Moved East

[markowe]

(thread moved from http://forums.movedeast.com/serbia-a-new-expat-destination-t6.html)

Hi Aleksandra,

Great to have you here! Yes, we are British expats living in Serbia, so you are a slightly different case, but very welcome nonetheless! Actually, not that different, because I have Serbian origins too.

We all understand your frustrations - it's interesting that Serbs returning to Serbia notice these things as much as anyone! Several of us have started businesses, so we know all about that - I am re-registering my company in the next few weeks, and I am not looking forward to it!

Some would say that Serbian bureaucracy is actually simpler than Western red-tape - this may be true, the system is not as complex as in a developed Western economy, and the company registration system is now much simpler than it was 3-4 years ago now that they have established the "Agency". But the fact is, getting things done in Serbia IS a pain in the neck, with lots of waiting in queues and, as you say, a lack of simple, basic information!

So I think it is something to do with the user-friendliness of the system in Serbia, rather than its complexity - "it's up to you to get things done, and why should the state help you do it?!" - that kind of thinking.

We have not "drunk all the intelligence in the world" as they say in Serbia, but maybe we can help each other, especially with the business side of things, so let us know what problems you are having because I am guessing forum visitors can learn something from your experience.

Cheers!

Mark
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[nspic]

to know that there are things that have changed. I am opening a real estate / investment brokerage company, same as i have in the US. this will target people like us and help with the transition(home purchase) to serbia western style . the website is www.nspic.com. i would love to hear what you and other guests think of it. i have started making a flowchart for how to complete certain transaction. I am right now working on the process at the deed of registrars, building permits, etc.. getting cooperation from local agencies is nearly impossible even though i am offering fair commission splits 50/50. a network of business/ex-pat business owners would be great, which you can see the begining stages of in the trusted partners section, it's just that it is empty as of yet. ok, i have to stop and do some work or else i will never get this off the ground by 1.1.2008. p.s. is there foreigner club in novi sad that gets together to chat, laugh, and share information? till later, alksandra

[markowe]

Oh wow... Getting into property in Serbia - you are brave! It is fortunate you ARE a Serb so you won't get eaten alive!

My general impression is that the property business in Serbia is not actually too crime-ridden, apart from the usual corruption and money-laundering. I think it is a booming business that anyone with some money to invest has been able to do well in, at least the big players like Aleksandar, C-Partner, Prezident and others in Novi Sad, at least. But then whenever there is a lot of money around there is bound to be a shady side.

I wish you all the best with trying to make a proper business out of it - I am sure you will, applying the principles you have learned in the US. I am not one of these people who believes that you HAVE to start getting into the shady side of things, veze and all the rest of it if you want to do business in Serbia. There is lots of room for professional, properly-run companies out there and I think such will win out in the long run.

As for your Trusted Partners section, I hope my company can join the list soon, though you don't really need the services of my company which does Serbian to English translation...!

Regarding clubs for foreigners in Novi Sad, there just aren't that many foreigners still, but there ARE enough of us around to manage a beer sometime!

Mark

P.S. Your site looks great! Just one thought - you need a "favicon" for your site - currently there is no icon in Explorer/Firefox when you open your page. Simple thing but it really improves things. Your support guy will know how to do that, it's really easy.
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Odista - professional English and Serbian translation services.
Odista - prevod na engleski prepustite Englezima!