Bulgarian Property Investments

What is a Smallholding....

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:43:00 +0000

I often get enquiries from people looking to leave the UK and set up a smallholding in Bulgaria. They want a property with several acres, outbuildings, no neighbours etc....

However, a typcial smallholding as you would get in the UK - your nice cottage with maybe 5 acres and a few barns, simply does not exist in Bulgaria. Or is very rare.

Here in the villages, nearly everybody is a 'smallholder'. Each family has their house, usually set in around 1000 sqm of land and several small barns, lean to sheds etc. They each keep 3 or 4 sheep, a few chickens, maybe the odd cow and goat....

Each morning the cows, sheep and goats are let out of the yard and are collected by the local shepherd, who takes all the village animals outside the village onto common grazing where they roam for the day, watched over by the shepherd and two or three dogs. Should danger approach then the sheep do not run from dogs as they do in the UK, but all crowd behind the dogs, which circle the sheep and keep the predator away. In some areas, the dogs live constantly with the sheep and wear studded collars to ward off attacks by wolves!

However, things are slowly changing and with new EU regulations banning the keeping of livestock within village boundaries, soon this way of life may disappear. But for now it is lovely to see the sheep wandering slowly home at the end of the day, watch the donkeys pull huge loads of hay stacked on carts from the fields....

So if you are looking for a smallholding in Bulgaria, please keep in mind that finding a property with over an acre (4000sqm) is extremely difficult. But finding a lovely house (but requiring serious renovation) with 2,000 to 3,000sqm and many outbuildings is no problem and should set you back no more than 15,000 to 20,000 Euros.

Tierschutz Mission Dog Rescue Burgas

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:38:00 +0000

I initially heard of this rescue centre from a friend of a friend back in November 2007 when I was desperate to re-home 2 of the 4 puppies from a street dog I had taken in. I took the dogs, met the lady (Margarita) who runs the place and saw the centre, made a donation and left.

In March 2008 I received a phone call to say the 2 pups had been re-homed which I was delighted to here. Margarita told me how desperate they were for funds for food, blankets and medical care.

On 5th September 2008 I visited the office and centre again to meet with the German journalist who has funded the centre from her private savings and donations she can raise back in Germany. I told her of my plans to start fund raising for the rescue centre. To date they have received practically nothing from either Bulgarians of Expats despite local please for funds in the Burgas area.

I have set up a webpage at Tierschutz Mission to help raise funds and awareness.

Irakli Nature Reserve - Beauty Spot or Crime Spot

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:54:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago we planned to go camping at the Nature Reserve/Eco sport - Irakli, situated just past Banya and before Obzor. We arrived and followed the track to the beach, where there were several cars, a cafe and fair few people.

Looking for the camping area we drove further along dirt tracks until we came to a small parking area where there were 4 or 5 other cars. However, having left the car for 15 minutes to find a suitable place to camp, we came back to find window smashed and my bag had been stolen with all documents, passport etc....The car was parked with along 5 others and people were coming and going from beach all the time so looks like someone watched us leave and ensured we were a safe distance away while someone else broke in quickly and did a runner.

Police 'helpfully' said that there had been 20 to 30 such breakins over last year or two and possibly mafia related in that mafia connected developers want to build there and so they are trying to put people off going camping etc.

Personally the place is nothing special anyway and the campers had ruined it with rubbish everywhere etc. Alright beach but not much else.

Still waiting for police report so I can get a new passport. First one they issued failed to mention my bag at all and has now taken several phone calls and over a week to get them to send new one.

What the heck is this???

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:53:00 +0000

Just look at what I found in the dog's bowl. Horrid isn't it? Not sure of the name of the thing but apparently eats all your plants. So this little sucker got tossed over the wall.

And on with ant saga......

The Raid just keeps on getting them. I went back to check on one room in another property that had got ants sneaking in through a hole. I blasted them all with Raid a couple of weeks ago and hoovered up the hundreds of dead black bodies. Yesterday I discover hundreds more apparently dead ants. Only when I started to hoover them up, all of a sudden the hoover packed in and when I opened it up, loads of nasty, live ants tumbled out. Guess they are very good at pretending to be dead and having a whirl around a vacuum cleaner brings them back to life. So another dose of Raid for both room and hoover.

