http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CxIN79n4jVo<\/a>). But Whitney and Mariah were singing about us believing in God, not in crooks\u2026
\n\u201cWe saw the advertisement and we thought \u201cWhat the hell, we are not stupid, we should also take advantage of this opportunity\u201d. So, we called the guy with the advertisement. Very polite, Cypriot like us, someone we could trust. He explained to us that the interest rated at the banks offer very small figures nowadays, while Romania allows to us to invest and earn big profits in some months. He told us that it is possible to reach even 1.000% in 5-6 months, but he preferred to be defensive and said that with 400% we should be satisfied. So, we bought the tickets, reserved the hotel and\u2026 here we are, in Bucharest\u201d<\/p>\nThe big secret of Niculesti\u2026
\n<\/strong>\u201cWe arrived around the afternoon, as we came from Athens (some business to finish there too). He was waiting us at the airport, he was very polite. Also he had a lady with him, an assistant\u201d \u201cCould you please describe to me how this guy looks like and how his car was?\u201d \u201cIs it important?\u201d \u201cI am curious, if you don\u2019t mind, one of my hobbies is psychology\u201d \u201cHe was around 1.70. Dressed in a simple way, he was driving a silver car\u2026\u201d \u201cNew that time?\u201d \u201cNo, I guess 6 \u2013 8 years old back then. He was nice and also simple, as he said he was so busy he didn\u2019t have time to be very well prepared himself\u201d, informed me the first Cypriot with the second one adding \u201cbut the female was SUPER. SUPER in her all\u201d (Greek expression, meaning in everything). \u201cCan I guess? She was dressed sexy?\u201d \u201cYou guess right, mr Ilias, but her legs were ooooooooooo, fantastic\u201d \u201cAnd her cleavage, her cleavage too!\u201d added the other.
\n\u201cDid you go to the city first?\u201d \u201cNo, we were in a hurry and we went directly right, as you reach the intersection when you exit the airport\u201d. \u201cSo, the civilization was on your left but you went right?\u201d \u201cYes, he was so kind, helped us to avoid the traffic. He explained to us all the areas with details, told us all the huge prices and in the end we arrived at Butimanu. We didn\u2019t like the prices there, so he asked us if we want to invest in a new area, which has a big secret. He took us to this nice area, Niculesti. We liked it a lot. Imagine, the secret was so well kept, that not even his assistant didn\u2019t know, she was surprised herself too\u201d. \u201cAnd what is the secret? He gave you the numbers of the next edition of Lotto?\u201d \u201cEven better! He showed us some official maps, we saw the infrastructure works and the new highways and he explained to us that the new heart of Bucharest will be moved there. With open space available for all uses, Romanians decided to create a magnificent centre in the North, so as to correct all the urbanistic mistakes of the past\u201d<\/p>\n\u00abWhy to beat him? He was honest!\u00bb
\n<\/strong>\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t beat him badly for losing your time?\u201d \u201cWhy to beat him??? We saw the map, he was honest! We entered in the city during the evening\u2026\u201d \u201c\u2026 so you didn\u2019t see it with natural light?\u201d \u201cNo, no\u201d. \u201cLet me guess: In the evening you went out for a dinner with these two. The girl liked one of you and she also brought a girlfriend of hers, who happened to like the other one. You had wonderful sex, both of you. The next day you opened accounts, gave instructions for the negotiations with the owner of the lands and you left\u201d \u201cHow do you know?\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve been to this cinema many times and I\u2019ve watched this film a lot\u201d. \u201cWhich film are you talking about?\u201d \u201cNever mind. Then he informed you about the final prices after the tough negotiations and you came for the final contract. You signed either without the owner to be present, because something happened to him, or he stayed just one \u2013 two minutes because he was very busy that day\u201d \u201cHe was busy, sent someone else with empowerment\u201d
\n\u201cAfter the contracts, you didn\u2019t have sex with the girls again, something happened and they got upset on you, or asked you for very expensive presents. Today neither them nor the agent answers the telephone to you\u201d \u201cRe si koumpare\u201d (Cypriot expression) \u201cwhat happened? Are you a spy? You had been following us in Romania?\u201d \u201cNo, but all these sound very familiar\u201d. \u201cYes, but you are wrong, they didn\u2019t disappear as you say. Also the girls were very nice, too bad we couldn\u2019t help them enough and they had to emigrate for this\u201d \u201cHelped them for what?\u201d \u201cThey had some serious financial problems but we didn\u2019t have available at that time 20.000 euro they asked to borrow\u201d. \u201cGood\u201d. \u201cAnd it is a pity, because the girls and the nice agent helped us more\u201d \u201cMore? Oh\u2026 like what ???\u201d<\/p>\nA\u2026 \u201cGod sent\u201d help\u2026
\n<\/strong>\u201cSo how did these girls help you more?\u201d \u201cYou know, you don\u2019t have to be so grumpy and defensive, they are good people here in Romania\u201d. \u201cI know, this is why I am here too, but what happened with your lands?\u201d \u201cThe girls and the agent, but especially the girls, were polite enough so as to tell us how to give an added value to the properties\u201d. \u201cBy growing wheat or corn?\u201d \u201cOf course not, we bought lands for residential destination, what corn and wheat are you talking about? So, as our lands were extravillant, they proposed to us to switch them into Intravillant status\u201d. \u201cThere? At Niculesti? In the middle of nowhere? You must be joking\u201d. \u201cI am not joking and please don\u2019t interrupt. So, we were introduced to some very nice architects. They really helped us and told us many secrets we didn\u2019t know, thank God we found them, through the girls\u201d. \u201cAnd what did you do with them?\u201d
