Greetings from The Samuel family from SLOVENIA!

[Lousam]

Hello Forum
My name is Louise Samuel. I am from the UK but moved two years ago with my husband and two young boys to the North east region of Slovenia called Prekmurje.

Our region is known as 'The breadbasket' of Slovenia as its where most of the crops are grown.

For the past two years we have been renovating old properties intended for holiday lets.
For some reason young Slovenians (I guess like us Brits in the early 90's) don't want old houses they want everything new, so you can pick up property that needs renovaing for 25k. There are also plenty going with vine yards.

The life style is so much better than the UK. The kids walk to school together, beer is £1 and we all make our own wine and grow our own vegtables. Even the dog has a better life as he buggers off all day and roams quite freely.
Crime is minimal and the drug culture isnt rife like in the UK (people do grow the odd bit of weed in their vine yards!).

Our main reason for coming to Slovenia was that we bought a large Mill along with some land and outbuildings. Our goal is to build up the cottage rentals, sell them and invest in our Mill. We want to create a childrens play centre where we do crafts, arts, cooking, play you name it.
Its a big dream but hopefully we will get there.

To see what a crazy lifestyle we lead here is a link to some photos that were taken recently by a photograper from the UK.
http://www.ianmiddletonphotography.co.u ... kocvi.html

Slovenia and especially our region is a perfect location for anyone that wants a small holding or a house with enough land to keep a few chickens, grow vegtable and basically take care of yourself.

I look forward to reading some of the interesting posts on the forum.
If anyone is interested in our lifestyle in Slovenia or want to learn more about buying property and setting up a new life here then drop me an email and we shall be happy to help as we have many contacts in the local area and are always being told of property that needs renovating thats for sale.
Kind regards
Louise Samuel
email: louise@abstractgroup.co.uk

[Jarmara]

Hello

[gunners71uk]

hi lou and co welcome
all the best
dave

[red]

welcome!

[9ball]

:welcomeish:

Tom

[Moonwaves]

Hi.

I took part in a charity walk in Slovenia last year. We were based near Lake Bled and trekked various mountain trails within a couple of hours of there. It's a fabulous country and I would love to spend more time there. I'm not allowing myself though until I've spent more time in France - need to get some proficiency in French (have half-French nieces and nephews who laugh themselves silly at my attempts) before I embark on any other languages.

How do you find the language? I speak German and did learn some Russian in college which was a bit of a help with figuring out some words but it'd be very different to learn I think.

The thing I loved most was probably the fantastically clear water - no loading up with litres of water to see you through the day - just one small bottle or flask and you fill up in any nearby stream when you need to.

[Millymollymandy]

Hello Louise and welcome to the forum!

I looked at those photos - is that your family dressed up as clowns? What was that all about?

[Andy Hamilton]

yep I thought that too M3.

welcome to the forum

[Christopher]

Welcome Lou to the site.

Nice to hear about your life in Slovenia.

Cheers,
C.

[joholondon]

Hi Louise,
I took a look at the site as well - crazy indeed! It sounds like a really exciting project. I enjoyed seeing a few images of Slovakia in that show 'The Long Way Round' with yummy Ewan McGregor. A different pace of life, technology etc. I take it there's no water shortage issues - now or predicted?
Welcome to the forum.
Jo

[Dendrobium]

Hello and welcome!

I had a look on your website too ---- argh!! Temptation! How on a monday morning for 25k am i tempted to throw it all in and move there too! How much renovations do these places need??? (For living in, not renting)

[Lousam]

Hi Forum
Thank you for all your 'welcome' messages.
Sorry it’s taken so long to reply but I have been cutting back grape vines for the past few days (well learning to!). Last year I was told I butchered them so this year I am watching the experts.
With regards the questions that came up in your posts:

The language 'Slavic' is difficult. My six year old in first school is having problems as he try’s and translates English into Slovene but my 3 year old speaks Slovene naturally and doesn’t think about the English words. (As he didn’t speak much English when we moved here.)

Myself I speak English with a Slovene accent, which my husband hates and my Slovene friends take the pi** out of.
Also for some reason I think Slovenes are deaf so I tend to shout!
My husband is a lot better that me as he is out working with Slovenes most of the day. He knows most of the words for building materials and tools which is handy! Our workers also now speak English, and always swear in English.
It’s funny when we have picnics which are most weekends through the summer. Obviously everyone is merry on the various home made drinks and wines and so the language gets very muddled up. Half Slovene, half English and maybe a bit of German thrown in!