Ants - amazing creatures but very annoying

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:32:00 +0000

While ants are amazingly organised creatures, this level of organization can cause havock in the garden. The above photo was taken of a huge an colony on a tree branch in my garden. This army got blasted with RAID ant killer as the little buggers kept eating my cucumber seedlings.

And I discovered a large mound of grass seed by an ants nest in one of my other properties. The ants had obviously spent many days collecting seeds and transporting them back to their nest. Unfortunately for them, I have since swept up all my
removed grass seed and placed back on the garden.

This year there seems a massive amount of ants around and there are ant holes everywhere you look in the ground.

Kotel & Jeravna

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:55:00 +0000

The other weekend we decided to head up Kotel way. We left Stara Zagora around 5pm and headed towards Sliven in search of the 'Blue Rocks' in the mountains behind. After a couple of hours we reached Karandila, an old communist resort area high in the mountains. There were several old and run down hostels but apart from some stunning views across the valley below, not much else to commend it. And the rocks were basely blue, more a silver grey, but then we did not go to the main formations as daylight was running short.

We headed on north up and over the mountain on a very windy road until we came over the other side and into the Kotel region. It was just getting dark when we reached Kotel. As it is known as a tourist destination due to the National Revival style wooden houses, we expected there to be any lovely traditional hotels to choose from. But not so....there were basically 2 - a more modern one in the centre and an older style one on the edge of the village. Only the more modern (and more expensive at 60 levs a night for a room) one had space and so we booked in there.

The next day we went to explore the village. There is a small old part with quite a few wooden cladded traditional houses and 2 or 3 museum houses. We visited one but to be honest when you have seen one, you have seen them all, so we headed to the Museum of Nature and Science, which houses a large collection of local and international 'stuffed' wildlife and was fairly interesting.

At around lunchtime we headed back in the Sliven direction but took a slight detour to see the old museum town of Jeravna. And this was worth seeing.

Nestled in the mountains it is very beautiful and nearly all the houses are off the traditional National Revival style. There are several traditional restaurants and many small guest houses. We spent a lovely few hours wandering around, visiting a museum house or two (famous Bulgarian writers/artists etc), had a lovely meal in the sun and then headed back over to Stara Zagora.

Private Sales - Some interesting offers

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Here are a few private sales listing - all different: a new build shell near Varna for completion, a very cheap little house Rousse way and a magnificent old house in need of some TLC.

Shell For Sale in Popular Village 30 Mins from Varna

This project was begun by an English lady in the summer of 2006. She purchased the plot of land, which is 1,100 sqm and gained all relevant planning permissions to build a good size bungalow of 155sqm.

It is at the edge of the village and occupies a corner plot. The village is very popular with British and several British families live there. It is only 30 minutes from Varna and the airport and 20 minutes from the beach.

Work started to build the house in June 2006 and it was done to shell stage with internal and external walls and the roof is 80% tiled.

For anyone looking for a project to finish for a lovely holiday home, close to the sea and Varna city, then this is a good value property.

I can help you source good quality builders to finish the job and have a colleague who can over see and project manage the whole thing for you.

Price: 44,000 Euros (including commission)

Small Cottage on Edge of Bistrentsi Village, Rousse area

Sweet cottage on the edge of the village of Bistrentsi, close to Byala and not far from the northern Bulgarian city of Rousse.

The cottage is in attractive, rolling countryside with only one near neighbour. There are 2 rooms on the first floor and a small room which would be ideal for a bathroom. There is the possibility of building living accommodation and a kitchen in the 2 room basement. Both water and electricity are connected to the property. There is a large plot of land (1480 metres square) and there are already productive grape vines and strawberries in the garden in front of the house.

This cottage, with renovations, will make an ideal summer holiday retreat from the stress and hurry of western European life.

