and also many mentalities meet each other. But so different the regions and the there living people might be, nobody is determined by his ethnic, regional or social decadence to be criminal. The average life standards in Hungary are on a lower level than in western countries, but this standard and with it the quality of life increase. It is quite important from which side you are approaching a level. I don't want to tell anybody that there are no crimes in Hungary, as told by some real estate agents as well. But luckily is the risk to be victim of a crime here lower than in Western Europe. Also shouldn't you compare apples with pears, a vacation home is no house where constantly is lived in. Conclusion? Fear is even fault as incautious, just act normal!

I have problems, where I must be?

It is impossible to tell you a solution for every problem here. But when you are in trouble we often can tell you a good address to be. In construction cases we can take it over, because of our own expertise. Is it about juridical problems about real estate we will arrange for you an appointment with an in this question very well informed lawyer. Often we can give just some good advice that is very valuable for someone in problems, while the answer on an easy question is for free of course. This we do not only offer to people who already are our customers, but to everyone!

What are the costs of visiting houses?

All the time you need. Seriously: it doesn't matter how long we visit how many houses, it always will be for free! You don't pay any fee for visits, no money for gasoline and nothing else, in one word: nothing. About firms that want you to pay for visiting houses I don't say anything here, please make up your mind yourself!

The Magyar Kúria does not make promotion with its permissions and registration of the firm by the legally determined instances. Why not?

We expect that everybody has to obey the law. It is a pity that we are living in a world not everybody thinks like this. But this does not mean that we have to merchandise our products by telling always that we do. Of course you find all legal information on the site with the firm's information.

Why is none of the directors of the Magyar Kúria lawyer?

To avoid the possible idea among our customers to unite our interests with the interests of seller or buyer we only work with a lawyer who is not part of our team. We are pleased about every firm that let pass contracts by an independent lawyer.

Why does Magyar Kúria cooperage with other enterprises?

We want to sell a complete product. Our team can do a lot, but not everything. That's why we work with partners, which make it possible to offer a product that is much broader and has much more quality than one firm alone could offer. Ideal for customers who have one partner only who is responsible for everything! Who ever has made the experience that one firm tells the next would be responsible knows how important one responsible is.

Why does the Magyar Kúria see herself not as real estate agent?

First of all: we are real estate agent in the sense of law and qualified of course. You needn't a qualification for being real estate agent at all. We do not see ourselves as real estate agent, because we do much more than a normal real estate agent does. We are allowed to develop real estate projects and offer many services about Hungarian real estate. We do much more than the services that normally may be expected by real estate agents - by the way not only for customers who bought a house with us. Our service is always comparable!

Why does Magyar Kúria use prices in Forint and not in Euro?

We are a Hungarian enterprise and we have nearly only Hungarian sellers. Most Hungarians have a good relationship with their freely convertible money and normally do not want foreign currencies for their houses, products and services. Somewhere there might be an exception and those exceptions we remark on our website clearly. Die exchange rates are not always the same and the Forint has been officially devaluated in 2003. Because we do our business in Forint we can tell you exact prices without adding an amount for the risks for changing real estate rates. So we can calculate fairer than possible in Euros. At our office we daily receive the actual exchange rates and can tell you the most correct amounts in Euro.

Why doesn't pay Magyar Kúria the journeys of possibility buyers to Hungary?

A journey to Hungary for free for everybody? Nice idea. But is that fair concurrence? No! And who pays? Those customers who buy indeed. And would you like to pay the journey for ten further customers when buying a house? That is the only secret behind those actions. Searching publicity is a good thing, but not for every price on the shoulders of the customers!

Why doesn't Magyar Kúria build the houses, which are shown on the website?

Constructing a house according a fix plan is very easy. And this is the normal method of many constructors. Without any fantasy just "take it or leave it". Our proposals are not for sale, but to inspire our customers and to show how the possibilities are, which houses fit into the landscape and to give an idea about the costs. We realise the desires of our customers only, although this means more work. It does not matter whether you want to renovate your living, add bathroom to an existing house, build several rooms in a barn or construct a complete house. Our questions is "how do you want to live" and not "do you select A or B?".

Why has Magyar Kúria an office in Hungary only, but none in other countries?

We are a Hungarian enterprise selling products in Hungary; we are just nearby our products. An office abroad might be good to show some pictures while having a cup of coffee, but a journey to Hungary is absolutely necessary. The traffic routes are very good, even as all communication possibilities. From abroad we could not offer more than we can on distance from Hungary - except the cup of coffee of course...

Why can Magyar Kúria offer a Hungarian financing for all kinds of houses?

Very easy: the law about the currencies allows it and the banks are discovering the foreign customer. It is not possible without bureaucracy, but for a service enterprise it should be normal to take over this problems.