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TRAVELLER
PROPERTY
WHAT
YOU GET
FOR YOUR
EUROS
FAMILY HOUSE
This three-bed home,
40 minutes’ drive from
Maribor, has a garage and
wine cellar, small vineyard
and woodlands. Its decor
needs some updating.
¤55,000 from
slovenianproperties.com
LUXURY LIVING
A newly renovated
five-bedroom house in
the Gori
˘
cko Nature Park
in Prekmurje. Nearly 1.5
hectares of land, including
vineyard, orchard,
farmhouse kitchen, large
barn and great views. Near
good restaurant and spa.
¤340,000 through
sloveniaestates.com
NEEDS WORK
A small former watermill,
built in 1700, 3km from
Ormož in Prlekija and near
the wine hills of Jeruzalem
Ormož. It has a small
garden with fruit trees, but
requires full modernisation.
Good transport links.
¤14,900 through
slovenianproperties.com
There are bargains
galore to be had
around the wineries
of western Slovenia
2004 – and they have, in some cases, actually
witnessed a drop.
Justin Young reports that more luxury
homes are being built (or converted fromold
buildings), but a lot of interest still tends to be
in lower-priced properties (usually between
€30,000 and €50,000) in need of renovation.
Colin and AlisonHull moved to a house
in the village of Motvarjevci right next to the
Hungarian border just over a year ago and
have spent most of their time since doing it
up. “The area is so pretty and the locals have
really accepted us into their community, often
slipped due to the global crisis,” he says, “but
since early 2011, sales in the region have
regained strength.”
Unlike some countries with large expat
communities, one of the attractions for new
residents here is the chance to integrate with
the local community. “It’s not a typical expat
community at all,” says Samuel. Her children
have settled well in Slovenian schools and
she has found the area, with its low crime rate,
ideal for bringing up a family. “I have had two
children in Slovenian hospitals,” she says,
“and the care and expertise I received was far
“LOCALSHAVEREALLYACCEPTEDUS INTOTHEIR
COMMUNITY, OFTENSHARINGAWINEORTWO”
superior to that which I had back in the UK.”
Almost as important for daily life are
the great transport links. Samuel needs to
travel regularly for her business, selling the
equipment and teaching themethods used
for making traditional Hungarian
kürtös
kalacs
, or chimney cakes (
kurtos-kalacs.com
),
and shemakes good use of these. “Budapest
and Vienna are 2½hours away, Graz is only
an hour,” she says. “People call it ‘Eastern
Europe’, but for me it’s more central Europe.”
Since a newmotorway was constructed
in 2009, Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, is
comfortably commutable and it’s just 40
minutes toMaribor, Slovenia’s second city
and this year a European Capital of Culture.
In the foothills of the Alps, just below Pohorje
(Slovenia’s biggest ski area), Maribor is
earning a growing reputation as a tourist
destination. The city produces excellent
wine – it’s the location of the world’s oldest
vine – and offers a diverse range of cultural
events, such as its lively and eclectic summer
Lent Festival on the banks of the river Drava,
whose programme ranges from jazz to opera
to street theatre.
Despite all of this, the property prices
are still generally lower than in other parts
of the country. “Compared to the rest of
Slovenia, Prekmurje is much better value,”
says Frances Sargent, managing director of
UK-based company Slovenian Properties
(
slovenianproperties.com
). Sargent advertises
properties on behalf of several agencies, and,
according to her, prices in the region have not
risen at all since Slovenia joined the EU in
sharing a wine or two,” says Colin. “We get
invited to grape-picking sessions and – being
a farming community – the area changes
daily. The pace of life is very relaxed.”
Sargent, who offers a ‘gold service’ with
personalised advice, says that although the
Gori˘cko area is the best known, excellent
deals can be found a little further west as well.
“It’s worth searching the other side of the
Mura River to Prlekija, and the wine-growing
districts aroundMaribor and Ptuj,” she says,
where some properties are on themarket for
as little as €15,000.
Paul Wadkin, fromYorkshire, bought
and renovated a small farmhouse in Krapje,
near Ljutomer just west of theMura, six
years ago with his partner and daughter.
“We’ve landed where we should be – it’s like
Bali Ha’i [the exotic paradise in themusical
South Pacific
],” he says. “We’re surrounded
by hills, spas, lakes and rivers.” He relishes
the region’s excellent walking and fishing
opportunities, and the couple have founded
the company Simply Cycling Slovenia
(
simplycyclingslovenia.com
), operating tours
in the local area and Austria.
Wadkin’s sister also instantly fell in love
with the place, buying a house the first
year she visited. Along with the recent first
wedding between two resident English people
in the region (whichmade the local news),
it all underlines how easymany find it to
call this place home. Louise Samuel has no
regrets. “If I had to start over and I was offered
a choice of where to go in Europe,” she says,
“I would definitely choose here again.”