Buying a Home in Estonia - Price to Rent Ratio

If you want to buy a home in Estonia, after reading the quick Estonian economy review and about Price to Income Ratio you can evaluate if the real state market is over or under valuated using the Price to Rent ratio.

Price to Rent Ratio

When evaluating if a home is affordable, one measurement frequently used is the Price to Rent ratio, defined by average house price divided by the average yearly rent price. Historically in America, this ratio fluctuates between 15 and 25, where a value below 15 means it's cheaper to buy than rent, and higher values can indicate an overpriced house (or a bubble). The European Union Housing Price Index shows an all time low in Housing Price to Rent ratio, and the Global Property Guide European Price to Rent ratio shows how each country compares.

Estonian Price to Rent ratio

Let's see how Estonian Real State market fare's using this simple index.

Tallinn Price to Rent ratio

Since Tallinn is a special case in Estonia, let's take a look at it separately.

Big Picture

Even though the values above don't seem so good, Estonia has almost the lowest of European Price to Rent ratio. However, this lists compare upscale  houses with "Average per square meter prices in US$/€ of 120-sq. m. apartments located in the center of the most important city of each country".

Using Numbeo World Price to Rate map we can see that Estonia has a high but not so high ratio, compared to other world capitals, but I'm not sure how this values are calculated, so take it with a grain of salt.

What do you think, would you still buy a home in Estonia? Share it in the comments.

Tallinn Municipal Elections - parties and candidates

Soon Estonian citizens (and foreigners with permanent resident permit) will be voting for Estonian Local government council elections to choose the new Tallinn Mayor and City Council (63 councilors) in October 20th, 2013.

This starts a series of Estonian elections (local government in 2013, European parliament in 2014, National parliament in 2015 and president in 2016) urging political parties to get ready for the big race.

And this year elections got more interesting with expats running for local city council, Abdul Turay (from SDE), pledging to represent the foreigner community in Estonia, followed by John Slade (from Keskerakond).

Estonian Political Parties

Estonia has a multi-party system, where the biggest parties (by parliamentary representation) are Reformierakond (Reform party), Keskerakond (Centre party), IRL (Pro Patria and Res Publica Union) and Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond (Social Democratic party).

You can see the last Estonian elections results for Local Government in 2009 and for Parliament in 2011 to get a picture of the players in 2013 elections:

Tallinn Municipal Elections results 2009 (total votes: 212828)
Party	Votes	Percentage of total
Eesti Keskerakond	114013	53,5%
Eesti Reformierakond	35490	16,6%
Erakond Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit	32939	15,4%
Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond	20928	9,8%
Erakond Eestimaa Rohelised	4655	2,1%
Erakond Eesti Kristlikud Demokraadid	637	0,2%

Tallinn Mayor Candidates 2013

The current candidates for Tallinn Mayor are:

• Edgar Savisaar (the actual mayor, from Keskerakond)
• Valdo Randpere (Reformierakond)
• Eerik-Niiles Kross (IRL)
• Andres Anvelt (SDE)
• Mart Helme (from Conservative People's Party of Estonia, newly created in 2012)

And did you know that Tallinn already had foreigner politicians? Abram Petrovich Gannibal, the grandfather of Russian author Pushkin, was the superintendent of Reval from 1742 to 1752. Talk about small world!

Comparing house prices - Estonia and Europe

After reading the previous post about Housing prices in Estonia, you might be thinking that maybe Estonian prices are not that bad compared to other European countries. Let's try to do a rough comparison of Housing prices in Europe and see how does Estonia ranks.

It's good to note that we may be comparing oranges and apples (and there are lies, Lies and Statistics), so take this results with a grain of skepticism.

Global Property Guide has several very good articles on Estonian Housing market, and compared to Europe, Estonian Square Meter Prices are quite low (last 6th position). Also comparing House Price to Income Ratio to Europe, Estonia is on the middle (below top 15). However, this lists compare upscale  houses with "Average per square metre prices in US$/€ of 120-sq. m. apartments located in the centre of the most important city of each country".

Numbeo has some nice interactive maps of World Price to Income Ratio but I don't yet know how this numbers are calculated.

We can get more detailed analysis on a country per country basis, to get more insight. For instance, here's a recent article on Swiss home prices to income ratio.

What do you think: Does the world market affects Estonian housing prices? Postimees reports that foreigners almost one quarter of Estonian real estate transactions in 2012, although we have to remember that a big percentage of local residents holds a foreign or grey passport. Share it in the comments!