The price reflects the fact that there is renovation to be carried out.

Price: 6,000 Euros (plus commission)

Fantastic Character Property For Renovation with Stunning Views

In its time this was the best house in the village but has not been abandoned for many years and fallen into rack and ruin, yet with some TLC and of course money, this would make a magnificent, imposing family home.

There are 6 rooms covering 130sqm and a plot of 1000sqm with lovely views to the hills and village. Accessed by a good, gravel track, it is 20km from Lovech in the village of Katunec.

It requires all new windows and doors, roof repairs, new wiring and plumbing, septic tank, internal and external plastering so is not a project to be undertaken lightly but it is cheap for the size of property and plot and once renovated, would be simply fantastic.

I have never personally seen this house but it belongs to a friend who inherited it from his grandfather and is now looking to sell it.

Price: 6,000 Euros (including commission) or nearest offer

So Lada's Just Go & Go Do They???

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Well from what I had been told Lada's just kept going and going for years and years. Yes they may rattle, struggle to get above 80 km/hr and be about as luxurious as a tank but they were supposed to be reliable!

But not mine.....

Only a year after buying it something went wrong with the gear box and it kept slipping out of gear. An oil change seemed to sort out the problem but of course the oil was not under guarantee.

Then yesterday I came back to the car in the centre of town to find that that battery was completely dead. I left it an hour and went for lunch. When I came back the lights and radio would work but it just ticked over loudly and would not actually start.

So I had to be taken by tow truck to a garage (50 Levs) and then be told that the battery was knackered and so I needed a new one - another 160 levs plus 30 levs fitting.

Of course as is usual in Bulgaria, it was not so simple as just rolling up at a garage, getting a new battery fitted and off you go. No....I had to go with the mechanic to the shop, buy a battery, come back, have it fitted, drive to the other side of the city to get the battery guarantee book stamped (yes this one actually comes with a guarantee as original one, even though only 15 months old did not!) and then drive back to garage to pay mechanic.

Three hours later my Lada is finally working again but for a new car, it has cost me a lot of time and money and I am sure there is more to come at the next service as the hand brake light on the dashboard never goes off and at low speeds the car makes an awful whining noise.

Rachel

First BBQ of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:26:00 +0000

Last weekend we headed up to Magleesh to the river and after leaving the car close to the first small waterfall, we trekked up the side of the river for 10 to 15 minutes, crossing a rather precarious old wooden bridge. We came across a small clearing where there was a natural spring for drinking water and decided to set up the BBQ here.

The area is incredibly beautiful and would be an ideal place to go in the summer to camp, have BBQs, paddle in the river and swim in the natural pools. Sheer rock faces rise up at either side of the river.

There is another larger waterfall a few kilometres further up the river. But we decided to leave that for another exploration trip! Once the sun went behind the mountains it started to get decidedly chilly so we packed up, drank the last of the beer and headed home.

Snow, Snow & More Snow

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:26:00 +0000

Woke up yesterday morning to blizzard conditions and a foot of snow. It carried on snowing heavily all day, leaving a white, winter wonderland.

Whilst the older dogs adored playing in the snow and ran around like fools, jumping in and out of snow drifts and playing with balls of ice and snow, little bobby was not impressed at all and so I took pity on him and kept in him inside for the day and night. He had a bath and then curled up under the table by the fire.

This morning the snow had stopped and there were blue skies. The wind over night had whipped the snow into strange shapes over the terrace railings:

New Year at Uzana

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:20:00 +0000

We spent New Year's eve at an old hostel in Uzana. A strange place really. Lots of old hostels and the odd hotel and each has a tiny drag lift by it. No-one really manning the lifts and turned on at sporadic times.

The hostel was unrenovated with basic bathrooms and awful metal beds. But it was warm and there were several bbqs provided to cook on as well as a number of pechcas.

It had put a little snow down over night and the next day we had to complete de-ice the Lada before we could set off down the icey, snowy road to Gabrovo and over Shipka pass back home. It was snowing heavily as we went over the Balkans but by the time we hot Kazanlak had turned to rain.