\n\u201cThey informed us that the best way to add value to the properties was to switch to Intravillant and apply for a PUZ (zonal urbanistic plan) so as to obtain a good CUT (coefficient). It took some time though, as they had to \u201coil\u201d many people for this. Finally they did it and today we have the best lands in the area, with approved PUZ. If we want to, we can immediately apply for authorization to build, so we have a competitive advantage towards competition\u201d. \u201cDo you have these papers with you? May I see them?\u201d \u201c Yes, for sure\u201d. \u201cHe opened his bag and gave me a bunch of papers. \u201cHere you are\u201d.<\/p>\nGround floor + 5 floors between corn and sunflowers\u2026
\n<\/strong>I will never forget these papers. It was amazing\u2026 The so called \u201carchitects\u201d were such big crooks that they had instructed the land owners to apply not just for villas, but for buildings! 4 different PUZ documents, presenting some weird buildings\u2026 Imagine a land of 5.000 sq.m. with opening of 18 meters ( X 278 meters) hosting some 5-6 blocks. Each of the blocks had a footprint around 500 sq.m. and a weird shape, its dimensions were 10 X 50 meters. All the blocks were supposed to be situated at the land\u2019s border, so as to remain the necessary 8 meters for a street and a pavement. The description was clear, with bigger letters than usual (I\u2019ve seen some hundreds of PUZ so far). You could build one basement + ground floor + five floors, covering up to 70% of the land\u2019s surface. All the walls built at the property\u2019s borders had to be\u2026 \u201cblind\u201d (no windows). I guess because you should not see the sheeps behind them, eating peacefully their wheat or grass.
\n\u201cGuys, what is this?\u201d \u201cThe PUZ\u201d. \u201cBut why do you have a project for so many floors?\u201d \u201cSo as to be able to have the maximum possible CUT and sell the land in higher price\u201d. \u201cHm, interesting approach. Who told you this?\u201d \u201cThe girls and the architect together, like this we can double or triple the price we will sell our land\u201d. \u201cIn the middle of nowhere? There is no civilization around, how can you develop buildings and not villas, for example?\u201d \u201cThis is not our business, the investor will decide what he wants to develop. We simply give him full options\u201d. \u201cAnd I guess they told you that you had to pay much more, so as to have tall buildings instead of villas\u201d. \u201cIndeed, but it worths. We calculated the figures and the outcome was positive, as we will sell in a really good price\u201d.
\n\u201cAnd why you have 4 PUZ and not one, did you buy 4 lands?\u201d \u201cNo, it is one land, just that the ownerships were one next to the other and we didn\u2019t want to merge them, the costs are huge for something like this\u201d. \u201cI have merged tens of properties, this is not true. Who told you this?\u201d \u201cThe lawyer and the architect\u201d. \u201cYou know the lawyer well?\u201d \u201cNo, she was introduced to us by the agent\u201d.<\/p>\nOne land, meaning four\u2026
\n<\/strong>\u201cGuys, I am not an expert on this, but if you look at the documents you give me, these properties are not one next to the other. Look here\u201d I pointed at some drawings and cadastral documents. It was the first time I saw them losing their confidence\u2026 \u201cwhat are you talking about?\u201d \u201cif the land is bordering to the other one, here you can see it as well, in this PUZ\u201d. To cut the long story short, I explained to them that they had bought four small lands, with very bad openings and no connection to each other. They also paid for four different PUZ studies, except if\u2026 \u201cwhere are the stamps of the authorities on the PUZ?\u201d \u201cwhat stamps? There are so many here\u201d \u201cYes, I can see\u2026 but none from authorities. The project is just stamped by the architect and maybe his friends or God knows who\u201d. \u201cYou have bought four pieces of land, in the middle of nowhere and they have presented to you PUZ approvals which don\u2019t have any validity\u201d. \u201cBut they said they have\u201d \u201cI also said once fifteen years ago that I would like to be like Sean Connery, but no one paid attention to my hidden talent, unfortunately\u201d.<\/p>\nFifty euro, meaning two\u2026
\n<\/strong>\u201cOk, ok\u201d the guys tried to relax. I was feeling very uncomfortable to say all these to such nice people, but I could not lie. \u201cEven like this, what are the chances to sell the land with our price? Help us and we give you big commission\u201d. \u201cWhat is your price?\u201d \u201cFifty euro \/ sq.m.\u201d \u201cWhy fifty?\u201d \u201cBecause this is the price we want\u201d. \u201cOk, in this case I can not help you\u201d. \u201cBut why? Before we lost contact with the girls and the agent, we put them to make for us a small market research and they gave us this feedback from the market\u201d. \u201cDid you pay for this?\u201d \u201cNo, why to pay?\u201d \u201cSo, they gave you another present\u201d. \u201cYes and we have also telephones to call people to crosscheck ourselves, if we want\u201d. \u201cDid you call?\u201d \u201cNo, we trust them\u201d.
