Montenegro has gone from strength to strength since it severed its loose union to Serbia to become one of the smallest countries in the world. It has proven to be a good decision for the ex-communist state: allowing them to join financial institutions in their own right, bringing substantial assistance from the EU to improve the country's stability and infrastructure, and ensuring its current path of attracting increasing foreign direct investment continues -- all in preparation for Montenegro's ascension into the EU, undoubtedly just around the corner.
Some people are worried about emerging markets, and saying things like they shouldn't be invested in, people should put their money into the safety of established markets. As they say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, because these people are completely wrong. Most experts are full of optimism, even excitement about the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and around the world.
Businesses are attracted to invest, and/or set up branches of their company in an emerging market because they can do so cheaply, and hire a hard-working labour force for a comparatively low wage budget. When this happens, unemployment is reduced in the country, and affluence begins to spread to previously impoverished areas. Living costs rise, in the form of price rises across the board, which of course includes building materials. Labourers and tradesman demand and need higher wages to get by with the increased living costs. This all pushes house prices up.
When emerging markets like Montenegro start to attract global attention prices are nowhere near what people abroad are willing to pay as the houses have previously had to be affordable to local people. To start with the low prices mean incredible rental yields for early investors as tourism grows rapidly, but often prices rise faster than rental rates which cause yields to drop. Sufficed to say the early bird catches the worm.
Montenegro is a very favourable market to make a property investment in. There are no restrictions on foreign ownership, round-trip transaction costs are only around the 5% mark and capital gains a competitive 15%.
Find out more about Montenegro property investment at: http://www.davidstanleyredfern.com/
Media enquiries should be directed to Liam Bailey: media@davidstanleyredfern.com
