Georgia was one of those countries that caught my attention for property.
Prices looked interesting. There was tourism. Tbilisi had energy, Batumi was attracting international buyers, and Gudauri seemed particularly interesting because of the ski market.
So I didn’t just sit at home looking at property listings.
We went to Georgia.
And, as often happens with property, what looked interesting on a screen felt very different once we were actually there.
I really wanted to see Gudauri
Gudauri was probably the part I was most curious about.
A ski resort with tourism and property that appeared relatively affordable compared with many established European ski destinations sounded worth investigating.
The problem?
We tried to get there twice.
And twice, we didn’t make it.
The first attempt: protests in Tbilisi
On our first attempt, the hotel warned us about planned protests in Tbilisi. Staff told us that roads were being closed because approximately half a million people were expected to attend.
We decided to leave before the protest and drove to Armenia for a few days to avoid the expected disruption.
When we returned, the hotel staff told us the turnout had apparently been far smaller—not even 5,000 people. But the warning and road closures had already changed our plans.
Things happen when you travel. We changed our plans and thought we would try again another time.
So we did.
The second attempt: Jvari Pass was inaccessible
On our second attempt, we spent two days trying to reach Gudauri.
Again, we couldn’t get there. Jvari Pass, on the Georgian Military Highway, was inaccessible because of a winter storm and heavy snowfall.
While we waited for the road to clear, we drove around other cities and explored possible alternative routes. One option would have meant driving through another country, and we still could not be certain that we would be able to return along the Georgian Military Highway. The hotel staff were keeping us updated, but eventually we had to accept that we were not going to reach Gudauri on that trip either.
At some point I had to stop thinking like a tourist and start thinking like a property owner.
If I’m struggling this much just to reach a place while researching a potential investment, what happens when I actually own something there?
What happens when guests need to get there?
What happens when something breaks?
What happens when a cleaner, contractor or property manager needs access?
What happens if I need to deal with a problem remotely?
Mountain destinations everywhere can have weather and access problems. But our experience made accessibility part of the investment decision rather than a theoretical risk.
Property is more than the purchase price
One of the easiest traps in overseas property is becoming obsessed with the price.
A €50,000 property can look much more attractive than a €150,000 property.
But the cheapest property isn’t necessarily the better investment.
You also have to think about:
- accessibility
- infrastructure
- seasonality
- property management
- maintenance
- rental demand
- resale demand
- political and regulatory risk
- how easily you can actually manage the property from another country
Our experience trying to reach Gudauri made the accessibility question very real.
It wasn’t something buried in an investment spreadsheet anymore.
We had experienced it ourselves.
Then there was Batumi
Batumi was different.
I could understand immediately why property investors were interested in it. There was development everywhere and a very visible apartment and tourism market.
But that was also my problem. For me, Batumi already felt developed.
I wasn’t looking simply for somewhere where I could buy an apartment. I wanted to see an opportunity where I felt there was still room for me to add value, find something overlooked or spot potential before everybody else did.
In Batumi, I didn’t get that feeling.
Then there was the beach.
A beach can be pebbly and still be beautiful. This one simply wasn’t beautiful to me. I have been fortunate enough to see many extraordinary beaches, and Batumi’s beach wasn’t what I had expected or wanted from a coastal destination.
Batumi may suit somebody else perfectly. It wasn’t the opportunity—or the place—I was looking for.
What about Tbilisi?
Tbilisi was fascinating to experience, but it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to own property.
That is enough of a reason for me.
Not every decision needs to become a judgement on an entire city or country. Sometimes a place simply isn’t for you.
Tbilisi wasn’t for me. Batumi definitely wasn’t. Gudauri was the unanswered part because, despite two attempts, I never managed to reach it and assess it properly.
There were other things I would have needed to check
Had I found a property I absolutely loved, I wouldn’t have bought it immediately anyway.
Before buying in any unfamiliar country, I would want to understand things such as:
Foreign ownership rules
Can I own the property outright, and are there restrictions depending on the type of land or property?
Title and due diligence
How reliable is the ownership record? What needs to be independently checked before money changes hands?
New-build and developer risk
If buying off-plan or from a developer, what protection do I actually have if construction is delayed or doesn’t happen as expected?
Rental reality
Not projected rental income in a sales brochure—what are comparable properties actually achieving after vacancies, management fees and expenses?
Resale liquidity
Buying cheaply means very little if I later struggle to sell.
Currency and money movement
What happens to my real return if exchange rates move significantly?
Tax
What would I owe locally and in my country of tax residence?
Remote management
Who looks after the property when I’m hundreds or thousands of kilometres away?
These aren’t reasons not to buy in Georgia. They’re questions I would need answered before buying anywhere unfamiliar.
Sometimes not buying is the investment decision
We came home without Georgian property.
And I’m perfectly happy with that.
Property hunting doesn’t always need to end with a purchase. Sometimes the most valuable result of a viewing trip is deciding not to buy.
Based on what I was able to see and assess, Georgia was not for me. Gudauri remains the unanswered part of the trip—not a property opportunity I can judge without ever having reached it.
There will always be another property.
Keeping your money until you understand what you’re buying is also a property strategy.
The country changes, but the habit does not: check access, ownership, management, total costs and the eventual exit before committing. The Spain Property Buyer Toolkit was created for buying in Spain, while its viewing questions, checklists and decision process can also help you organise what needs checking elsewhere.
This is my personal experience and the reasoning behind my own property decision. It isn’t legal, financial or investment advice. Conditions and rules can change, so anyone considering buying in Georgia should independently verify access, ownership, taxes, planning restrictions and applicable local requirements before committing.
— Gene | Clueless Gene