\n\u201cHow much did you buy the lands?\u201d \u201cWhy? Is it relevant? All people buy and then ask what they want. Also, we must make the profits we were promised, either wise we would not leave Cyprus to come here just for 3-4 times the price of the land\u201d. \u201cOk, please tell me the secret, I want to help you\u201d. After some minutes I found out that they had bought the land with 2 euro \/ sq.m. \u201cSo the guy bought it with 0.1 \u2013 0.2 and sold it to you with 2 euro, after having told you that he negotiated from 5 euro\u201d. \u201cImpossible, what are you talking about?\u201d \u201c\u2026 and now you want to sell with 50?\u201d \u201cYes, we paid also the PUZ, don\u2019t forget this\u201d. \u201cCorrect, how could I ever forget?\u201d \u201cSo, what is your opinion? Will you find us a client? You will be paid very well\u201d.
\n\u201cGuys, first of all, I am not able to trick anyone and present to him the properties, no matter how much you pay as commission\u201d \u201c\u2026but why? You don\u2019t need money? Aren\u2019t you a broker?\u201d \u201cI do not work so many years so as to start now tricking people and promoting properties like this. So, I just propose to you to go to a lawyer, in case you want to find all the crooks who stole your money and also to get rid of the properties as fast as possible\u201d. \u201cIn what price?\u201d \u201cTwo euro would be very good, the problem for you is where to find the stupid to pay you this money\u2026\u201d \u201cAre you insane? Two euro for a diamond like this?\u201d \u201cFirst of all the diamonds are four, not one and secondly sometimes in life it is better assume a mistake, correct it and go on, than insisting on something which is pointless\u201d.<\/p>\n\u201cCan we sell with two now?\u201d
\n<\/strong>The guys got very upset. They terminated the discussion and they tried hard so as to shake my hand and not kick me while I was preparing to leave. They have been probably to the majority of Greek speaking agents in Bucharest, but I guess no one was such a good magician so as to find them what they wished.
\nTime passed and last month I had a call by a Romanian agent, with who my company collaborates with: \u201cIlia, how are you?\u201d \u201cSurviving during the crisis\u201d \u201cListen, a guy of yours, talking Greek, informed me for a land in Niculesti, he told me you know the case. He said that he is willing to listen to something you had told him once and sell for two euro per sq.m. Do you think it worths sending you the papers?\u201d \u201cNot really, keep it for yourself\u201d. In few minutes the Cypriot gentleman called me and informed me that they had not found anyone to sell with the price they wanted, then the crisis appeared and now they just want to get rid of the land, selling it for as much as they bought it. I reminded him that the lands are four and I had to break his heart again, letting him know that I don\u2019t deal with properties like this. I really felt sorry\u2026<\/p>\nWe are not more intelligent than the people around us
\n<\/strong>Why did I share with you all these? Mainly because I want to send you a clear message: We are not more intelligent than the people around us. With me first in the list, there is no reason for any of us to believe that he will find a simple way to make lots of money, without crosschecking, comparing, thinking, implementing an investment strategy.
\nNow that the market is full of opportunities, don\u2019t forget to work with a good lawyer, architect and accountant that make you feel comfortable and safe. In the end of the day, sometimes I believe that if the crooks are once guilty for trying to trick us, we are twice guilty for not identifying them.\n<\/p>\nPS. In my opinion Cypriots are probably some of the most intelligent people in this world, combining the mind of the Greeks and the Jewish. I still wonder how it was possible this REAL story to happen in Romania hundreds of times in the last years. And so many people, from all nationalities, to be blocked, having bought agricultural lands in prices of buildable areas\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This happens when you invest without crosschecking before\u2026 I looked at my right. People sitting on the chairs, talking. Then at my left. The bar of Marriott caf\u00e9, at ground floor. I looked up a bit. The famous stairs made of marble. I took a magazine. I was able to read it properly. This quick […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":59454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[204],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.iliaspapageorgiadis.ro\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}