How Could I Resist?

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:28:00 +0000

Driving home this morning, I spotted a little ball of fluff on the side of the road. I stopped the car a little further along and walked back to where a tiny, skinny puppy was wandering around, looking very lost and cold. He came straight to me and sat down for a fuss. His little tailed wagged and he seemed so happy to receive a little attention.

Anyway, there was no way I could leave him there then, with the thought he may get run over or starve or freeze. So I put him in the car and brought him home. He was invested with fleas so he got covered in flea powder and had a packet of cat food to eat, which he wolfed down.

After his first proper meal in a while

Introduced to Bessy the cat

Then I popped him outside and carefully introduced him through wire mesh to my other 4 dogs. Then put a blanket down for him in a spare pen and left him to sleep and settle down.

Not sure what I will do with him but he is adorable. Will have to take him to vets to get checked out.

Have only just managed to send two other rescue puppies to a centre for re-homing to try and reduce the number of pets I have and now I have added another to the brood.

Buzludzha Local Skiing

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:29:00 +0000

Well after first dump of snow we headed up the mountain to Buzludzha and the small ski area there, just a 20 minute drive from Kazanlak. Surprisingly the renovated 2 star hotel was completely full and the other hotel was a little out the way so we decided to try the hostel, right at the base of the one working poma lift. The area does not fully open until the 23rd December and then there are a couple of longer poma runs, and a couple of nursery slopes.

The cost was 10 levs a day for ski and boot hire and the equipment was fairly new and in good condition and the skis were all set up properly. The lift was then 12 levs a day. It became quite busy on the Sunday afternoon and as the piste is not groomed at all it did become a little scraped off and bumpy as the day went on.

Only a very small ski area but great for a day or weekend up in the mountain.

Third Renovation Nearly Finished

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 11:51:00 +0000

Well my third renovation is nearly completed. It has been a quick project started in around August so only 3 months to completely renovate and refurnish an old mud brick house. It is now a lovely 2 bed house with downstairs toilet and main bathroom upstairs and then separate guest annex that sleeps a further two.

To give an idea of costs, property cost me close to 7,000 Euros and have spent around 40,000 Euros on renovations. So with all fees, kitchen and furniture etc will be about 50,000 Euros for lovely 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house.

Will soon start on fourth and final project for now which is a large extension and modernisation of a villa just over the road from where I live. Waiting on municipality to approve plans and can then make a start.

Nearly Been A Year

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:46:00 +0000

Well I have almost been in Bulgaria a year now. In that year I have managed to make many new business and personal contacts, finally got my new house build finished, have two court cases proceedings with the original builders (DreamHome.bg) and am now the owner of 9 houses and a plot of land.

I have my own office in Stara Zagora and have also done some relocation work to help foreigners coming here on short term work contracts to find apartments and settle in.

I just need to organise internet at my house and then I hope to be able to update this blog at least once or twice a week to let you know what I have been getting up to.

Rachel

UK to Bulgaria - the trip over

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 11:45:00 +0000

Having taken several hours to squash everything into the van we set off for the Eurotunnel on the 23rd October rather later than planned. We missed our original crossing but caught the next train and by eleven that evening found ourselves in a horrid motel in Calais.

The next day was pretty miserable and after a few wrong turns we were on our way, driving through France to Belgium, across the bottom tip of Holland and into Germany were we found a lovely, if basic hotel just off the motorway.

Next day it was off through the rest of Germany, into Austria and as the light was fading into Hungary. So far we had not encountered any real problems but we had heard there were riots in Budapest and so chose to press on further through Hungary, stopping later on in the evening at a roadside motel. And we had a fantastic Hungarian Gulash and a well deserved pint of beer.

Our fourth day on the road and we entered Romania, all quite excited to see the countryside and scenery. But it was slow going up a winding road through the hills. Then we hit the main lorry route down to Greece and Turkey and the landscape flattened out into desolate plains and poor run down industrial towns. We saw numerous power stations and it was really quite depressing. However, part way through the country we climbed into the mountains and the scenery was fantastic, with pretty monasteries as below.

