When You Meet, You’re Family
66 ǀ POSITIV 3/2026
FINANCE
applies everywhere. There is one thing I’ve noticed,
though. Those preconceptions almost always come
from people who have never been there. Once they
have, they no longer have them.
What does Albia do?
We sell properties in Albania and provide all the services
that go with them. Buying a property isn’t the end
of the process – that’s where it really begins. We work
with clients from the initial meetings through choosing
a location and carrying out legal checks to managing
the property. We also have our own service team
in Albania, which can renovate and furnish properties
to European standards.
What attracts Czechs to Albania?
The sea, which we don’t have here. And the weather.
Albania enjoys good weather for almost 300 days
a year, so you can use an apartment outside the main
season as well. I have no problem going there
in November or February. I have one client whose
wife wants the sea while he prefers the mountains.
In Albania, you can have both – the mountains are just
a short distance from the coast. The value for money
is also attractive, and that applies not only to property
but to services as well.
What determines the choice of apartment?
It depends on what the client wants to use it for. Someone
looking for their own holiday home by the sea will want
a quieter location and a playground for the children.
An investor will be looking for something completely
different: a location that is popular with tourists, rental
yield and return on investment. Many clients combine
the two. Those initial meetings are the most important
part of the entire process. Once we know the location,
budget and expectations, choosing the apartment
itself is quick. Without that information, it’s a risk.
Property ownership in Albania has a reputation
for being complicated, and many ownership
claims also stem from restitution following the fall
of the regime. What should buyers watch out for?
Above all, the ownership certificate. The Land Registry
in Albania works well and records can be checked,
so there is no reason to buy a property with a skeleton
in the closet. Over the years, we have built relationships
with trusted developers who we know deliver their work
to a high standard. The second category is apartments
sold by Albanian owners themselves, where we always
verify the legal status of the property.
How much time should someone allow
for the purchase?
It’s not a case of a client turning up with the money
and having the keys the next day. We follow both
Albanian and Czech law, and notaries from both
countries work on the documentation. Allow three
weeks to a month. I had a client who bought a property
in May and thought he would be living there in June.
It doesn’t work like that even in the Czech Republic.
Do people haggle over prices in Albania?
No. People don’t haggle even at the market, let
alone over an apartment. Prices are set according
to the market and are still affordable for those of us
from Central Europe, so clients generally don’t even
question them.
And as an investment?
An apartment rests on three pillars. I can use it myself,
I can rent it out, and its value increases over time –
in my experience, by roughly 15 per cent a year. So yes,
there is scope for speculation. But that’s not how my
clients think. They buy properties for themselves
and their children, not to flip them.
We’re on the Bod Obratu podcast. Has the ‘turning
point’ for Albanian property already arrived?
I don’t think so. I believe the best is still ahead
for the country. Prices are still favourable,
and the infrastructure has changed beyond recognition
over the past five years – the roads to the south are
excellent now. The new airport in Vlorë is still waiting
to open as the final paperwork is being sorted out. Once
it becomes operational, it will attract more investors.
And if Albania succeeds in joining the European Union,
that will provide another boost.
What would you say to someone who is tempted
but still hesitant?
Approach Albania with respect and humility, and it will
give the same back to you. There’s also a saying I like.
It isn’t Albanian – I think it’s Japanese – but it captures
the country perfectly: when you meet, you’re family.
That’s exactly what you experience there. Sit down
and talk to the taxi driver or the waiter. Albanians
themselves say that a successful day isn’t measured
by how much money you’ve made, but by how many
times you’ve sat down for a coffee with someone.
| Text: MatějOhanka, foto: MarekVašíček