A few of you asked 'why' we were dressed up as clowns on the pictures I gave a link to.
Well we were celebrating 'Pust' which is (hopefully) the first day of spring.
We are warding out the winter spirits and welcoming in the spring.
It’s yet another Slovenian idea to get drunk as are most of the festivals here! We joined other villages and drove around the village calling at every house and having a drink and something to eat. We also collected money for the village fire station that in return put on picnics and parties throughout the year for us.
The traditional thing to eat during ‘Pust’ is 'krof' or a do-nut. This is traditionally served on the Tuesday which in the UK is Shrove Tuesday when pancakes are eaten. I think there is a similar traditional link there somewhere?

Someone mentioned different pace of life, technology?
Well Slovenes work very hard indeed. They typically work from 7 in the morning till 4 or 5 (five days per week) and have just 40 minutes for lunch.
They have around 20-25 holidays per year, which they generally save up for the summer and have 3 or 4 weeks off at the same time and go down to the coast either in Slovenia or Croatia.
The weekends are what Slovenes cherish the most.
You won’t find shopping centres busy on a Saturday or Sunday and town centres are practically dead. A lot of the shops close at 12.00 on a Saturday for the weekend.
Weekends are all about family time. Most Slovenes have a weekend house which is a small house (like the Brits with caravans) where vegetables, vines, fruit trees etc are grown. Weekends are all about BBQ’s drinking and relaxing with family and friends.
I guess this is the laid back lifestyle but the rest of the time people work very hard.
Problem is the UK the majority of peoples weekends are endless shopping trips and DIY!
With regards technology, don't be fooled. We have just the same technology that’s available in the UK. We are just having a high-speed fibre optic internet / TV cable installed in our town and a connection to every house.
The electrical shops sell as much gadgetry as is available in the UK.
Slovenes are definably quality rather that quantity people.
They would rather spend £500 on a good ‘Stil’ chainsaw than £300 on a Japanese import.
It’s the same with cars; they would rather save and buy an Audi or VW.
Slovenes also tend to look after things, especially tools and farm machinery. Unlike us Brits that throw things away if they break, Slovenes tend to get things fixed and regularly serviced.

I didn’t quite understand the ‘Water shortages’ comment?
We defiantly have no water shortages at the moment.
As well as being connected to the mains all our houses have there own supply or ‘private well’.
We use this water for the garden and any buildings works, and at one of our cottages in the hills we use the well water for washing and have drunk it without any problems.
We also have 5 thermal spas in the area that use hot water pumped from below the surface. A lot of money has been invested in these facilities and so I doubt they predict the water to run dry?

And finally regarding property.
The property buying process is very easy here. You don’t need to establish a Limited company as in some parts of Europe. You own the land freehold and it can’t be taken away from you like in some counties.

If you find a property you want to buy then you pay a 10% deposit.
If you pull out you loose this 10%
If the seller’s pulls out they must give you back the 10% plus a further 10%.
This stops ‘Gazumping’.
If with the property there is agricultural land then a notice must be posted at the local council offices for 30 days. In this time your application goes in to buy.
Others have priority over your purchase such as: Neighbours, other farmers, the local Municipality, the national park and the Republic of Slovenia.
After 30 days if none of the above have placed an offer then you get back conformation that you can buy. (In most cases the above have been asked first so this process is just procedure)
A lawyer draws up a contract and the buyers and sellers meet each other to finalise the contact, sign the contact, pay the balance and receive the keys.
The lawyer then submits the signed contract to the Land registry where the new entry will be made.
All the buyer has to do then is change over the services into their name and get some household insurance.
It’s a very simple and fair process.

With regards renovation costs of older properties.
This obviously depends on the condition of the property and what standard you want.
The price of materials is roughly the same as the UK. Wood is a lot less.
A plumber will cost around £7.00 per hour and you can get cash labourers for around £5 per hour.
Tillers’ charge the square meter around £6 per sm.

Because we have now been here for over two years we have built up good relationships with tradesmen and know where to buy materials from.
We have helped quite British people with building works and can do a lot ourselves as my husband was an Electrician in the UK.

