This is a response to a question from 'Ivan' in a thread about Bucharest which seems to have gone AWOL.... Hi Ivan, I visited a number of agents in Bratislava over a number of visits. It turned out that I didn't buy on my first visit, and in retrospect I think that was a good thing. You should treat the first visit simply as an opportunity to get a feel for the place - what are the good areas and the bad areas, what are the kinds of properties that are available, what is important to the locals (elevators, parking, public transport, location etc.). Some agents are set up specifically to help foreign buyers, and will liase with the local estate agents for you, setting up appointments etc. These people will charge a fee of around 2%. Some estage agents will have english speaking employees though, and I bought one property in this way quite successfully. Unfortunately, if I mention the name of the agent then PS will delete this post. There are some beautiful buildings in central bratislava (BA I) and some not-so beautiful buildings. The not-so beautiful buildings are still very well located though, and if they are a bit manky on the inside then they can always be renovated. I didn't go down this route myself, but the agents will be happy to help you. I had one sale fall through (leaving me with legal fees), after the vendors tried to raise the price. Aparently this has become more common, although this is only what I have been told.