Apartments in the region for a thousand euros also attract specific buyers: for them, it can become a gateway to Europe

According to data from the Registration Center, at the end of the first half of this year, people living in Belarus owned 27 real estate objects: plots, buildings, premises or apartments. Compared to the same period last year, the number of objects has not changed. And compared to the same in 2018. During the period, the number of managed real estate objects living in Belarus almost doubled (from 15).

The number of real estate objects managed by people living in Russia is more or less stable: in the first quarter of this year. At the end of 2018, there were 135 objects, in the same period last year: 139; period – 132 objects.

The Records Center noted that these data come from people living in Belarus or Russia, but are not necessarily citizens of these countries.

After providing general data on the amount of real estate purchased in the Ignalina district, the Records Center notes that in the first half of this year, 40 apartments were sold (a quarter less than in the same period last year) and 44 residential houses (6% less) in the Ignalina district.

The Great Hall is the gateway to Europe.

Delphi He previously wrote that the Great Hall remains exclusive in its property market. Didžiasalis Antanas old man Pauliukiunas said that even now there are apartments that cost one euro each. However, these are abandoned objects that are bought by those who have nowhere to live. In this case, sellers are said to be happy to get rid of the obligation to pay utility bills.

According to the old man, a normal furnished apartment can be bought here for 2-3 thousand. euros

Among other things, extremely cheap apartments also have specific buyers. According to the old man from Didžiasalis, Belarusians seeking to obtain a Schengen visa must prove that they have a place of residence in Lithuania, therefore they supposedly buy such an cheap apartment.

It is true that they agree to pay several hundred times more (in the auction of the State Tax Inspection (STI), the house can be bought from 200 euros): they organize documents that allow free travel and then donate housing to friends who also They need an apartment in Lithuania to open the door to Europe. According to the old man, the Immigration Service is already interested in these “transitional” homes.

Ignalina district municipality: only people buy apartments due to a visa

According to the municipality of the Ignalina district, people who have bought an apartment in Didžiasalis to obtain a national or Schengen visa do not disclose it, but these are only isolated cases.

“The old man finds out about the change in the owner of the apartment only if the person requests a declaration of residence. However, there is definitely not a massive influx of foreigners, because everyone here knows each other, ”assure the representatives of the municipality.

“As for the ‘gateway to Europe’, we can only say that there is a border checkpoint, the easternmost in Lithuania, near Didžiasalis, which is currently closed due to quarantine and the emergency situation in the country In general, people with all the necessary documents travel to and from Lithuania or the EU through this point, “says the municipality.

According to the Ignalina district municipality, a good number of Belarusians had previously lived and worked in Didžiasalis at the now bankrupt factory. Some of them, as well as their children and grandchildren, most of whom are citizens of the Republic of Lithuania, continue to live successfully in the Great Hall, integrate into the community, speak the state language, work and study.

“There are Belarusians who bought apartments on the Big Island, only they bought them while working in a factory, then they privatized them, and when there were no jobs left on the Big Island, some of them went to their places of origin, leaving their properties to their luck with debts that are still pending.

A public service company, the old man is looking for ways to solve the problems: preserve two houses with many abandoned apartments, according to the rest of the population, and move them to other houses. Aid is also sought in the institutions of the republic, but so far not all problems can be solved, “says the municipality.

The saying “apartments for a euro”, according to the municipality, arose when the residents of Didžiasalis began to migrate after the bankruptcy of the factory. In order not to accumulate debt for an uninhabited and often unnecessary apartment, it was sold or transferred to another owner for a symbolic price, at that time, for the litas. However, the municipality points out that this is a very old past.

Ober-Haus: there are people who want to take advantage of the current price and the political situation

Speaking about the apartments in Didžiasali, Antanas Kišūnas, the head of the Ober-Haus Housing Department, mentions several reasons why some apartments are extremely cheap.

“Firstly, it is the geographical location and long distance of large cities, as well as the border factor. Another equally important reason is the lack of business in the region, which has led to emigration and slowed development opportunities. business due to labor shortage.

These were the main reasons for the drop in prices in that area. The current situation of real estate supply in Didžiasalis created opportunities for the growth of the socially sensitive population, which further affected the attractiveness of the area and real estate prices, “says A. Kišūnas.

He says the prices in the Great Hall are really lower: A 1-2 bedroom apartment is offered here for 2,000 euros, and a 4 bedroom apartment for just over 1,000 euros at auction. However, there are not many advertisements and offers of this type.

According to an Ober-Haus representative, the buyers of these apartments are locals who love their country, work and raise children, plan their future on the Big Island, or low-middle-income people who don’t care about where they live. However, it says that it cannot confirm or deny information about Belarusian citizens.

“I think there are those who want to take advantage of the current price and the political situation and have already taken advantage of it.” However, I could not say that this is a problem or a mass phenomenon, ”says A. Kišūnas.

There are Didžiasalis larvae throughout Lithuania

Alvydas Boguševičius, owner of the Namudė real estate agency, sells various real estate in Rytų Aukštaitija. He also sells several apartments in the village of Didžiasalis, Ignalina district, on the advertising portal Alio.lt. The price of a 2-bedroom apartment is 3 thousand. Repairs are said to be needed here, and the price for 1 room with partial repairs is 4.5 thousand. EUR.

According to A. Boguševičius, it is not worth distinguishing this village from other Lithuanian cities and towns, because the situation is similar everywhere: “Disasters,” appendix “, etc. t. The narrative is in this village, but there are such things in every district. Rokiškis, Kupiškis, Zarasai, Ignalina, Švenčionys: there are those of our great islands everywhere. It is a 30 year old larva that has nothing to do with today “.

