ccording to Croatia Week, HBO and Croatia have come to an 8 million euro agreement that will allow the network to continue to film Game of Thrones in the country over the next two seasons. Gordan Maras, the Croatian Minister of Entrepreneurship and Trades, recently met with HBO senior executive Jay Roewe, who confirmed the deal. Maras had this to say:

It is in Croatia’s interest that they (HBO) continue, especially a series such as Game of Thrones. Our interest is that [they] stay here, that they are happy, and that we treat them very well. They also have other projects for Croatia which they are interested in.

It’s unclear at this time which other projects HBO is interested in filming in Croatia, but the fact that Game of Thrones is going to be a fixture there for the next two years means that the Croatian economy will get a rather large boost in tourism.

The Croatian city of Dubrovnik doubles for King’s Landing, while Split, the second largest city in Croatia, is home to Diocletian’s Palace, where most of the indoor scenes for Meereen are filmed. The mountain fortress of Klis, meanwhile, has stood in for Meereen’s exteriors. We saw it in “The House of Black and White” when Daenerys ordered the death of Mossador.

The economy of Croatia has enjoyed quite a boost from Game of Thrones. While the filming for Season 5 was underway, the economy received a $1o million shot in the arm. In fact, the mayor of Dubrovnik, Andro Vlahusic, was quoted as saying he hoped that Game of Thrones would do for Croatia what The Lord of the Rings movies did for New Zealand.

In any case, this is certainly great news for the people of Croatia. Also, it’s interesting to note that HBO seems very confident that we’ll be seeing King’s Landing in Season 7. Where else would you expect Dany to rule the Seven Kingdoms from?

http://winteriscoming.net/2015/05/20/hbo-will-continue-to-film-game-of-thrones-in-croatia/

Croatia’s entry into the European Union last July has had little effect on the housing market, which has remained largely stagnant after prices fell about 30 percent in the global real estate crisis, said Jelena Cvjetkovic, an associate with Savills International, who has this listing.

But because development ground to a halt with the crisis, brokers are now working with a very low inventory of resales, said Tim Coulson, the owner-director of First Property Croatia in Split. Certain prime areas popular with wealthy Europeans — for instance, the Old Towns of Dubrovnik, Split and Rovinj on the Istrian Peninsula, and waterfront homes on the Adriatic — are seeing price increases, he said.

“You can say that Dubrovnik has seen price drops of around 30 percent since 2007,” Mr. Coulson said in an email, “but now we are seeing a solid recovery of those desirable properties in the right locations, especially next to the sea.”

Prices in Dubrovnik’s Old Town are typically about €3,000 to €4,000 a square meter, or $385 to $513 a square foot, Ms. Cvjetkovic said. Properties outside Dubrovnik on the waterfront, like this villa, typically fall within the range of about $1.65 million to $2.5 million, she said.

A plot of land or a home on the islands off the coast of Split, among them Brac, Hvar, Vis and Solta, can also be a big draw for certain buyers, Ms. Cvjetkovic said.

“These might have direct water access, so that’s another thing that’s popular,” she added, “but that’s a particular buyer, who’s into sailing and has been to Croatia several times in a boat. We see a steady stream of this type of buyer, but no massive increases.”

WHO BUYS IN CROATIA

Before the financial crisis, the British and the Irish were the most frequent foreign buyers. Today there are still European buyers, as well as Americans. But brokers are seeing more interest among Russians and citizens of former Soviet Republics like Ukraine.

Croats who live elsewhere but want vacation or retirement properties back home represent a strong segment of the foreign market — as do expatriates from Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia, Ms. Cvjetkovic said. “People from the former Yugoslavia who are now living in Europe etc. are returning to buy here,” she said.

BUYING BASICS

Foreigners don’t face buying restrictions in Croatia unless their home country restricts Croatian buyers, brokers said. This reciprocity rule allows citizens of European Union countries to buy in Croatia without restrictions, and most recently, Ukraine instituted a reciprocity agreement with Croatia, Mr. Coulson said.

For Americans, reciprocity depends on state of residence. More than half the states in the United States have reciprocity agreements with Croatia, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, brokers said.

Buyers from areas without reciprocity are required to set up a Croatian ownership company, at a cost of about $1,400, in addition to monthly carrying costs of about $210, Mr. Coulson said. The company should be seen to generate income, which can be achieved by renting out the home when not in residence, Ms. Cvjetkovic said.

Doing a title search is imperative in a Croatian transaction, Mr. Marette said. Buyers pay a 5 percent transfer tax and lawyers’ fees of 1 to 1.5 percent, brokers said. However, a buyer taking over the shares of a company that owns a home, as would be the case with this villa, avoids the transfer tax, Ms. Cvjetkovic said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/greathomesanddestinations/real-estate-in-croatia.html?_r=0