But then the journey deteriorated, we hit a huge queue going through one town and lost a couple of hours sat moving no where. After finding a motel for the night we set off early the next morning, all just desperate to be out of Romania and into Bulgaria. But it took two hours of driving through and round and round the centre of Bucharest to find the road to the border, then we were caught up in the confusing process of paying pollution and environmental tax for Romania, the fee to cross the Danube bridge, disinfectant tax and so on.....

Finally on our 5th day we entered Bulgaria at Rousse and made our way to Varna!

I am now living near Stara Zagora and slowly sorting things out.

My Bulgarian Property Nightmare - A Cautionary Tale for Would-be Investors

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 14:38:00 +0000

My Bulgarian Property Nightmare - A Cautionary Tale for Would-be Investors

I decided to write the above ebook to warn others about the perils of investing in off plan property and more importantly, how to avoid falling for all the hype that surrounds Bulgarian property investment, particularly areas like the Black Sea Coast and the ski resorts.

My intention with the ebook is to take you through my experiences, pointing out where I went wrong, what I should have done that I didn't, how you can avoid the same problems and steps you can take to try and ensure a smooth purchase if you do decide to pursue an off-plan investment.

I also take you on a journey across Bulgaria and tell you about the places we visits, the spots we stayed in and sights we visited. At the end you will find a large selection of useful resources and links to hotels, forums, car hire, websites and more.

Click Here to purchase ebook

There's A Lot of Hype About Property In Bulgaria But How Much of It Can You Trust?

Full of useful tips straight from a Brit whose first Bulgarian property experience turned into a nightmare, "A Brit's Scrapbook: My Bulgarian Property Nightmare", allows you to see what can go wrong and avoid the pitfalls as Rachel shares the benefit of her experience. Although Rachel lost a lot of money (not to mention time and energy sorting things out) on her first attempt to buy a ski resort apartment - she has no regrets...In fact, Rachel has since bought 8 more properties and is moving (to live) in Bulgaria in the near future.In this true account you'll learn what can go wrong, what to do if it does and why Bulgaria is still a great choice for people keen to invest, holiday or live there.

Inside this book:

Guard Against Your Own Nightmare With Candid Tips, Hints and Lessons Learned
Essential Pointers For Avoiding Trouble
What To Do & Who You Can Call When Things Go Wrong
Rural Properties vs Off-plan Apartments - which is best for you?
The Buying Process Explained In Full
Sensible Advice on Planning Your First Viewing Trip
Essential Links, Resources and Forums

Reviews

I have now read ALL your ebook. I must say it was an easy read, fair, full of good information and advice, well planned and flowed well. Thank you for putting me in and saying some nice things about me. I wish you well with it. I enjoyed reading it and I am impressed, but I wouldn't expect anything less of you!

Louise
Travel companion mentioned in book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Similarly I was interested in a luxury off-plan apartment in Bansko. I enquired about this but felt that I was being pressurised to put down a deposit over the internet. I did not want to do this, as my husband and I wanted to visit Bulgaria first to see for ourselves. I contacted Rachel via e-mail and also by telephone, and I found her to be very friendly, helpful and informative. I got the feeling that she was genuine and truthful. I have since contacted Rachel numerous times for her advice which she has given freely.

After reading Rachel’s book, I feel that she has given a good representation and explanation of her experiences with regards to property investing in Bulgaria. She appears to be very open and honest, in particular with regards to her disappointing experience of trying to buy an off-plan ski apartment in Bansko. I think it is very good of her to let other people benefit from her experience in the hope that they do not make the same mistake. I really enjoyed reading the book as it is not only full of good advice, but also has humour and lots of descriptions about various places in Bulgaria. Rachel is not afraid to discuss some of the negative aspects about Bulgaria as well as lots of positive information. Rachel states the facts as she knows them and then lets the reader make up his/her own mind. The book is written in an easy to read style and makes the reader feel like they are on the journey with her. I personally feel more confident and inspired to follow my dream of buying property in Bulgaria since conversing with Rachel, and having the book to refer to whenever I need to is an added bonus.