Should you buy a home in Estonia?

After living in Estonia for a while, you start considering if it's worth to stop renting and finally buy your own home (specially now that interest rates are so low). After reading our quick Estonian economy review, here's some data to consider before buying a flat, apartment or house in Estonia:

Price to Income ratio

One important way to measure affordable housing  is Price to Income ratio - the number of years of average income necessary to buy a median value home. This value differs in each country: while in US the typical median home cost 2.6 times as much as the median annual income, in Australia a value below 4 is considered affordable.

Estonian Price to Income ratio

To calculate an estimated Estonian Price to Income ratio, lets assume a 50m² flat and use the average gross wages and average price per square meter for 2010, 2011 and 2012  from Statistics Estonia:

Estonian Price to Income ratio
Year	Price/m2	Salary	P2I
2010	640€	792€	3.37
2011	706€	839€	3.51
2012	760€	887€	3.57

Although this seems reasonable, Estonia has one particularity: half of GDP and population is located in the capital region. This can be seen in the average gross wages per region where the income of Valga (lowest income) county employees accounts for 74% of the Harju (highest income) county.

Tallinn Price to Income ratio

To calculate an estimated Tallinn Price to Income ratio, assuming the same 50m² flat and using average gross wages and average price per square meter for 2010, 2011 and 2012 in Tallinn:

Tallinn Price to Income ratio
Year	Price/m2	Salary	P2I
2010	€840	€847	4.13
2011	€1037	€893	4.84
2012	€1135	€946	5.00

The Price to Income ratio implies that housing is expensive in Estonia, particularly in Tallinn, and is getting more expensive every year, as Estonian dwelling prices increased 20% since 2010.

Big Picture

Before we rush to conclusions we should consider the European Housing statistics, that overcrowding and affordability is a pressing issue in Europe, and that Estonia had the largest decrease in overcrowding rate over the past years. It may be that Estonia is just paying the price of a much needed housing growth?

For a deeper analysis, see "Before and after the boom: changes in the Estonian housing market" Doctoral thesis by Angelika Kallakmaa-Kapsta defended on April 4, 2013 at the Tallinn University of Technology:

This study investigates housing market developments from three main aspects – market 
analysis, housing affordability, and quality of housing. (...) If a person with an average monthly income cannot afford to pay for an average home (which in the Estonian case is a flat) there is an affordability problem.

So, what do you think: Would you still buy a house in Estonia? Did you find any mistake in the calculations? Share it in the comments!

Estonian Economy - from Independence to Euro

If you are interested in Estonia for work, investment, or just as a tourist, it may help to read a quick summary of recent events in Estonian economy, so you don't get surprised by local prices when arriving in Tallinn.

Estonia adopted the Estonian kroon  in June 1992, replacing the Soviet ruble as national currency after it's re-independence on August 1991. During the transition to a free-market economy, inflation was high as the country economy had fast growing GDP rates (Eurostat dashboard).

Confidence in Estonian economy increased when Estonia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and entered the Schengen area in 2007, leading to a housing bubble that burst in 2007, aggravated by the 2008 global financial crisis.

High unemployment rates and a huge drop in GDP followed in 2007 and 2008, but with strict government austerity measures and a pledge to join the Eurozone (finally achieved in 2011), the country economy started rebounding in 2009 and is growing ever since (Real GDP per capita - Eurostat), although still with inflation among the highest in European Union.

To fight economical recession, the European Central Bank decided in July 2012 to cut the main interest rates from 1%  to 0.75% and in May 2013 to 0.5% per year (ECB interest rates), creating a huge incentive for private lending (specially for mortgages) in Estonia.

How these recent economical factors will affect Estonia is not yet known, but some visible trends are the growth of Estonian average wage and GDP per capita in contrast with population decline aggravated by Estonian emigration to other European countries (based on 2011 Census) and the concentration of almost one third of the population and more than half of GDP in the capital area (Harju county).

What do you think the future holds for Estonian economy? Did this post miss any important point? Let me know in the comments.

Working in Estonia - How to start?