If anyone is serious about buying here then my advice is to come and have a look.
Book a cheap flight from London Stansted to Graz in Austria and it’s just an hour from there.
We can even book you into a cheap B&B or if you bring the family you can make a holiday out of it and hire one of our holiday cottages.
www.sloveniaforfmailies.com/

We have a very good English speaking lawyer we have used.
With regards buying costs.
If you buy privately (and any property we advertise for friends is private) then there are no agent’s fees to pay.
The sales tax of 2% is usually paid by the seller.
The legal costs are approx. £300-£400
And that’s it!

Standard of living:
Slovenia is not a poor country and no one goes without.
Some compare Slovenia to Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania but its NOTHING LIKE these countries.
Slovenes think that the English buying in Bulgaria are crazy as there is still so much corruption and Mafia influence.
Compared to these counties we think Slovenia is currently very under priced and far more developed, cleaner and safer.
Slovenia is being referred to Mini Switzerland and property there is now more than the UK.
I have never seen a beggar or homeless person, though I guess there will be in the city?
Our health service is very good; in fact I am off to the doctor in an hour as I am pregnant!
(I know having a baby here will be the ultimate challenge!)
The schools are good, and education is free till 26.
There is no council tax.
Water (mains) and electric is metered, so you pay for what you use.
House insurance less than UK as burglary is very rare.
Food shopping, supermarkets same as UK, meat and veg a lot less as most people grow their own and keep a couple of pigs.

I hope this gives those interested some more insight into Slovenia.
If any forum members want more information just ask and we are always happy to show people around if they want to venture over.
Its defiantly an ideal place to live if you like the outdoors, fending for yourself and of course participating in making and drinking various alcoholic concoctions!

Here is a link to temp anyone looking at Slovenian property:
www.sloveniaprivatepropertysales.com

The weather today is beautiful uninterrupted blue sky and very sunny.
Back to the vine yard!

[Lousam]

One more thing.....
If there is anyone that is looking to move to Slovenia and has experience of keeping sheep then you will be welcomed with open arms.

Most people keep a pig or two and some keep cows BUT not many people keep sheep here and we crave for a roast leg of lamb!

Our local butcher said that if we ordered it he could get it in for the next week BUT guess where it comes from????

Yes New Zealand!

Next year we want to keep a few sheep when we are more organised and have fenced off some of our land so are doing lots of reading at the moment.

Our neighbour had two sheep which we would visit on a regular basis as I was trying to persuade her to let me have a leg when they were killed, but the other day I called round and she announced that she had made Sausages from them!! What a waste!

There are plenty of other people in our region and the rest of Slovenia that also would buy lamb locally, so maybe there is a business idea for someone here!

Louise
www.sloveniaforfamilies.com/

[joholondon]

Hi Louise,
I hope you weren't offended by my email. I am definitely much less ignorant about Slovenia after reading your email! What I meant about water shortages is that there's a perception that many European countries, particularly those around the med, are affected by awful water shortages. I believe Slovenia has had bad droughts in the past and climate change predictions are bad. Incidentally, they are for the UK too - particularly the South East. Which is why I want to move up north (if they'll have me).

[Lousam]

Hi Jo
Of course I wasn’t offended. It’s a good point.
The weather all over the world is changing and so unpredictable.
As I may or may not have mentioned we bought an old Mill.
This Mill was originally fed from a small stream (there is a proper word but cant remember) that comes from the River Mura, a fast flowing river that comes from Austria approx 3km from our Mill.
In 2005 in August we were hit by down pours of rain, so much that the river Mura became flooded. Most of the damage was already done in Austria but to release pressure they undid the sluice gate which closed off the Mura from our Mill. Consequently our Mill flooded. The Slovenian Government are now in the process of enlarging this stream for future floods and building up the banks. They are also paying us for allowing them to do it believe it or not and putting us in a new access road free of charge.
In winter 2005 we had temperatures of minus 23 and lots of snow till March.
This year the lowest was minus 5 and we only had one or two days of snow. The ski season has been a disaster as most resorts only had man made snow.
So it’s hard to say about the water as one minute we are short and the next we are flooding!
Crazy world.
Any case I cant see a major shortage in the near future.
As I said we are living on a Panonion plain, the sea used to be here this is why there are a lot of minerals and thermal water and springs still below us.

Anyway off to do the washing up!

Louise
www.sloveniaforfamilies.com