There are now lots of people who are interested in buying property in Bulgaria, and even more people (not always honest) willing to part people from their well earned money. I feel that this book is an invaluable guide to anybody who wants honest unbiased advice about the process from someone who has been there and learnt the hard way, but who has had a more positive outcome as a result of that experience. I fully recommend the book and suggest that the few pounds that people will pay for it, will be repaid many times over. I wish Rachel good luck with the book and her ventures in Bulgaria.

Best Wishes
Denise Gray (future property investor in Bulgaria)
20th July 2006
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rachel’s book is absolutely fascinating to read and I would recommend anyone who is planning on purchasing property in Bulgaria to read it first. Although she begins by giving an account of her nightmare first venture into buying a property in Bulgaria, she does it factually and with a sense of under-lying humour. She not only explains in detail the problems she had, but for each problem she clearly explains the steps she had to take to counteract them and eventually, through perseverance, get her money back. She took on the big boys and she won! The rest of the book shows her love of the country shine through and there is lots of interesting information on the various regions of Bulgaria that will help give time strapped potential purchasers of property an overview of each area if they don’t have time to visit all of Bulgaria themselves.
She gives a great synopsis of the requirements overseas investors have to complete to purchase a property in Bulgaria – and she should know. She’s bought 8! A really informative read that ends with lots of links to various websites that will prove very useful to all those about to take the plunge and purchase their first overseas property in Bulgaria.

Kay Milne, Caledoughnia Crafts, Coldstream, Scotland
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I enjoyed the book; very interesting and informative

Roger Dentith
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rachel Gawith is to be congratulated on “baring her soul” with her misfortunes in her first foray into the Bulgarian property market. Thankfully, these times are behind her and she can now look forward to capitalizing on her many positive experiences. It is a very courageous decision to lay bare the mistakes one has made in life, but through this catharsis develops a new stronger self confidence.

There is much to be gleaned in “My Bulgarian Property Nightmare” for anyone thinking about foreign property investment, and particularly with regard to investment in Bulgaria. As with any publication dealing with a rapidly changing environment viz. property investment in Bulgaria, the information contained therein inevitably becomes superseded. Consequently, whilst much of the information, rules and regulations referred to in “My Bulgarian Property Nightmare” remain highly relevant they should be treated with some caution. Armed with the information contained in this book the future investor should obtain the most up to date information available. Bulgaria is expected to be a full member of the European Union in January 2007 and will have a seven year accession period during which it must adopt a plethora of existing, and probably as much again “yet to be written”, EU legislation. Consequently, much has, is, and will continue to change in all walks of life in Bulgaria, not least the Legal and Tax systems as impacting on property investment.

Rachel’s negative experiences are not isolated, but neither are they the common rule. There are many thousands of investors in Bulgaria who have positive investment experiences.
My wife and I had been frequent visitors to Bulgaria from 1987, and our first experience when attempting to purchase a property could equally have ended in disaster. We were in a Notary’s office in Sofia about to sign the property purchase documents when I humorously asked Stoyan, our long time friend and Solicitor, that if he were me would he sign the documents. To my utter disbelief he looked me straight in the eye and said emphatically “No”! When asked why, he whispered ”I do like the look in his (the property owner) eyes”. Needless to say we did not sign, and several months later we were to learn that the owner had not disclosed a 5% share in the property belonging to a family member. An off-hand question saved us from probably years going through the Bulgarian court system. Shortly after this “experience”, as with Rachel, we bought our dream property in Banya village next to Bansko, were immediately accepted by the local community, and our 4 years of permanent residence in Bulgaria is simply explained by the short Bulgarian word rai (paradise).

