Independent Advice on Buying in Bulgaria

Honest, reliable and personal service........buy with the help of someone you can trust!

Help with arranging viewing trips, seeing the country, investing in property here, property sourcing, property sales, renovations, new builds, relocation and just about anything else you can think of.

I began searching for property in Bulgaria early 2004. My search began as most people's does - browsing the internet and trailing through hundreds of websites viewing property details. Around August 2004 I put down a deposit on a new build apartment in Bankso ski resort, however the ink was barely dry on the contract when that all went pear shaped and there began a long battle with the developer and agency which resulted in me eventually pulling out of the purchase and taking the agency to court in the UK for misrepresentation. The sorry story is outlined on the 'About Me' page and also in full detail in my eBook - 'My Bulgarian Nightmare'.

However, despite these problems I had embarked on a love affair with Bulgaria and I made several trips over here travelling around and viewing property. I viewed property with a number of different agents - some good, some bad and some indifferent. I made my first purchase in summer 2005 when I paid 5000 Euros for a small rural house with a good sized plot and situated around 20 minutes north of Stara Zagora.[First Purchase]. At this stage I had no idea I would end up buying so many properties in Bulgaria or end up moving here and developing a business in the real estate market. However, I liked the area around Stara Zagora and basically just wanted to be able to say I owned a house, as I could barely afford anything in the UK and at 5000 Euros I felt there was little risk involved.

I then started sourcing other British clients for the small agency I had made my first purchase through and set up this website (although a much simpler version at that stage) to tell people about my experiences of getting involved in buying an off plan apartment and also to show case a few properties for sale. I brought my first client out in October 2005 and we travelled around much of the country. She ended up buying a small rural property here in the Stara Zagora region for less than 5000 Euros and I bought two more cheap rural houses in a village not far away from my first investment [Second Purchase & Third Purchase]. In March 2006 I made another trip out with two more clients but by this time due to personal circumstances and the need for a change of lifestyle and direction, I had decided to move out here to live and work. Knowing I would be in the area to look after my properties, I purchased a further 3 houses - 2 villas [Fourth & Fifth Purchases] and a small red brick house [Sixth Purchase]. Further properties were purchased on subsequent visits over and since living here.

On the trip out in March 2006, I started meetings with architects and builders as my idea was to extend the lovely little house that had been my second purchase into a good sized three bed house. However, after arriving back in the UK, I could then get no answers or plans from the architect and the rough estimate I got for my project was rather higher than I was expecting and so I started to search for alternative architects, house designers and builders.

I had been corresponding with a guy that worked for a Varna based firm called DreamHome.bg and asked him to look at my project and give an idea of costs involved. After sending him plans and ideas I decided to go back over to Bulgaria in June 2006 to see other houses their company had built and meet with them. All seemed to go well and so on returning to the UK final plans were decided on, a quote given and a contract put in place for the building work. They knew I wanted the house finished as soon as possible as I was planning on moving over in October 2006 and needed somewhere to live. But of course nothing in life is ever simple and straight forward and certainly not in Bulgaria and when I arrived here at the end of October the new house was little more than a shell with no roof and many months off completion, despite the deadline in the contract being end of December and being promised the house would be finished end of October, middle of November. Luckily one of my other properties had been partly renovated and had a finished shower room and new windows so until I could get the work completed and the place decorated and buy some furniture, I camped out on a sofa bed with a kettle and electric grill!

And that was just the start of my problems with the builders. You can follow the progress and read about the difficulties for my new house here (with full details of the case and company here) and also the other houses I am renovating by clicking on the links on the left. Currently I am in the process of taking the original builders of my new house to court, the relatives of the owner of the original company have tried to sue me and their lawyer is suing me for slander as I made an official complaint about him!

Whilst the Bansko fiasco was an expensive and time consuming and at times very stressful learning experience, and learning what is involved in renovating and building houses and dealing with builders has been a whole new can of worms, it taught me a lot about property purchases in Bulgaria and the legal aspects of things. On various trips to different areas, I have made some great friends and seen some great places. I have travelled extensively in Bulgaria including along most of the coast (never seen so much development as there is around Sunny Beach - a concrete jungle!), around Veliko Turnovo (nice pretty area although now fairly expensive with so many Brits buying in), Bansko (lovely old town but again massive over development has spoilt surrounding areas) and all around the Central region of Stara Zagora and down to Plovdiv and across the Rhodope Mountains and towards Turkish border. There are pictures and video clips of various places I have visited by clicking on the links under 'Other areas in Bulgaria'. 

