Slovakia was slow to ‘wake up’ to its independence and social reforms were implemented sluggishly through the nineties and early 2000s, but the country has finally caught up with the rest of its neighbours and is home to a successful economical situation, with the one of the largest GDPs of any Central European nation and a newly-opened up property market. Foreign investment in the country is on a constant increase, and off plan investors’ demand for properties in Bratislava is far outstripping the current supply, meaning capital appreciation is more or less a dead cert.

Obviously the capital is a prime housing location, and even though there has been a huge increase in demand, the market is nowhere near peaking. Property prices have risen by around 25 percent a year for the last few years and this trend looks to increase rather than settle following EU accession. Even with these increases in popularity and prices, the market is still reasonably priced with properties tending to be much affordable than those in Prague, for example.

With certain analysts placing Slovakia as the number one investment spot in Central Europe it would certainly seem like the ideal time for the potential off plan investor to put their money into the country. Breathtaking vistas, friendly people and many attractions for all ages are some of the more social reasons to invest in the country, but the economic reasons are all present and accounted for. The Slovak government plans to adopt the Euro as the national currency in 2009, meaning that the economic situation of the country is bound to strengthen, and the constant growth of the economy as a whole over the last few years looks set to continue helped in no small part by the flat tax of 19 percent – placing the country as a tax haven in Europe. Slovakia is essentially a young market and one that is begging for investment – a real land of opportunity.