This first experience pandered to my “scientific” mind, as I had been a professional scientist for 32 years. During the last few years I have researched the Bulgarian property market, in particular the legal side of land and property transactions, and particularly contractual agreements. Also, having bought and renovated a house, and built our Aparthotel from new, I had to rapidly learn about architecture and the building process, which had been a life long hobby, building regulations, and Tax and VAT rules and regulations. Concurrent with all of this was to discover how things are done in what initially was a very foreign environment.
It has been a revelation to meet Rachel and to witness her embark on a similar path to that of June and I. We well remember the day standing outside the building site containing Rachel’s “finished” apartment in Bansko being told by the Estate Agent that we could not accompany Rachel to view HER apartment. The alarm bells immediately rang, and we still do not understand how an Estate Agent could dictate to an apartment owner who they might invite to view their investment. But, the Estate Agent knew who we were, and more pertinently what I did with regards property investment!

As with Rachel, I would like everyone visiting and investing in Bulgaria to have a wonderful and positive experience. Bulgaria and especially the Bulgarian people are very special and the vast majority wants to promote only a positive image of the country. Rachel, in writing “My Bulgarian Property Nightmare” has contributed to this positive image of Bulgaria. The reader whilst perhaps being somewhat despondent at the negative side of things with property investment will hopefully realize that it is a journey with a wonderfully happy ending. Rachel provides real insight into not just property investment, both negative and positive, but of what has become a passionate new “love affair” for her with Bulgaria and its people.
Frequently I am asked to recommend a good English speaking Solicitor to check a property contract and my response is always “that is the wrong question to ask, as there are many good English speaking Bulgarian Solicitors. The question you should be asking is: What are the questions I should ask the good English speaking Solicitor about my contract?”. You now have many of these questions available in Rachel’s book and applied intelligently your experience of property investment in Bulgaria should be a positive experience

Derek
September 2006

Fancy a Challenge!

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:30:00 +0000

Then how about an abandoned old school hostel or kindergarten. These large old properties still retain their original character but have fallen into ruin after the schools were moved to the larger towns and many people left the villages. The local municipality cannot afford their upkeep or renovation.

But for someone with a vision and some spare cash these would make excellent guest houses and are set in large plots.

The property above is an old school hostel with around 10 rooms and set in 2500sqm of land. It is structurally sound but requires totally gutting and full renovation. But at just 7,000 Euros its a bargain.

The second property is an old kindergarten, all on one level but with large rooms and a massive 5000sqm plot. All for just 7,000 Euros.

For full details please visit TheTravelBug

Lots of links to photos on Forum

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Tue, 09 May 2006 16:04:00 +0000

I have today updated the forum with lots of new links to places of interest such as the ancient ruins at Perperikon, the Rila Monastery, Troyan Monastery and so on...There is also information on verious cities such as Burgas, Varna, Plodiv, Stara Zagora, Veliko Turnovo etc.

To visit the forum directly please go to http://thetravelbug.proboards84.com/ or visit the website at http://www.thetravelbug.org for details of new properties/land for sale.

Red Brick House for Sale Near Kavarna

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Tue, 02 May 2006 14:35:00 +0000

This part stone/part red brick house is for sale. The total living area is around 80 square metres and consists of a living room, 2 bedrooms and a kitchen. There is an additional summer kitchen and a basement. There is water and electricity connected and also a septic tank but the house does require renovation and modernisation.

The garden is just short of 1,500 sqm and has various fruit trees and grape vines.

The village of Spasovo is around 30 km away from Kavarna, on the north black sea coast and is 90 km from Varna (about an hour's drive). The village has all the amenities you would require like shops, cafes, doctors etc.

Price - 13,500 Euros

New Properties Added and Lots of New Topics

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 09:51:00 +0000

I have just updated the website at http://www.thetravelbug.org to include details of the further 3 properties I have bought and also lots of new properties have been added to the forum, with focus on properties under the 10,000 Euros mark.

There are also a number of articles and posts relating to Bulgaria's EU accession and the property market in general.

You will be pleased to hear that after nearly a year of fighting I have finally received my money back from Bulgarian Dreams for the commission they kept on the abortive apartment purchase in Bansko.

