House prices rising

Depends on area , your living costs and what your expecting - it's possible to get low rents - negotiate , look for areas others aren't looking for and you should get a good deal - I managed to negotiate someone a two year rent at 400 a month for a two bed townhouse with roof just this month so it's doable

Adamazin wrote:

Hi Everybody,
         We are moving over to Malta in December. We have been gathering information since about March. Back then it looked like in December we would manage to find a place to rent for around 500Euro per month without bills. Now it looks like we will have to pay about 600-700euro. If we are both working full time (or a couple of part time jobs making up to full time hours). Would we be able to afford to live?

I understand this is a bit hard to answer as we have no idea how much we will be earning when we arrive but it would be low skilled work we would be looking for.

Do wages reflect the rise in house prices?

Thanks

You will find most of the answers you are looking for in the forum categories - 'Accommodation' and 'Cost of Living'

House prices, both sales and rental, are asking price and are almost always negotiable. Friend of ours have just rented a house we used to live in which was is still being advertised at 850 ( most properties are advertised on a permanent basis) they agreed 650 in May this year which is what we paid back in March 2013!

Wages for unskilled work don't really compare to even low paid jobs in the UK, minimum wage is below 5 euros an hour and that is what most employers will pay at best!

Ray

robpw2 wrote:

I managed to negotiate someone a two year rent at 400 a month for a two bed townhouse with roof just this month so it's doable

That's a bargain for a house with a roof Rob!

Ray

Yes - it's a lovely house - I'm kinda jealous want to move in myself

Thanks for the reply's. We are going to stay in a hotel when we 1st arrive as it will be easier to negotiate prices face to face. That house with roof for 400 is a great price. I wont be expecting that low lol.

I know the wage is a lot lower than the UK. But in England usually if 2 people are renting and working full time you can pretty easily get by renting a low budget house/flat.

I just don't want to move over get full time jobs and a low budget house/flat, just for our bills to be more than our income.

They shouldn't be more than your income - me and my husband rent at 450 a month in marsascala two bed modern appartment with roof terrace and front and back balconies  we pay 20€ for Internet approx 65-100 for electric etc - there's no council tax -gas is about 15€ a canister averaging about 2.5 months usage - and we survive on one wage of about 1400 a month so you shouldn't find it two hard with two of you working - it's all about picking the right area - tourist hotspots flats /houses cost more but travel 20 mins by bus and you can save a fortune .

I would advise that you book short term accommodation in an appartment when coming over to look because it will give you an idea of what it's like living in an area and you will feel less like your in "holiday" mode

Adamazin wrote:

I just don't want to move over get full time jobs and a low budget house/flat, just for our bills to be more than our income.

Minimum Wage 2015 =  146.26 euros per week for over 18!

Obviously everybody is different but our utility bills (Electric, Water, Heating Oil ) for 2 bed in UK were approaching £2500 pa + £1400pa Council Tax. Here we average around 1000 euros pa. ( Electric, Water and bottled Gas) with no Council Tax for 3 bed (and previously for a 4 bed with pool) !

Ray

The reason we didn't want to live in the south was because I had heard that the bus service is terrible and it takes over an hour (up to 2 hours in rush hour)  to get to Valletta if it is quicker than this it could widen our search area.

It can be slow but we usually leave at 6:57 and get to Valletta 49-50 mins later obviously if you leave it later in the morning then you have the school traffic etc - don't get me wrong some days it can be extremely slow but not always.

It depends on what your used too  and how patient you are

Thanks Rob,
        That is about the same time it takes to get from my house to town center at the moment so it isn't too bad. We will hopefully be driving soon after we arrive (which sounds like an experience in itself). Is driving much quicker than the bus or around the same?

Also completely unrelated but are dogs allowed on the buses in Malta? Wondering how to get him from the airport to where we will be staying.

Thanks

Dogs not allowed on Buses, so organise a taxi but remember that the Dog will not arrive at the main terminal but at the cargo centre.

Terry

Oh OK cheers Terry.

Adamazin wrote:

Thanks Rob,
        That is about the same time it takes to get from my house to town center at the moment so it isn't too bad. We will hopefully be driving soon after we arrive (which sounds like an experience in itself). Is driving much quicker than the bus or around the same?

Also completely unrelated but are dogs allowed on the buses in Malta? Wondering how to get him from the airport to where we will be staying.

