For 20 thousand. Vilnius family bought an apartment in Visaginas: short-term rental need is huge

First he looked for an apartment by the sea

As many Lithuanian families from Vilnius probably wanted to relax somewhere in the region during the quarantine, last September he bought an abandoned apartment in Visaginas, which they especially liked for its characteristics: space and view through the window. First they looked for an apartment for themselves, then the idea of ​​renting it through the Airbnb platform came up.

“Parents and relatives live in Visaginas, but we decided that we needed a separate apartment so we could stay and rent at the same time. If we come for a longer period of time, we don’t want our parents to get on their heads. That’s how we decided to take a chance ”, Natalija smiles.

She admits that after examining the coast and the capital’s real estate market, she decided to buy an apartment in her native Visaginas.

“We have been looking for an apartment by the sea for a while, but there the prices are different and we realize that we will not drive as often. Everyone is discouraged because this is too far from home, it will be difficult to handle. After all, there are a lot of concerns when doing this: constant repairs, something’s not working, you need to replace the light bulb, etc.

Visaginas – a stopover to test what a short-term rental is. It is a familiar city for me, I know a lot of people if I need urgent help. I have enough relatives who could quit their jobs to come quickly and fix things.

It is too boring in Vilnius and very different in Visaginas. There are a number of challenges here that should attract tourists to the city. Especially since these short-term rental apartments in Vilnius are full, they are all empty because travel has stopped. From what I’ve heard, there is nothing good with Airbnb apartments: renting them for a longer period or selling them, ”he says.

Two-room apartment – for 20 thousand. EUR

After almost two years of searching and analysis, Vilnius residents in Visaginas for 20 thousand. Eur found an abandoned two-room apartment with a large balcony overlooking the lake. In addition, the installation cost about 12-15 thousand. EUR.

“We are very happy to be committed to this investment. We see the result: during the pandemic, everyone was sitting at home, the installation period was emotionally difficult, but a very pleasant result. Of course, I understand all the risks, what will happen with Visaginas, what are the real estate prices, but in Vilnius they are the same, they are growing and growing.

We were looking at the Visaginas real estate market for more than a year and a half, because the market did not have what we were looking for, now we have an apartment with a lake view right next to the forest and the beach park. Prices have doubled during this period. A year and a half or two ago, the same apartment would have cost up to $ 12,000. EUR. Friends of a similar apartment for 8 thousand. Eur was bought through auctions, “says Natalija.

There was a shortage of accommodation for families

After analyzing the Visaginas real estate market, the family noted that there is no shortage of places for guests to stay in this city, there are also hotels outside the city – and rural tourism haciendas, but there are no homes to suit their own. needs. .

“There are rental apartments in Visaginas, they are more suitable for young people or couples. However, for a family with children to come and settle in comfortably, as we are used to, for example, when we travel to Palanga or Kunigiškės, there are no such places, because you cannot stay in a one-room apartment. .

There are several options, but the choice for families is very small. Or it’s not for renting pre-furnished apartments, let’s say, no one lives or rents anymore. Everything else is different when the apartment is specially equipped for rent.

There are also hotels in the city, but I could not stay in them with children since we are used to relaxing, I look for a clean and minimalist area so that there is no old furniture, bedding, etc. These are my personal needs.

There are good farms next to the lakes on the outskirts of Visaginas, but we are city dwellers, we also need to have city conveniences: there is a lake nearby, we can relax and ride a bike, be in nature all day, but when we return we want to have the opportunity to order food, for example, home, walk to the store, etc. Missing apartments in Visaginas where we would like to rest. As many as there are, we couldn’t stay with anyone from the family, ”says Natalija.

See a great need

In accordance with the requirements for rest, the Vilnius family also installed their new apartment in Visaginas. The woman agrees that this city is not a popular tourist destination in Lithuania, but assures that there is a real need for such a service.

“From what I have spoken with the local owners of the larger apartments, they say that the need is enormous. Who owns and rents apartments, everything is in order, just run,” he says.

Natalia considers that her future guests will be Visaginas residents who have returned home from abroad, acquaintances, company employees or even tourists from abroad. The woman hopes that by offering a comfortable and cozy place to relax in the market, having found such an option, more and more Lithuanians will attract Visaginas.

“We will accept foreigners or our Visaginas, who come from other countries with large families to spend time with their parents, but it is already difficult for them to fit into a small parents’ apartment. Visaginas is a city of several apartments, few people have their own houses and live in gardens. The emigrants usually return during the holidays, we hope to have them in winter.

In low season we are thinking of renting an apartment for a longer period if necessary by the employees. Now a new factory has appeared in Visaginas, perhaps foreigners come on a business trip for a month and companies want to rent an apartment, ”says the hostess of the department.

For some, it has become an important source of income.

It would cost you between 40 and 45 euros per night to stay in this apartment, but it is not the most expensive option in Visaginas. There are currently 18 accommodation offers available on the Airbnb platform, with prices ranging between € 21 and € 63 per night.

“We have acquaintances who rent several apartments in the city, and her mother had to quit her job and work only with Airbnb departments, because it has become a permanent source of income,” says Natalia.

However, the woman herself does not believe that she will feel the increase in income. See the new apartment as an “extracurricular” activity rather than a financial investment project. Natalia works in finance and her husband is IT.

The apartment is already fully equipped, this summer the family could start renting it to the guests, but the family will not be in a hurry to do so yet, because the former want to be happy with the new purchase and the result of their work.