If you are a foreigner looking to start working in Estonia, there are several entry level jobs in Tallinn that don't require Estonian language. One good place to start is CV.ee English Job Offers but here are some ideas to help you get started in Estonia:

Big Companies

Some Estonian multinational IT companies have a record of hiring foreigners, looking for diversity and creativity in the workplace, but they may require more experience and/or university degree in the area. Here are some different job offers (March 2013):

• Swedbank - IT Summer Trainee 
• Swedbank - Reporting Analyst
• Swedbank - Project Manager 
• Big Bank - Telephone Consultant
• Skype - Production Designer
• Skype - Operations Analyst
• Coca Cola - Commercial Trainee
• Symantec - Technical Support Engineer

Costumer Support Agent 

Estonia is big on the Costumer Service industry, partly because of the good geographical location (and timezone) to the Scandinavian countries, also because of the high education level and language knowledge. This area is always looking for people based on their language skills, so as a foreigner you may have an advantage. Here's some active job offers in Costumer Support field (March 2013):

• Fortumo - Customer relations manager
• Arvato - IT Support Specialist 
• Kühne-Nagel - IT Administrator Supporter
• Evry - Customer Service Consultant
• Runway - Helpdesk Specialist 
• Linn - Customer Service Representative 

Local Startups

Estonia is striving to become the European Silicon Valley, and local startups are usually looking for bright minds from all over the world to bring their products to life, but they usually don't announce job openings in traditional ways, preferring twitter or their own site. If you don't mind a smaller team and unconventional work, here are some offers (March 2013):

• Garage 48 - Hub Manager
• TransferWise - Custommer Support
• GrabCad - Community Product Manager
• PipeDrive - Customer Support Specialist
• Erply - Software Support
• SportRadar - Information Broker
• Steam Scandinavian Group - Fashion Designer

Here you go, several ways to get started in Estonia, and if you want to read more, here's a detailed guide about how to move to Estonia, including more info on jobs. Have any questions, shoot in the comments!

Estonian Language Online

Do you want to learn Estonian language online? Here are a few interesting resources available, and good links to find more information about Estonian language and culture:

BBC Essential Phrases - Estonian 12 phrases in Estonian with audio available for download (mp3), useful for your first day in Estonia, or to practice pronunciation.


The Estonian Institute has created a book with general information about Estonian language, it's ideal to get a background before starting to study. Estonian Language (pdf)

Tourism in Estonia - How to Shop Tax Free

If you are traveler residing in a non-EU country, you can get back the VAT (18% in Estonia) payed when you bring your purchased items back home. When buying something big, like electronics, this can be a big discount!

First, if you want the money back, make sure you buy your item in a store with the "TAX FREE" sign, and ask for the shop to fill a Refund Cheque! (You might need to show your passport for filling the form)

Second, when leaving Estonia, or leaving EU, show your purchases, receipt and passport to a Customs Office and get your refund Cheque stamped. (Can be done before or after check-in in airports).

Last, show your Stamped Refund Cheque and passport to a Refund Office before leaving EU (usually every international airport has one) and ask for the credit in your credit card or the refund in cash! (If you want cash, you can get the amount converted to the local currency, or in Euros).

Easy! But there's some tricks. You have 3 months after the purchase to ask for the refund, and there's a minimum purchase value for asking the tax refund. For Estonia, this value is 2000 eek (around 180 U$D).

Have you ever got your tax money back? Was it easy? Add your info in the comments!

Working in Estonia - Tax Declaration

Estonia is famous for E-Government, flat income tax rate, decreasing since 2004 (21% in 2008). From February 15 till March 31, Estonians fill their Tax Report (Online at Maksu- ja Tolliamet - Estonian Tax and Customs Board),  in order to receive their tax refund (within 5 working days!). 
Unfortunately, the Online Form is available only in Estonian or Russian, but with some easy steps, you also can make your Tax Declaration!

1. Login using your ID-Card/Phone ID-Card or Bank account.
   
2. Click on "Tuludeklaratsioonid", then "2008".
   
3. Review your personal data, typing the current address at "Postiaadress". Click "Salvesta", then click "Edasi".
   
4. Verify your income and tax data, and add your deductions. Usually, all the information is filled and correct, it means you can simply click on "Edasi".
   
5. Review all the entered information. Everything should be fine, just press "Edasi". You can go to previous pages pressing "Tagasi".
   
6. The total of tax refund you will receive will be written, and you can see the refund calculation by pressing "Vaata arvutuskäiku". Here you verify your banking data, where your refund will be deposited. There will be 2 checkboxes, leave them blank. Click on "Edasi".
   
7. Last page, where you review Bank data, and clicking on "Kinnita" and then OK, you finished your Tax Declaration. Now just wait for the Tax Refund money! Easy, isn't?
   

IMPORTANT DATES

6 February – you can view the pre-populated income tax return in the e-Tax Board. Check the data and amend or update them if necessary.

16 February – submission of pre-populated electronic income tax returns from the website of the Tax and Customs Board starts.