Thanks

Not really - yeah you can avoid some areas but you still have to follow main road into Valletta etc also be advised that parking is and issue in many areas so unless you need to drive I wouldn't - rent a car and see if it's something you wanna do

As for driving in Malta being worse than elsewhere, I'd say it depends on what you're used to. For me it works fine as long as you go with the flow and don't insist on your right of way if you see someone else pulling in, etc. Parking is terrible in any densely populated area, I'd say - it's no better in other European cities I've been to, and as far as traffic is concerned, I'd say most of Malta is comparable to a big city (e.g. no road where you can go faster than 80, lots of traffic and traffic jams, ...)

Rob, You seem to have your finger on the pulse, how much cheaper is Gozo would you say ?. I may just have to add you to my list of, "let's do lunch" so as to get a better insight as to what's what. Cheers steve.

steve951 wrote:

Rob, You seem to have your finger on the pulse, how much cheaper is Gozo would you say ?. I may just have to add you to my list of, "let's do lunch" so as to get a better insight as to what's what. Cheers steve.

gozo properties are generally a lot cheaper than the rest of malta , you certainly appear to get a lot more for your money
although i couldnt tell you much more about gozo as i dont live there but there are many knowledgable people here would be able to give you a better insight

robpw2 wrote:

steve951 wrote:

Rob, You seem to have your finger on the pulse, how much cheaper is Gozo would you say ?. I may just have to add you to my list of, "let's do lunch" so as to get a better insight as to what's what. Cheers steve.

gozo properties are generally a lot cheaper than the rest of malta , you certainly appear to get a lot more for your money
although i couldnt tell you much more about gozo as i dont live there but there are many knowledgable people here would be able to give you a better insight

Google 'Long term renting in Gozo' and you will see lots of agents with a good range of property, most are not available and are just 'window dressing' but it will give you a good idea of pricing in Gozo.

I have used Frank Salt (Victoria) to locate two properties and then finalised the deals direct with the landlord using a contract from the agents.
One property was 4 bedrooms, 7 years old, with pool @ 650 and the other on a 3 year deal - 3 beds, new conversion, but no pool @ 525.
So yes, you will get considerably more for your money in Gozo, the bus service is a lot better as well!

Ray

But every time you want to visit Malta for entertainment or go to the airport you have to use the ferry. If the weather is bad, especially in winter, you may have to wait or it may be cancelled!

Somehow I can't imagine being too distressed stuck in Gozo...plenty to do there.

Depends on your interests!!

biddy wrote:

But every time you want to visit Malta for entertainment or go to the airport you have to use the ferry. If the weather is bad, especially in winter, you may have to wait or it may be cancelled!

Very unusual for the ferry to be cancelled, we have been here in Gozo nearly 3 years and I have never been prevented from getting to Malta. I can't remember a complete stop on sailings, only one or two cancellations, mostly due to breakdowns.
Most expats in Gozo are here for a quiet life and don't want to go to Malta unless they have to!

Ray

Yea coming back to Gozo after a "break" to Malta was always such a relief!

I remember the Malta-Gozo ferry being cancelled due to bad weather a couple times in 2013-2014.

To revert to the original post - yes prices are rising and dramatically. The apartment below us became vacant because the landlord wanted to increase the rent as he'd been told by the estate agents that he could ask 150euro more!! Maybe they are preparing for the new university in the south!!!!

biddy wrote:

To revert to the original post - yes prices are rising and dramatically. The apartment below us became vacant because the landlord wanted to increase the rent as he'd been told by the estate agents that he could ask 150euro more!! Maybe they are preparing for the new university in the south!!!!

Sorry but you were the one that strayed from the trend of the original post which had progressed to it being cheaper in Gozo and your post was an incorrect one about the transport connection between Gozo an Malta and nothing to do with the cost of property!
Other posts actually referred to the reality that all landlords ( and agents) will try for a higher rent ( as shown in my earlier post) but it does not mean they will get it.

I had one landlord who tried to justify a higher rent by saying they needed a minimum 6% return on there investment when they would only have got about  1-2% if there money was in the bank!

hi i can offer you double bed with private bathroom with bills included fee wifi and tv channels and once a week clean service too here is very central easy for buses in swatar birkara  price is 460 eur for both in a share masoinette

joanneseguna wrote:

hi i can offer you double bed with private bathroom with bills included fee wifi and tv channels and once a week clean service too here is very central easy for buses in swatar birkara  price is 460 eur for both in a share masoinette

I think perhaps you should place this advert in the classified section for housing!

Ray

Hi Joanne, Thanks for the reply but we are looking to get our own place, we are also bringing our dog so we would need our own outdoor space as well.

Thanks for the offer though