Buying 

2600 new residential units were built in Vilnius in 2004, most all of them sold before they were finished. 
The best advice is to find a broker you like and believe in. The broker will serve more to help you avoid surprises than he’ll negotiate for you: in this region the asking price is very similar to the selling price. For detailed information, we recommend you read City Paper’s Real Estate Guide for Foreigners.

Brokers

This is a partial listing of brokers City Paper readers have used and been pleased with in the past. It is by no means complete.
Baltic Real Estate: Ðvitrigailos 3, tel. 215-0436
Ober-Haus: Geleþinio Vilko 18a, tel. 210-9700
Pro Kapital: Didþioji 39/1, tel. 266-0800

Finance

Concerning banks, there are the usual suspects available in any phone book. But don’t forget the Baltic-American Mortgage Company, a foreign-funded mortgage company (Kalinausko g. 2b, tel. 262-9400, www.bustopaskolos.lt). They are real professionals and often overlooked by foreigners in the region.

Renting

For those in need of long-term rentals there are many options, the most obvious of which is to look in the newspaper. Dealing directly with an apartment’s owner may save you money, but beware you run the risk of surprises. It’s better than it used to be, but apartment owners occasionally will not see it as your apartment. Make sure you find out if the owner plans to enter the apartment when you’re not there, whether he’ll allow you to employ a cleaning service, whether you’ll have to pay rent in cash, whether you’ll be required to pay a broker you never used, just to name a few.
If you have the money, employ a rental agency (see rental agencies) to vet the apartments for you. They’ll remove the element of surprise, there won’t be hidden costs, and the owner won’t show up one day to interview you about what cleaning products you’re using on his floor. Brokers will typically charge one-half to one month’s rent as a commission, regardless the length of the lease signed. 

Rental agencies

See Apartment Rental in City Paper’s Staying the Night section. Most also deal with long-term rentals. 

                     —CITY PAPER-The Baltic States