Historical real estate specialist Natalya Makovik
As Radio Prague notes, if you are thinking of buying a castle, the Czech Republic is the most suitable place for it. After all, to count the number of castles in the country, you wouldn't have enough fingers. This idea is quite real and feasible if you approach it from the right side, considering primarily that we are talking about unconventional real estate.
– Natalya, please tell us, what castles in the Czech Republic can one buy? It's clear that if someone wants to buy Karlštejn, it will most likely be impossible.
– Just a couple of weeks ago a client asked me: 'Can I buy Karlštejn?' Karlštejn cannot be bought. There are 113 castles and fortresses in the Czech Republic that cannot be purchased because they belong to the Ministry of Culture. And as I was told at the ministry, these properties will never be sold, in principle. But that's not a problem, because there are two thousand beautiful historic properties in the Czech Republic that can be bought.
– And what should you pay attention to first when buying a castle?
– The question is not so much what to pay attention to, but rather what a person even means by 'I want a castle'. The fact is that it makes no sense to buy a castle just like that. Generally, people buy castles either as a personal residence or as a ready-made business. For example, a château hotel in France. In the Czech Republic, the situation is specific. Here, there are still about two thousand properties in a pre-renovation state. That is, you need to understand that if you decide to buy a beautiful residence like Downton Abbey, with servants and so on, there are only two or three such offers on the market. In the rest, you have to invest money in repairs everywhere. So you need to realize in advance that as soon as you become the owner of a castle, you will have to invest money in reconstruction, putting the park in order, and of course it will take a lot of time. But if you have already come and come to terms with the idea that you need such a wonderful property in the Czech Republic, then you need to pay attention to many things.
Firstly, when you approach the castle, sniff the air. There could be an unpleasant surprise. But if, for example, it smells of cows or pigs, do not be afraid, it is fixable. Nowadays, farms should operate so that there is no smell. So, most likely, hygienic rules are simply being violated, and it can all be resolved. Secondly, you need to pay attention to the condition of the castle. And you need to be prepared that a thorough inspection of one property may take a whole day. Imagine you come to inspect a 100-square-meter apartment. You would likely spend at least two hours there before buying it. And a castle can be a thousand times larger than a 100-square-meter apartment, if you include parks, the adjoining estate, and so on.
Of course, you need to pay attention to the roof. That's the first thing to repair. Even if there is just a small hole, it needs to be quickly patched. Next, pay attention to the corners. Then, if the castle has special antique wooden panels in the interiors, it is advisable to look behind them, because mold may be hiding there. This can be easily treated without much financial cost, but it needs attention. Of course, you also need to go to the basements. Some clients like to check castles from another perspective as well. They ask for a certificate that there are no ghosts or any apparitions.
– Well, what if a person really understands that they want to buy a castle, but they don't have the full amount. Is this resolved in some way, does the state provide any subsidies for purchasing such property? After all, new owners could save a historic property from destruction by acquiring it.
– In such cases I dissuade people from buying, because a castle is still not an apartment and it is very expensive to maintain. Imagine paying electricity bills for a 50-square-meter apartment. The average area of castles in the Czech Republic is from two to seven thousand square meters. So you will receive monthly bills of several thousand euros just for electricity. So only really rich people can afford a castle. That's the first thing. Secondly, it is impossible to buy a castle with credit. Czech banks do not lend for the purchase of monuments. Moreover, they do not lend for the reconstruction of monuments. So in this case, there is no way out.
Well, if you have no money at all but really want a castle, then you can buy one for one crown. Such offers appear from time to time, but they always have some interesting 'but'. For example, a small castle in Jablonec nad Nisou is sold for one crown. The condition is that you need to remove the castle building from the land plot. Another castle near Prague is also sold, but it is on someone else's land plot. The city is selling it and is ready to give it away even for free. The castle is on the land plot of a local landowner who does not want to sell the land under the castle and will only sell it with the entire estate. And his entire estate is about 200 hectares. So in this case, it will not be an investment of zero crowns, but you will have to shell out several million euros for the land.
– Is it possible to somehow reduce the costs of maintaining a castle?
– Now there are many modern technologies, that is, you can use, for example, heat pumps. Moreover, the state subsidizes the creation of alternative energy sources. For example, you can install solar panels – not standard on the roof, because it is still a monument, but in certain places. If you have a large plot of land, you can place them there. In general, I see nothing wrong with heating the castle with fireplaces – as was done before. The heating system worked perfectly. You could light a stove on the first floor, and it would then heat almost the entire building. Or you could then shut off heating and heat only a few rooms.
In the Czech Republic, the climate is generally very good. That is, to prevent mold in the castle, in winter it is necessary to maintain a temperature of at least +8 degrees, which is quite possible in the Czech climate. And turn on electricity only in emergency cases, when there are very strong frosts outside. Usually, due to the thickness of the walls, the temperature in Czech castles is acceptable. In summer it's even pleasant, and in winter it's not as cold as outside. Moreover, of course, you can use the standard electricity-gas combination, and when you go to any energy company, they will always calculate the best course of action.
– And yet, are there any subsidies for such a good cause as the preservation of cultural monuments? At least the National Institute for the Preservation of Monuments should be interested in this.
– In general, in the Czech Republic and the European Union, there are many institutions and various funds that allocate money and subsidies for the restoration of such historical sites. That is, these are free funds that they will not require you to return. But you must immediately realize that, firstly, they do not give one hundred percent, they give up to 80%. Moreover, they are given on the condition that you purchase the castle for a public organization. If you purchase it as an individual or commercial entity, you can get up to 40% financing.
There is no one hundred percent guarantee that you will get this subsidy. It is a regular application competition. You need to write a large project. The project is so large and serious that a normal person cannot handle it, you will have to contact a specialized agency. Usually the project is folders a meter high. You can get a variety of amounts: from five thousand crowns for the restoration of one wooden beam to several million euros, if the project is interesting from the point of view of monument protection.
But I will say in advance: buying a castle only counting on the fact that you will receive subsidies, and with that money in five years you will get yourself a beautiful residence – this is very short-sighted. Usually, private owners who receive subsidies do a huge amount of work to obtain them. After all, you need to prove that you really care about this castle, that you are really giving the castle a second life. That is, a beginner will not be given money just like that. This is a huge job.
In one of our next publications we will continue the conversation with Natalia Makovik and find out what obligations a person receives along with the acquisition of a castle, why people buy castles, whether it is scary to be a castle owner and much, much more.