When asked if he noticed a tendency for citizens of neighboring countries (Russia, Belarus) to buy homes here, the interlocutor does not rule out that truck drivers and builders can register to live in Lithuania to obtain a Schengen visa.

“I once sold in Švenčionėliai and Zarasai (housing – Delphi) programmer from Moscow. Ads are “hung” on ads they will buy up to a certain price. There are those economic and political games to obtain a Schengen visa. Where it is cheap, you buy there, ”he says.

He adds that he doesn’t notice much activity from Belarusians, because the apartments he sells are already on the secondary market, so prices are higher.

The interlocutor considers that the high concentration of Belarusians on the Big Island is not felt, because these buyers are also distributed in other districts: “Abandoned, two-story, white brick, and left to fate, farms of 2,000 houses each . Eur can be found in Utena district, Rokiškis, Kupiškis. The same is true of Utena, Ignalina, Zarasai. On the Belarusian border, it is as it is to the furist maybe you need that visa. “

The Namudė owner notes that the apartments in Didžiasalis are bought by the elderly or migrants.

“Buy for those for whom all of Lithuania is the same. The main factor: the price and a lot of tranquility. Whether you live in Pašilaičiai or Didžiasalis: here you can still see a meadow or a lake through the window, and in Pašilaičiai, the wall of an apartment building. If you are a pensioner, what is the difference between where you live and if you buy in Maxima or Aibe? If the price is low, it does not mean a bad life. For a few thousand in a 3-room apartment, one person lives at least extensively, “says A. Boguševičius.

According to him, there is a shortage of apartments in Ignalina, because the municipality buys houses here.

“ITS and Property Bank all over the house porcelain, but generally already demolished houses with inoperative heating, etc.

Not all cities – Ignalina, Molėtai, Ukmergė, Zarasai, Utena – have sheep, Let’s go, nobody builds anything. Even if they built, the cost would be expensive, “says the interlocutor.

The head of the real estate agency affirms that there are no regular transactions in the Great Hall: he sells another apartment during the year: “Of a cheap thing deal You won’t do much. If the apartment is sold for 1.5 thousand. or 3 thousand, profit – minimum “.

Of the vacation homes, as they say, higher profits. The interviewee warns that not only Lithuanians, but also foreigners, mostly mixed families, are interested in farms.

STI and Property Bank: Belarusians not interested in apartments at auctions

As mentioned above, some cheap apartments are sold at auctions by the State Tax Inspectorate and Turto bankas. Since 2015 Turto bankas sells real estate, and the STI currently only sells balances. Such apartments enter these institutions after the death of the owners, in the absence of other legal heirs.

The STI points out that it currently has 8 unsold apartments with prices ranging from 140 to 1002 euros, but auctions are not announced at the moment. Auctions will be announced in late July and early August.

According to Irina Gavrilova, Director of the Department of Non-Payment Administration of STI, these apartments are not easy to sell, they have been sold for several years. Older people are more interested in them.

“Currently, citizens of Belarus are not interested in selling apartments on the Big Island, and neither last year nor this year the apartments were sold to citizens of this country,” says an ITS representative.

Property Bank of 2018 So far, only 3 apartments have been sold in the Great Hall: two two-bedroom and one four-bedroom. The sale prices ranged from 420 to 460 euros per apartment. However, as he assured himself, in no case was he the buyer from Belarus or Russia.

The Property Bank noted that in the near future it will offer more homes, more than 20 apartments, on the Big Island market.

Independent property appraisers are currently conducting appraisals of the apartments. Once appraisers have determined the market values ​​of the apartment property, the property auctions will be announced.

Having real estate does not mean that a visa will be issued

Migration department Delphi In this case, he said, if a foreigner from a non-EU country has a document confirming that he has acquired real estate in Lithuania, a Schengen visa can be issued to him. This visa entitles the foreigner to enter the Schengen area and stay there for the number of days specified on the visa. The maximum length of stay in the Schengen area with this visa is 90 days. for 180 d. period.

Schengen visas are issued for tourist, personal and business travel. It should be noted that the Schengen visa issued to a foreigner does not grant resident status.

In addition to the Schengen visa, third-country nationals may be issued a national visa authorizing the foreigner to remain in the Schengen Member State that issued the visa for a period of up to 1 year and for a maximum of 90 days. traveling to other Schengen states. A national visa is generally issued for work purposes.

Last year, 12.4 thousand people were issued and replaced by Belarusian citizens. 13,259 requests of this type were received. Last year, 2,877 temporary residence permits were issued to Russian citizens.

2020 I push. Belarusian citizens submitted 6,394 applications for a temporary residence permit, Russian citizens just over 1,000.

According to the Migration Department, a residence permit is not issued on the basis that a foreigner has acquired real estate in Lithuania.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) informs that the foreigner must present documents indicating the purpose of the trip, place of accommodation or proof of sufficient funds to pay for the accommodation along with the application for a Schengen visa, as well as documents indicating that the Applicant has sufficient means of subsistence. return to your country of origin or residence, or you may legally receive such funds. You must also provide information to help assess whether the foreigner intends to leave the territory of the Member States before the requested visa expires.

Lithuanian visa authorities abroad, when examining a Schengen visa application, assess whether the applicant meets the entry conditions set out in the Schengen Borders Code, pay particular attention to assessing whether it represents a risk of illegal immigration or security for Member States or if you intend to leave the territory. expiration of the visa.

Having real estate only in Lithuania does not mean that the applicant simply receives a Schengen visa, notes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Migration Department was able to answer why, as the old man from Didžiasalis pointed out, the Migration Service is interested in “transitional” housing.