26 February – refunding overpaid income tax on the basis of the electronically submitted income tax returns starts.

31 March – final deadline for submission of income tax returns. You can submit the tax return electronically or on paper.

1 July or 1 October – the final deadline for returning overpaid income tax if the tax return is subject to additional inspection. The Tax Board will inform you about the need for additional inspection from the day following the day you submitted your tax return.

If you want, you can review or re-enter the Tax Form, on the same website. Did yo have any problems, any doubts? Add your comments!

Winter in Estonia - Ski Marathon

It's Winter in Estonia! It means Winter Sports time!
If you already practiced Ice Skating and Skiing, it's time for the ultimate winter challenge - Run a Winter Cross Country Ski Marathon!

38. Tartu Maraton (15.02.09) - 63/31km (Classic Style)
Tartu Ski Marathon, the most important winter marathon of Estonia, hosted in Tartu region every year, from Otepää to Elva. This year, with more than 5000 participants.

XII Tallinn Suusamaraton (22.02.09) - 48/24km (Open Style)
Tallinn Ski Marathon, happens every year in Harju region (near Aegvidu, a small village 55km away from Tallinn), presents a little easier challenge.

So, have you ever run a marathon? Over snow? Add your comments!

Winter in Estonia - Skiing

Estonia is a very popular resort for Skiing!
But as the highest mountain of Estonia is only 318 meters high, we are talking about Cross Country Ski!.
This sport is very popular in Estonia, and on the last Winter Olympic Games, all Estonian gold medals were in Cross-Country Skiing!

In Tallinn, there are many winter tracks for Cross-Country Skiing. Renting of the full equipment (boots, skis and poles) is available for good prices (usually 50 eek), and if you have your own equipment, you can just come and ski as long as you want for free!

Nõmme Sport Center (Külmallika 15) - Nõmme Sport Center is open every day (08.00 - 22.00) and has 4 tracks for cross country skiing in Winter (from 1 km till 5 km). The access is not easy by buss or public transport, but has well kept and illuminated tracks, and places for beginners to practice. See the temperature and amount of snow in Nõmme (in Estonian).

Pirita Sport Center (Rummu tee 3) - Pirita Sport Center is open everyday (10:00 - 20:00) and has 2 tracks for cross country skiing (2km and 4km). With easier access by public transportation, but not so easy tracks for beginners. See the temperature and amount of snow in Pirita (in Estonian).

By the way, did you know that every winter, the FIS (International Ski Federation) hosts the Cross-Country Ski World Cup in Otepää, the "Winter Capital" of Estonia?

Do you have any other good places to ski in Tallinn? Tell us in the comments!

Winter in Estonia - Ice Skating

One of the pleasures of winter is to engage in Winter Sports. In Estonia, you have many places where you can try Ice Skating all year around, but only during winter you can try ice skating in open air, like in frozen lakes in town, or if you are more adventurous, in the frozen baltic sea. (Yeah, it freezes, and usually each winter there are official driving roads from the mainland to the islands).

Jeti Ice Hall, near the Ülemiste Center, has many indoors ice rinks available for Ice Skating, Figure Skating, Curling and Ice Hokey.

The Linnahall Ice Hall is a ice skating rink closer to the city center, but open only on Fridays and weekends.

The Old Town Outdoor Skating Rink is open only during winters, but there you can skate every day of the week from 10:00 to 22:00. You can even check out how many people is skating with the Skate Rink WebCam.

In Tartu, there's Liuväli, a full size skating arena in LõunaKeskus, with the best ice rink, but you have the check the schedule, not all the hours are available for ice skating, as they have Hokey trainings and Figure Skating.

But if you are looking for more, why not Ice Skate on the Frozen Baltic Sea? 360.ee offers Ice Skating in Big Open spaces, like many of the Estonian big lakes or in Baltic Sea, between Haapsalu and Vormsi. Be prepared to skate for more than 4h, more than 20km, in a wild and beautiful scenario, surrounded by ice and Estonian Nature. See what kind of adventures you can do in some of their online pictures (Estonian language required)...

... Or you can check my pictures when I was skating in the Baltic Sea!


Do you have any comments on Ice Skating in Estonia? Leave your opinion below on the comments!

Head Uut Aastat!

That's Estonian for Happy New Year!
Or if you want in Russian, С Новым Годом!

And if you want to see how is a winter day in Estonia,
this was the Last Day of 2008 in Tallinn!


