Need some advice on purchasing property (Where to begin)

We used seznam.cz to pick out likely properties and then contacted the owners agents for viewings. It was pretty easy as its a buyers market right now.

The mortgage was tougher. I am a Brit but not a permanent resident. After two false starts - both nightmarish - with banks, we found a mortgage consultant who found me a 90% deal at very competitive rates with my own bank. So no fees and even extra cash for reconstruction. No charge to us for the service.

PM me and I will get you her contact number but she speaks no English.....

I think most of the conditions for lending are laid down by the individual banks. I'm British and got a mortgage two years ago and found it very different to the UK. You really have to speak to each individual lender to find out if they will lend and under what conditions. Having permanent residence should definitely help. If you find problems there are brokers in Prague that probably have experience with non-EU citizens, but I'm not aware of any expat specialists in Brno. I have recently used a broker in Brno to remortgage and , although he is not an expat spaecialist, he managed to get me a good deal. If you want his contact, send me a PM.

I don't know how it is in Canada, but compared to the UK everything takes much longer and nobody seems in a hurry. So be prepared and good luck.

Indeed, where to begin.... Are you looking for a flat or a house? In either case a good place to start is the reality section of www.seznam.cz, you can use the filter to research the type of place you want in terms of size, location and of course price. You should check places which are in your parameters on daily basis until you get a good idea of prices.

If you are looking for a flat then the letters OV or DB are important to look out for. OV means what you buy will be your own personal property whereas with DB you are actually buying a share in the cooperative which owns the property. The big advantage of DB is that when you come to resell you don't pay tax on the profit, the big disadvantage is that they can be difficult to get mortgages for unless they are on the road to privatization.

In terms of estate agents you get what you pay for in my experience in Brno they range from the extremly amateur to reasonably professional. In Brno the buyer pays a premium "provize"(up to 5%) on top of the price, so don't forget to factor this in to your budget. If you want to go it alone you could try " www.bezrealitky.cz" .

When it comes to viewing if you're not the technical type take someone with you who is (even if it means paying them.) You /they should check for things which might mean big investment for example new windows, heating, boilers etc. Also ask about any outstanding debts the flat may have and how much the monthly utility bills come to.View the place at least twice at different times of day.

Before you buy, get a lawyer you trust, if you feel it necessary get all documents translated into English, ask the RK to show you documentation which confirms that the seller is the real owner of the flat etc,etc.

So, that's for starters........