 I am experiencing Bulgaria first hand - the frustrations, the struggles, the ups, the downs...I hope to be able to post regular updates on my blog and useful information in the forum as well as regularly update this site.

 I do not profess to be an expert in property development or Bulgaria but I have now had plenty of experience and have many friends out in Bulgaria who can always help. I now have my own office and am slowly building up a good network of contacts with agencies, private sellers, builders, service providers and so on. I will work hard to source you properties relevant to your requirements. Please see the links on the left for details of the types of properties I can source and more information on getting building work done. Please visit the Viewing Trips & Services page for details and costs for services and viewings.

Many people have invested in new build apartments in the ski resorts and coastal regions in the hope they will make a quick buck...this just will not happen, supply is out stripping demand with prices in places like Sunny Beach already starting to stagnate and even drop in price. I am constantly being contacted by people who are in difficulties with their apartment purchases and want to pull out of the transaction. Prices in Bansko are horrendous when you consider the size of the ski area and there are bound to be problems in the years to come as little investment has been put into infrastructure, only a massive landslide of building.

Why not leave the over developed and over hyped regions alone and start to look for your little piece of rural paradise inland. Why not consider investing as little as £5,000 to £10,000 in a property in lesser known region and have yourself a fantastic holiday home and investment. Or move inland just a few kilometres from the sea and prices are still reasonable for a nice villa or older house. There is far more to Bulgaria than Sunny Beach and Bansko, so come over and explore the country and see what you find.

I can help with renovating, building, furnishing the property, after sales care, general maintenance and checking of property in the Stara Zagora etc......even if you have bought your property through another agent. 

Properties on offer range from 4,000 euros up to 100,000 euros plus. Anything under 50,000 Euros will require some finishing work to bring up to the accepted Western standard and often for cheaper properties some internal modernization to put in a proper bathroom and kitchen, possibly re-wiring, septic tank etc and so you should budget for at least a further 10,000 to 20,000 Euros for this and legal fees and taxes. Please keep in mind that renovations can become expensive. You cannot expect to purchase an old rural house for a few thousand and renovate it to a good standard for less than 20,000 Euros. Please do read the 'Renovations - what you need to know page' if you are considering buying and renovating over here.

I can help arrange inspection trips, transport, drivers, translators, etc. Then once out here I can help you get your company set up (required to buy property with land i.e. a house and not an apartment), have the documents translated into English for you, help you open your bank account, visit an English speaking notary to get a Power of Attorney drafted to complete on any purchase should you require one and basically take you by the hand and guide you through the whole process. 

I am more than happy to offer as much free advice and help as I can. Investing in a foreign country can be a stressful experience but by working in conjunction with me and the contacts I work with, I can ensure you have an enjoyable inspection trip, all legal aspects are taken care of and you end up with a lovely rural retreat. Or if you just want to chat in general about buying in Bulgaria, or if you have bought in another region or through another agent and just want to touch base then drop me an email or contact me by Skype. 

If you want to get a taste for life in Bulgaria why not come here on holiday and combine a holiday and property viewing. I have a number of properties available for rent and can show the area and arrange property viewings. See www.therentalbug.org for details.

In order to be able to provide answers to the most asked questions and enable discussions about purchasing in Bulgaria, I have now added a forum, a discussion list and a blog to this site. Please click the links on the left to visit these. I have also published an ebook covering my experiences with buying the apartment in Bansko, backing out, travelling around and so on. Pick up a copy here as it also contains a useful resource section including special rates on car hire, recommended places to stay and useful websites.

Rachel

 To be kept updated on available properties, news about Bulgaria and other information that maybe of use to you when considering buying here, please consider filling in the form below to join my mailing list. I only send updates once a week if that, so you will not be inundated with lots of emails and advertisements.

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