With Croatia's EU status is pending, investors buying in Croatia right away could see substantial interest on their investment - if and when the EU status is declared.

This is where the flip-side comes into play: it is unknown as to how long it will take for the actual membership to come through, and, in the meantime, investors could be waiting a long time to collect their change.

There is no shortage of interest in Croatian property. Paul Keppler, Managing Director of Croatiansun, notes sustained growth in the purchasing of property in Croatia, with price rises of ten to 15 per cent per annum in the last five years. Looking to the future, Keppler sees continued growth in the run up to the EU accession.

"Croatia's strict limitations on over development will serve to protect investors and create a long-term sustainable growth environment," he commented.

The protection of land from over development is a key issue that has been addressed by the Croatian government. "One of Croatia's selling points as a property market is its underlying attractions and obvious natural beauty," Keppler continued, "They are protecting this by restricting investment and encouraging sustained growth to avoid the boom-bust cycle."

The infrastructure in Croatia has had to develop to meet the demands of increasing tourist numbers, and the numbers of people choosing to buy property. Keppler believes that the country has coped with this demand by providing a number of additional flights from the UK to the country and its neighbours. "We have seen substantial investment in the road network which has facilitated fast access from both Croatian airports and nearby airports in Italy and Slovenia."

Property in the popular tourist destination of Dubrovnik is currently available from £100,000, but this picture could change drastically in the wake of Croatia's accession to the EU.

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For more information visit:
www.croatiansun.com

Article first published 22 May 2008