31.08.2008: Temperature average -1°c, day of 6h and 12min (sunrise at 9:18, sunset at 15:30).

More info in TimeAndDate.com and weather.com websites.

Estonia and Brazil - Tallinn Winter Tropics Festival 2008

Tere!

Since 1992, the international community in Estonia has grown a lot! Also the relations between Estonia and Brazil flourished, with many Estonian traveling to Brazil, and Brazilians coming to Estonia.

Many Estonians are learning Portuguese (with Gustavo), practising capoeira (with Lauro), listening to Brazilian music (with Denise and Jay in Clazz every Tuesday 21), and even eating in a Rodizio (All-you-can-eat meat) Restaurant (Ipanema Rodizio), among many other things.

This weekend, the First Brazilian Music Festival is happening in Tallinn. Brazilian vibes, with international attractions.


Tallinn Winter Tropics Festival!
(Tickets sale online)

Check out more about the biggest attraction, Elza Soares, anthological samba and bossa singer, awarded "Best Singer of the Millennium" by the BBC.

See you all there!

City Transportation - Tallinn

Tallinn, Estonia capital, has a good and integrated public transportation system, composed of city Bus, Tram (electrical train on tracks) and Trolley (electrical bus).

A travel ticket can be used in any of those systems, costing 13 eek (beforehand from kiosks or shops) or 20 EEK (from the driver). You can also by a 10 ticket package for 90 EEK. Students with valid identification pay less (6 eek beforehand, 12 eek from driver).

If you will use the public transportation a lot, you can have better prices if you buy a daily pass, 10, 30, or 90 days pass. This can be bought in paper at the kiosks, or if you have an Estonian-ID, online from pilet.ee.

Please, buy tickets before using public transportation. Every now and then, some private security personal enter checking if you have a valid ticket. If you use your ID-card, just handle them, they check in a small machine in front of you. Support Estonian economy, and don't get Tased, bro!

You can get the timetables, stops, and travel directions in the Sõiduplan site of Tallinn City Portal. More info in the Tallinn Tourism site (also a great page, full of useful info in English).

Now, for informative fun, you can check a little of the History of Public Transportation in Tallinn at Tallinna Ühistransport. Did you know that Trams in Tallinn are celebrating 120 years of operation in 2008?

Living in Estonia - Peace

I can only say one thing: Peace!Мир!Rahu!Paz!
More on the war in Georgia by CNN.

Learning Estonian - Language Schools

If you are beginning to learn Estonian, a good language teacher can do wonders! Many foreigners I've met learned a basic Estonian (that they could speak and understand with people in the streets) before the end of one study semester (not my case, though).

Of course you can learn in the Estonian Universities (like Tartu University and Tallinn University), but they are usually more expensive and don't offer many time options. A good hint is to go for an Estonian Language School. There you will meet others foreigners interested in Estonia from many different parts of the world (and it's helpful when your colleagues know English and other languages, like Russian or German). Usually, you pay a semester fee (around 2500 eek) for 2 classes per week, with 2 academic hours (45 min) per class, and get the materials for your level.

Language Centers in Tallinn

---

TEA
TEA Language Center has been teaching foreign languages, such as English, German, Finnish, and Estonian, since it was established in 1988. In 1991, due to a lack of high quality foreign language textbooks, TEA Publishers was established. The languages currently taught at TEA Language School are: English, Estonian, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Swedish, German, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic.

ILS
The ILS group of schools was established in 1998 in Tallinn, with our sister schools in Riga and Vilnius, we are able to offer a truly Pan-Baltic Service. Whoever you are and whatever you do International Language Services will try to provide the language course for you. At ILS we aim to provide top quality language training at prices which are affordable.

Language Centers in Tartu

---

Tartu RahvaÜlikool
Tartu Folk High School Training Centre offers training courses for adults. Our school is open to all who wish to develop their talents, refresh their knowledge, or learn something new in order to cope with life. Language Courses: English, Estonian as foreign language, French, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Dutch.

Dialoog
Dialoog offer possibilities to study Estonian, Russian, English, and the Finnish languages in Estonia. As you can see, we are offering the same services as others, but if you value professionalism, flexibility, and accuracy, you are in the right place. In addition, we already have 14-years experience in offering these services.


In Estonia, the academic year starts on September till December (Autumn semester), then a short winter break, returning in February till June (Spring Semester). It's always better to start from September, so schedule yourself!

Do you have any feedback about these Language Schools? Want to recommend another? Post it in the Comments!