Rachel

Luxury Apartment for Rent in Bansko

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 14:39:00 +0000

Hi!

Please check out TravelBug's first official advertiser. If you are looking for luxury accommodation in a good ski resort why not try this apartment in Bansko.

Luxury one bed apartment in Belle Vue Residence in Bansko , around 300 m to the Main Ski Lift Station.This one bedroom apartment is fully furnished and very spacious with one double bedroom and a living room plus kitchen and luxury bathroom. The Residence is one of the nicest in Bansko and has the benefit of a luxurious spa with Indoor swimming pool , Jacuzzi , Turkish Baths and various massages. In the lobby there is a bar. There is a large south facing balcony with wonderful views of the mountains. The apartment is fully managed by an English company located in Bansko. There is a ski wardrobe on the ground floor.

The apartment sleeps four comfortably and is available for 490 Euros per week high season and 420 Euros per week low season.Please contact Alan Ferguson at: Ferguson@emirates.net.ae

Loads more property details on site

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 16:11:00 +0000

I have just updated the main website at http://www.thetravelbug.org to include details of many more properties I have now visited and inspected. There are photographs, video footage etc...

We are now able to source new build apartments in the centre of the city with good rental potential as well as building plots in up and coming spa resorts.

I am in the process of purchasing a further three properties in and around the Stara Zagora area.

One of these will hopefully become our home later on in the year. I need to start applying for my visa and really getting sorted but so much to do........

Rachel

Bulgarian Society for Animal Protection and Preservation

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:23:00 +0000

Hello!

Have you checked out the forum lately? Loads of new articles have been added as well as details of some new properties and the odd rental property. Got a question about buying Bulgaria then check us out.

You can advertise your property for rent in Bulgaria for just £10 for a full year. From this £5.00 will be donated to the Bulgarian Society for Animal Protection and Preservation.

The Bulgarian Society for Animal Protection and Preservation collects stray dogs (and cats), treats any injuries, castrates animals and then tries to find them suitable homes. The charity was founded 8 years ago by Dr Stoyanov an Associate Professor and a vet of some 30 years based in Sofia, who still runs it and gives his vet care to all animals in the shelters free of charge, as he does for anyone unable to pay. He has so far funded all the work from his own pocket but now the charity aims to expand and take on a much greater workload, plus the charity aiming to aquire and equipe a mobile clinic to visit all areas in need in Bulgaria, treating any animals as necessary, carrying out a neutering, identification and vaccination programme and educating the local children, adults and some of the local vets in todays methods of animal treatment and welfare.

Further down the line it is hoped to introduce a 24 hour emergency telephone helpline, plus various other services, such as patrols to collect the strays, assessors to visit prospective adopters etc. For further details please visit the forum at
http://thetravelbug.proboards84.com/

There are a number of other ways you can help such as sponsoring this blog with a logo and link on the right, maybe 'adopting' a dog that cannot be rehomed, just raising general awareness.

There is a hot air balloon event and micro liting being organised in Bulgaria for the Macmillian Cancer Charity but they have kindly agreed to extend the event to cover the BSAPP as well. The event is to be held in June with 30% of the costs going to the charity (either MacMillians or BSAPP). If you are interested let me know as places will be limited.

The main BSAPP website is http://www.bsapp.hit.bg and is being updated with English content over the next few weeks so please keep an eye on that.

Rachel

BBC 2 - Pay Off Your Mortgage Program

noreply@blogger.com (TheTravelBug) — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 12:33:00 +0000

Did anyone see this?

I missed most of it but from what my other half accounted to me, it included a section on buying property in Bansko for quick capital returns. Although I think the actual house they were looking at what in Dobrinishte down the road. Anyway the progrom followed this guy as he paid out over 1000 Euros for an agenct to show him a few properties and this agent reckoned that if he bought a house or apartment now he could make over £175,000 in profit in 2 years!

This is total rubbish and very misleading. There is no way you will make that amount of money in or around Bansko in such a short amount of time.

Yet again more hype and urgecy to get in and buy now.

Rachel