Slovakia

Bratislava proximity to Vienna has been a shot in the arm for its property market. Prices are still well below those in the Austrian capital but the two cities will be just 30 minutes apart when a new motorway linking them opens in 2007. With the lowest wages in the EU, large companies have arrived in Bratislava to take advantage of the cheap labour force; this has given rise to a shortage of housing and an estimated 45,000-50,000 new apartments compared to the current 13,000 will be needed annually for the foreseeable future. Just 20 minutes from Bratislava is the university city of Trnava. This is tipped as a future rental hotspot, with rental values having risen by around 15 per cent in the last year. Move out of the cities and beautiful architecture gives way to equally appealing countryside and national park areas, with all types of outdoor pursuits.

Rural properties around the mountainous regions make tranquil second homes, close to the ski resorts such as Ruzomberok in the central Velka Fatra range, Jasna in the Low Tatras, Poprad in the High Tatras and the new five-star Snowparadise-Velka Raca near the city of Zilina, also in the High Tatras. Other attractions which will increase rental potential are the Aquapark Tatralandia near Liptovsky Mikulas, the Besenova Thermal Park, the AquaCity leisure park in Poprad and the natural beauty spot of the Slovak Paradise National Park near Kosice.