Montenegro is the only republic of the former Yugoslavia that still remains administratively linked with Serbia. But in fact it is an autonomy, since it has long had its own Central Bank, police, and customs authorities. The confederative agreement with Belgrade was concluded for three years, and what will happen next - a final “divorce” or strengthening of the union - time will tell. It is noteworthy that little Montenegro (600 thousand people versus 10 million in Serbia), the only one of the seven ex-Yugoslav republics, managed to stay away from all armed conflicts of recent years. Many tourists calmly went there to relax in the first summer after the Kosovo conflict.
Montenegrins have historically felt reverence for us. We have forgotten that the very first Russian shipbuilders, by order of Peter I, trained not in Holland at all, but precisely at local shipyards. That before the revolution we helped Montenegro materially, and it helped us, accordingly, morally (for example, declaring war on Japan as a sign of solidarity), and that our monarchs were blood relatives. Local residents are not only overwhelmingly Slavic and Orthodox, but unlike us, they have an excellent knowledge of their own history, know all the kings by heart, and consider Russians dear relatives. When in the 1990s our tourists appeared here again, barely hearing Russian speech, Montenegrins rushed to them with embraces: “Brothers!” Even now, police sometimes forgive Russian-speaking drivers for minor traffic violations.
Today, among holidaymakers in Montenegro, domestic tourists rank second in number after citizens of Serbia. For Serbs who have no access to the sea, this is the most popular summer holiday region, since until recently they needed a visa to visit Croatia, and relations are spoiled. In autonomous Montenegro, everything is calm in this regard. We also do not need a visa to enter this country - a tourist voucher is enough. If you bought a house here and need to visit the country often, you can apply for a multiple-entry visa and a residence permit.
Our travel agencies, advertising holidays in this country, necessarily quote Vladimir Vysotsky's poem - “The Ballad of the Montenegrins.” Namely the line “it's a pity Montenegro did not become my second homeland,” written in the 70s, when the actor was vacationing at the world-famous resort of Sveti Stefan. By natural data, this unfulfilled second homeland is indeed an exceptional place. Mountain ranges begin right at the sea - a combination of stunning beauty. Thanks to such a difference in altitude, you can find any climate on its small territory: from Mediterranean to moderate continental, and from flat to subalpine. Having bet on tourism, they completely abandoned harmful industries here, and for more than ten years Montenegro has officially been an environmentally clean zone of Europe.
However, even before that, in the Yugoslav era, celebrities from Western countries loved to relax here. At one time, not only Marina Vlady but also Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Carlo Ponti and many other stars of world cinema and stage sunbathed here. During the socialist years, up to 80% of holidaymakers were citizens of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other developed countries. Now the main obstacle to the return of those proportions is the service: many tourist infrastructure facilities were designed for an intensive flow of vacationers and, under the conditions of the economic blockade, fell into disrepair. But even now, famous figures sometimes drop in on the Budva Riviera (Budva is the main resort of the coast). On the same hotel-island of Sveti Stefan, they will certainly boast that Claudia Schiffer and Sylvester Stallone stayed with them.
As the coast is being rebuilt and there are more and more tourists, prices are also rising. The introduction of cash euros in EU countries especially contributed to this. Although the confederative state called “Serbia and Montenegro” is still formally unified, the monetary systems here are actually different. Montenegrins completely abandoned the dinar several years ago, first in favor of the German mark, and then completely switched to cash European currency. The dinar is now not used even for small retail transactions. There was a moment when, in the process of this transition, prices almost simultaneously jumped by 40-45%, so one should not count on really dumping holidays, like in 1998.
Nevertheless, by our standards, and also in comparison with neighboring Croatia and Cyprus, Montenegro remains a very inexpensive country. This especially applies to prices for resort real estate. A spacious three-room apartment by the sea with finishing, in a decent residential complex for 50 thousand euros, you will hardly find anywhere else. Here this is a real price for high-quality housing, for example, in the city of Kotor (a UNESCO monument), located in the depths of Boka Kotorska Bay - a kind of Adriatic fjord. The stated price (about 750 euros per sq. m) is valid not at the construction stage, but for an apartment completely ready for occupancy. From the point of view of a resident of the capital, such a house can be called multi-apartment with a big stretch. It will be an original project on a mountain slope, with a tiled roof, a maximum of four floors and only about three dozen apartments - dimensions that we provide only for luxury housing. If not counting individual hotels, there are no real high-rises on the Montenegrin coast at all. The cities are very cozy and have preserved the flavor of the old Adriatic.
Obviously, an apartment is a very convenient option for those who want to live on the Montenegrin coast not permanently, but only coming for the summer. This is confirmed by housing demand statistics: in one of the offered complexes, our compatriots are now competing with local residents in terms of the number of apartments purchased. However, such offers are still few. The most common alternative to apartments is villas, among which there are both old reconstructed properties and recently built mansions. Depending on the condition, the size of the plot, and the proximity to the sea, such a kuća (the Serbian word for 'house') costs from 100 thousand euros up to several million. In the south, in villages closer to Albania, you can find a house for 30 thousand euros. However, the market is still only forming, and neither buyers nor sellers have clear guidelines. Guided by the principle of uniqueness, everyone names their own price, often completely unreasonable.
• By the way, specialized websites will be of interest to foreign investors interested in purchasing property in Montenegro. There you can track current offers and property prices in Montenegro as of today, as well as recent changes in local legislation on this topic.
As for the cost of processing the purchase and maintaining housing, the tax and duty rates here are still exceptionally low by European standards. The property transfer tax is 2% of the contract value, and the annual property tax is from 0.08% to 0.8% depending on the category of housing. That is, in the case of an apartment, it is just a few dozen euros a year.
For the May holidays, the first charter flights to Montenegro will fly from Kiev, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. This is a convenient opportunity for us to combine a visa-free foreign beach vacation, visits to the famous Orthodox miracle-working monasteries, and tours of properties offered for sale. The chances that one of them will become yours are quite high: to resist the beauty of Montenegro — and especially its prices — is very difficult.