Living in Estonia - Renting a Flat

You have decided to come for a bigger stay in Estonia, and don't want to stay in Hotels or Hostels. You want to rent your own flat. So, what do you do?

First, check online the available flats for rent in the biggest real state portals:

and

These portals collect entries from mostly all Real State companies websites, and has nice search interfaces in English, so you can browse the Estonian Real State market.

When you see the price of the rent, remember that at the first month you will have (usually) to pay 3 times its price for the Real State Agency: the Rent in Advance; the Deposit; and the Real State fee; So if you want to rent a flat for 5.000 eek, you will have to pay 15.000 when signing the contract.

Check with attention the Heating System of the flat. There are many options in Estonia, going from Oven heated houses (where you have to buy wood to heat it in winter), Electric Heaters (the most expensive system), Gas Heating, Central Heating... Ask always for the prices of the utilities (water, electricity, heating) in summer and winter!

Be aware that this is a very volatile market, so if you saw a interesting place, you have to call the agency, book it for visitation, and in 24h decide if you are taking it. It might happen (often) that you will be racing against other consumers, and the first one to sign and pay everything gets the deal.

Usually you will find information in English, but here is a little glossary to help, just in case:

Kinnisvara - Real State
Üür - Rent
Müük - Sale
Korter - Flat
Maja - House
Korrus - Floor
Tuba - Room (including living room and bedroom)
Magamistuba - Bedroom
Vannituba - Bathroom
Hind - Rent Price
Tagatisraha - Deposit Money (usually the same as the rent)
kommunaalkulud - Utilities (water, electricity, heating)

Well, if you speak Estonian, you might try to find a flat in the newspapers and rent straight from the owner (avoiding paying the Real State company fees), but its not common to find owners that rent to foreigners. Also another option for the young foreigners is to share a flat. Do you have any good hint for living in Estonia? Post it in the comments!

Estonian Language - Books

If you are decided to learn Estonian Language, a good book will help you out.
Unfortunately is not so easy to find books about Estonian language in English.

In Estonian

---

E Nagu Eesti
The first Estonian language textbook and most used by foreigners to learn Estonian. All his 30 chapters doesn't have one single word in English, but includes a useful Estonian dictionary (Estonian to German/Russian/Finnish/English). NB! It requires a teacher (or a Estonian friend) to understand its lessons. Can be found for 12 euros in TEA (Estonian Publisher / Language company).

Naljaga pooleks
This book is used by Tartu University foreigners that want to learn Estonian for entering Estonian courses in University (in other words, its the best available). Includes a CD (50 minutes) with sound exercises, and can be found for 20 euros in Apollo (one of the biggest book shops in Estonia).

In English

---

Colloquial Estonian
First book made for English speakers, with many explanations about Estonian grammar. It starts easy, with English translations till chapter 5. Then Estonian is more used. The book has an audio CD (sold separately), and can be found in Amazon.com for around 35 USD. This book is commonly found at public libraries in Estonia, so you can try it before you buy it.

Teach Yourself Estonian
From the same authors of 'Naljaga pooleks', a self study textbook for English speakers (not available yet), pre-release listed in Amazon.com for 35 USD (I believe that it will be better than the above one).

---

As far as I know, there's many books for Germans and Russians to learn Estonians
(basically because of historical reasons). There are many dictionaries available also between those languages.

If you happen to know the name of a good book for learning Estonian (in English, German, Russian or any language) feel free to add it in the comments.

Estonian Language - Tere Tulemast!

Estonian language belongs to the Finnic branch of Finno-Ugric group of languages (check out the family tree picture).

Of the ancient European languages, Basque in the Pyrenees, the Finno-Ugric languages in the North, and Caucasian languages (e.g. Georgian) in the southeastern corner of Europe have managed to survive. As you can see, it's not related to the neighbouring Indo-European languages such as Russian, Latvian and Swedish.

Estonian language uses the Latin alphabet (including the letters Õ Ä Ö Ü), is often pronounced like is read, with word stress fixed on the first syllable. This makes it very easy to start learning, reading and speaking!

The Estonian Institute has many interesting publications (available online) about Estonian culture, including this booklet about Estonian Language. It shows many different aspects of the language, and it's easy to read.

When in Estonia, speak like Estonians! You can practice some basics online with BBC languages. Or you can hear a little from my Estonian friend:

Tere, mina olen Anna-lisa, olen pärit Eestis, ja õpin Tartus.
Hi, my name is Anna-lisa, I'm from Estonia, and study in Tartu.

Easy? Difficult? Tell me what you think about Estonian Language in the comments!