The interest of Praguers in flats in the Central Bohemian Region is growing. A 75-minute drive to Prague is also acceptable
Rising prices of Prague housing – both sales and rentals – again largely fuel the transfer of Prague residents to the Central Bohemian Region. In the last month, the demand for Central Bohemian housing has increased significantly year-on-year: according to the digital real estate service Bezrealitky, interest has risen by a third, the Maxima Reality real estate service even reports an increase in interest by as much as half. And the trend is likely to continue. Most often, young couples who want to start a family are looking for housing outside Prague, they do not have real estate in Prague, but at the same time they want to save their current money.
For a long time now, it has not been an applicant looking for a family house. Currently, the interest is mainly in apartments in prefabricated houses. The demand is mainly for cities that allow public transport to reach the center of the capital between 40 and 80 minutes – for example, Kladno, Roudnice nad Labem, Beroun, Benesov, Celakovice, Cesky Brod, Kralupy or Melnik. About half of the hundreds of thousands of Central Bohemian blocks of flats meet this requirement.
The reason is quite clear. While a panel flat in the Černý Most housing estate after general reconstruction is now commonly offered for a price exceeding 100 thousand per meter, an equally large flat after reconstruction in a panel house in Kročehlavy in Kladno can be obtained for as little as CZK 65,000 per meter. The travel time to the city center is only less than half an hour longer.
“At present, at least one Central Bohemian apartment is sold daily through Bezrealitky. He is interested in it, similarly to Prague, and usually finds a new owner within three weeks of being included in the offer,” mentions Hendrik Meyer, head of Bezrealitka. The interest is mainly by 3 + 1, but the demand for smaller flats, in which either childless individuals or young couples invest, is also growing.”
According to Bezrealitka’s estimates, people around 30 years of age, often planning to start a family, are the biggest jerk after Central Bohemian real estate. Most often they are looking for 2 + kk or 3 + 1 around 70 meters of floor space with a price of up to CZK 5 million. They have great demands on the reconstruction of the apartment and are also interested in the quality of the house in which it is located. It should ideally be at least after partial reconstruction, with an insulated facade and plastic windows. They prefer SVJ to cooperative share.
The locality is looking for plenty of greenery, landscaping and connections to bike paths for cycling or running. There should be at least a convenience store directly in the locality. It also addresses available ISPs, online supermarket coverage or automatic mailboxes for online shopping. They are also asked for reviews of schools and kindergartens or hospitals.
“Connection to the capital by suburban railway or express buses is preferred,” says Hendrik Meyer. “Paradoxically, they are not very interested in parking in the area, for example. Finding, for example, a garage together with an apartment is exceptional”, he added.
The interest in flats of commuters in Prague could be even greater in the future. The sale of older family houses or the construction of new ones, which in the past were the main reason for Prague residents to leave the capital, is also beginning to hit its limits. The prices of land, materials and construction work are rising. And there are fewer places where construction is possible without waiting.
“Although the municipalities have developed zoning plans, they do not anticipate significant expansion in the future. They are also hampered by the often terrible state of the infrastructure. For example, they do not have the capacity of wastewater treatment plants, the problem is also beginning with the approval of wells or connection to municipal water mains,” says Vladimír Zuzák, director of Maxima Reality. “The protection of the agricultural land fund has also tightened significantly. The zoning plan can provide for construction on agricultural land, but its exclusion to the built-up area, especially with high soil creditworthiness, is relatively costly,” he added.
Even for this reason, houses in the Central Bohemian region with a good commute to Prague are starting to become scarce goods and their price has jumped. And a similar shortcoming will soon be met by apartments. The accepted price level of around 5 million, which is likely to increase only slowly, will push demand even further away from Prague and cities at the very outer border of the region, such as Kutná Hora, Kolín, Mladá Boleslav, Příbram, Hořovice, Nové Strašecí or Slaný could get into the sights.
