Romania is a romantic and beautiful country with dramatic mountains and rolling hills, fertile plains, rivers and lakes, plus the up-and-coming Black Sea resorts.
Location
Romania, historical country, suffered decades of neglect under Communist rule and has spent the last decade and a half attempting to catch up to the standards of living enjoyed throughout western Europe. Romania is situated in the south-eastern part of Central Europe and shares borders with Hungary to the northwest, Yugoslavia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, the Black Sea and Ukraine to the southeast and north, the Republic of Moldova to the east. Romania is the second largest country in the area, after Poland. Romania's territory features splendid mountains, beautiful rolling hills, fertile plains and numerous rivers and lakes. The Danube River runs through the country, from northwest to southeast, culminating in the Danube Delta and the Black Sea.
Climate
Romania has a temperate climate with four different seasons, this is the reason tourists do not experience any acclimatization difficulties when they travel to Romania.
People
Foreign visitors consider Romanians among the friendliest and most hospitable people on earth. Romanians are by nature fun loving, warm, hospitable and playful, with an innate sense of humour.
Traditions, folklore and food
The countryside is the heart and soul of Romania, where peasant culture remains a strong force and medieval life prevails, as it does nowhere else in Europe. Romania is a country with thousands of years of history and ancient cultures. It is famous for its rich historical, architectural and archaeological heritage, which includes fortress cities, incredible architectural and sculptural works, many monasteries and villages with unique architecture.
Romanian cooking is rich, tasty and substantial, as befits a country were all food is still naturally grown and where fruits and vegetables follow their normal season.
Area: 238,391 sq. km (12th in Europe and 81st in the world).
Population: 21.794.793 .
Capital: Bucharest
WHY IS ROMANIA A GOOD COUNRTY TO INVEST IN?
1. Romania is at the top of A Place in the Sun’s 2006 list of European investments
Property prices are still low compared to Western Europe, but are expected to increase by 30 per cent due to the EU accession. According to Amanda Lamb, presenter of A Place in the Sun, Romania is currently one of the best places to invest in a property – she is predicting that houses there could increase in value by as much as 414 per cent in the next 10 years, as a direct result of the country’s accession to the EU in 2007.
(
www.channel4.com/4homes/buyingabroad/countryguides/cg_romania.html)
2. The EU integration of Romania
In 2007 Romania has joined the European Union. Historically, once a country is set for an accession in EU, investments start to come into that country, Romania is not an exception. Investments from major companies have been coming into the country from when accession timetable was set some years ago. This is making Romania one of the most exciting places to invest.
People who have invested in Romania, especially the ones who have made investments in real estate, will benefit from the significant increase of the real estate prices and collect good profit if they decide to sell their properties.
3. Attractive location
Romania has an attractive location, allowing an easy access to the countries of the former CIS countries, Balkans, the Middle East and Northern Africa. Being located at the cross-roads of traditional commercial routes, the country allows access to over 200 millions consumers within an area of 1000 kilometres. The transport infrastructure is developing rapidly: the opening of new airports and the improvement of the road network is helped notably by European subventions.
Another development for Romanian real estate is the construction of a new € 2 billion super-highway being realized with the financial backing of the EU. This new super-highway built with the technology of the American firm Bechtel contracted to complete it by the year 2010-2012 will dramatically change the face of Romania. It will cut the travel time between Bucharest and major European cities. Extensive maritime and river navigation and the completion of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal provides uninterrupted water access from the Black Sea to the North Sea.
4. Attractive low prices of properties
Despite the continuous rise of the prices of real estate properties abroad, the market in Romania still offers the most attractive prices among all other countries in the EU, with off plan development prices starting at as little as £40,000. Statistics for the last two years show that prices for both land and homes have doubled in some areas and specialists assume the market will follow the same course in the next five to ten years.
5. Foreign companies are already investing
Major international corporate investors recognised this unique convergence of factors that made Romania such an attractive investment destination. The result was an increasing volume of large scale real estate investments, such as:
- Multi-national TriGranit Development EUR 1.5 billion - UK's European Future Group EUR 150 million - USA's Appolo Real Estate Advisor EUR 150 million - UK 's Meinl European Land - EUR 100 million - UK 's Balymore properties-EURO 90 million
2005 saw the highest foreign investment level ever and this trend continues. A rise in direct foreign investment allows more jobs to be created, increases transfer of technology and offers training to the labour force. Further more it results in a greater competitiveness on the international market, influences a rise in exports and encourages businesses to produce results that can be subject to profit taxes. With an increase in profit taxes reinvestment in infrastructure projects, education, health-care and other social programs can be carried out. A gradual economical growth Romania’s economy is combining steadily increasing levels of GDP and significantly higher levels of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) than its near neighbours in 2004 – Romania €3.5bn. – Hungary €2.5bn. – Bulgaria €1.5bn. – Slovakia € 0.5bn. Inflation at 9.9% in 2004 has been steadily reduced since 2000. CEE economies compared by Creditanstalt – Bank Austria @ www.factbook.net/ar/cee_report_ca_ba_2005
The country has consistently enhanced its political stability since 2000, and strengthened its relationships with both European and US administrations.
In 2004, HVB Bank Austria reported that Romania recorded a GDP growth of 8.3% just behind Latvia (8.7%) at the top of the CEE league table.
Romania’s economy has recently been upgraded to investment grade by Fitch. The Romanian currency has been appreciating against US Dollar, Euro and Pound, providing additional growth potential for investors in Romanian property assets.
6. Attractive tourism
Romania offers a rich tapestry of tourist attractions and vacation experiences unique in Central-Eastern Europe: medieval towns in Transylvania, the world-famous Painted Monasteries in Bucovina, traditional villages in Maramures, the magnificent architecture of Bucharest, the romantic Danube Delta, fairy-tale castles, the Black Sea resorts, the majestic Carpathian Mountains, spas and much more.
The interest in Romania by foreigners continuously rises, especially in the last few years when certain important socioeconomic and political changes were made. Most of Romania's famous winter and summer tourist destinations offer facilities to European and international standards.
Transylvania has the best tourism potential, since it is already a household name. Real value for money can be found in the large, rustic properties around the superb medieval Saxon city of Brasov or Sighisoara – birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, on whom the legend of Dracula is supposedly based. The area has year-round attractions, including Europe’s cheapest skiing, hiking, fortified churches, and varied wildlife including bears and wolves.
7. Investments in real estate can double your money in less than 5 years
People who will invest their money in Romanian real estate could register, in less than 5 years, a profit of 100 %, considering that, according to western standards, the prices on the market are still low, writes the specialized British portal homesgofast.com. "Investors looking for real estate markets with prices that are incredibly low will have to concentrate on Romania, after the country has joined, on 1 January 2007, the European Union (UE).After 17 years from the collapse of the Communist regime, the request, on the Romanian real estate market, is in continuing to grow." notes the aforementioned publication.
According to the British portal, quoted by NewsIn, investors in real estate and everyone that has a good intuition in business are considering Romania to be an ideal location to buy real estate. "In a fast moving market, where the prices start from less than 15.000 pounds, it is no wonder that investors could double the invested money in less than 5 years", it is also claimed in the article published by homesgofast.com.
http://www.romaniareport.com/Investments-in-real-estate-can-double-your-money-in-less-than-5%20years.html http://www.zf.ro/articol_117175/foreign_investors_focus_on_eastern_romania.html
