My wife and I talked yesterday about house and apartment prices in Bosnia and Denmark. Now, before I continue, let me tell you what is the situation here in Denmark. House prices mostly go mad(ly up), while apartment prices go steadily up, but it is ALWAYS more attractive to live in houses than apartments and always was.

Okay, back to Bosnian situation. At some point, she said apartment prices in Sarajevo went 30% up. “House prices stand still”, she added. I was surprised (shocked will be an exaggeration). How can it be? Apartments go up, house prices stagnate. Well, first thought I’ve got is the fact Bosnians are very social species who have this immense urge to be in constant contact to other human beings. No matter what part of day or night it is, Bosnians love to socialize. Even in Summer, when (normal) people go to vacations to get rid of their works, colleagues, family and friends, Bosnians simply must have vacations near other people, if possible, their family and friends. I know a lot of Bosnians living in Denmark who have holidays at the Adriatic Sea (most likely at Makarska Riviera, also commonly known as Bosanska Riviera). Most (if not all) of their friends follow, and they all have a holiday together at the same little spot – only to be together.

In Summer, a lot of Bosnians go to Bosnia to visit their families and have a holiday at the Adriatic. When some Bosnian for any reason cannot go to Bosnia during this period, he or she will most likely go mad, since it would not be possible to meet other Bosnians (since they’re in the Balkans). So, to go back to the apartment vs. house situation in Bosnia, I guess, it is much easier to meet other people in apartment buildings (since there is much more people around) than in houses. A second thought is that the Bosnian diaspora is the major cause for prices of apartments in Sarajevo going up, since it is buying a lot of them in the capital all the time.

It would be very interesting to psychoanalyze this behavior (first thought, at least), but until that project is done – I simply cannot stop loving this interesting species called Bosnians! Apartment prices go up, house prices stand still… this kills me… 🙂