How to start looking for a property in Montenegro

Scared of getting ripped off when buying property in Montenegro?

When it comes to buying property abroad, it can be a scary business. Who do you trust? Are you going to get ripped off? Or caught out by disreputable no-gooders parading as genuine and helpful individuals?

Any reputable estate agent will not pressurise you into doing anything and will act in a professional manner. And that is just as true for Montenegro.

Most estate agents charge the seller a fee in Montenegro, so as the buyer you shouldn’t need to pay the estate agent anything. So, if an agent starts asking you for money, take a step back.

For property valuations, Montenegrins work on a basis of price per square metre (m2). This is based on things like location, internal condition and views. It is by no means an exact science and you will see some far-ranging values per m2. Some understandably so. A new build villa in a prime location overlooking the sea will command much more per m2 than an isolated bungalow inland that hasn’t seen a paintbrush since 1973.

Sometimes the reason for the discrepancy though is simply that the owner has set their own price and is testing the market to see what they can get.

So, my advice here is speak to a few different estate agents about prices per square metre. Also, look at a range of properties, so you can start to gauge for yourself what seems a comparatively reasonable price and what is overpriced.

For property valuations, Montenegrins work on a basis of price per square metre (m2).

Established real estate agents in Montenegro

If you are nervous about your property search, a good place to start would be one of the established estate agents that have been around for some years and speak English.

Montenegro Prospects
Montenegro Coast
NT Realty

By the way, I did not buy my own property through any of them, but have had positive interactions with them over the years. (And this list is not exhaustive by the way).

You can also see property for sale on the English websites:
​Rightmove
A Place in the Sun
Zoopla

Buying property in Montenegro directly from the owner

​Today many places are still sold directly by the owner. You frequently see handmade for sale signs outside properties with the owner’s phone number on.
Look out for kuca na prodaju (house for sale) or plac na prodaju (land for sale) or prodaje se (for sale).

Now I am not going to pretend that I am an authority on buying property privately in Montenegro. But boy, do I love scanning the property listings on the local Montenegrin websites. It’s like getting down and dirty big time – in a Montenegrin property market kind of way, that is.

If you, like me, just love looking at properties and finding potential local gems that are not being marketed by the “regular” estate agents, then check these websites out. They display property and land for sale in Montenegro, that has been posted by both owners and estate agents.

You can also search on google for kuca na prodaju Crna Gora (house for sale Montenegro) and they will come up.

Realitica
They have a button for English, German and Croatian translations.

​Nekretnine Crna Gora
Srbija Nekretnine
Halo Oglasi
No translation buttons for these 3 websites, so you’re on your own! But I’m sure Google Translate will be happy to help.

Key words when looking for property in Montenegro

The key words when searching for property in Montenegro are:
Cena – price
Kvadratura – square metres
Broj sobe – number of bedrooms
Lokacija – area
Stan – apartment
Kuca – house
Plac – land

A word of warning though. Don’t be surprised to see the same property listed on different websites, sometimes with different information. I once spotted a property I had my eye on, that had a different internal area, different price and even a different village shown on various websites!

Buying direct through the owner is probably not for the faint hearted. But if you have a reliable translator and an independent and reputable solicitor, then I do not see that it would be insurmountable, though. As long as you are a thorough and vigilant kind of person, who is prepared for a little extra work. Or maybe someone with existing links to Montenegro.