Deciding you want to buy a castle is easygoing . The hard part is knowing where to depend for one . That ’s whereVIP Castlecomes in : this specialty brokerage firm focuses alone on sell castles and other historical buildings .
According toBloomberg Businessweek , Natalia Makovik founded the firm in 2007 after making the move from Belarus to the Czech Republic eight years prior . Unable to afford one of the commonwealth ’s more than 2000 castle and chateaux , Makovik resolve to turn her passion for historical architecture into a career . " I consider it lie in that magic puerility dreaming of want to become the princess of a castle , " Makovik tellsmental_flossof her aspiration behind the move . More than five years occur before Makovik sell her first property , but today she ’s close up to three deals a month , with some buildings selling for virtually $ 4.5 million .
Not every rook she sells is limit to the mega - copious ; mass browsing prop onVIPCastle.comcan peg down their search to " low-priced castling . " While that may vocalize like an oxymoron , the prices are often comparable to much humbler homes here in the states . The Kolovratsky Castle , for illustration — which Makovik ’s internet site describes as an " historical monument of the Czech Republic"—is currently listed at an request price of 19,000 € or around $ 21,000 . To put that into perspective , the median Mary Leontyne Price of a one - bedroom apartment in Manhattan is $ 710,000 , according toThe New York Times . The trade - off is renovation expenses , which can sometimes end up costing castle owners 10 times the leverage price .
Compared to other parts of Europe , a crumble castle bought in the Czech Republic is still a great bargain . " The Czech historical property market is considered one of the most attractive areas for investment , " says Makovik . VIP Castle specifies that non - resident physician are also leave to buy diachronic properties in the country , so anyone is free to search through the company ’s on-line itemisation ( there are currently 35 of them ) . " Anyone can corrupt an expensive car , " order Makovik . " own a castling is uncommon . "
[ h / tBloomberg Businessweek ]
