davey462

There are hundreds maybe thousands of Brits there now...there are certainly thousands from the UK who have purchased property there.
And as for why?....Since joining the EU, the EU are throwing billions of euro's at Bulgaria for general development including infrastructure and communications. Infact no other EU member has had so much money pumped into it and continues to have!

If you go there it is quite obvious where it will be in terms of its status in the EU and what it will look like in 10 years time...some say 5 years time.
It has been named as a property hotspot by economists for awhile now and the overall development is moving ahead at breakneck speed.
It has everything going for it...beautiful landscapes and mountains,a fabulous array of wildlife, many species of which are not seen in any other country in Europe. You can ski there in the winter and take fantastic holidays in the summer.
Its geographic location is also very favorable. I for instance have bought a property in the countryside down in the south. If I want to I can drive to Greece in an hour and Turkey the same. I can drive to Istanbul in 3 hours!
The south has a Mediterranean climate and the people all over are very friendly. It may be behind the times now but that is a very short sighted view point. Many countries in europe were the same but none are receiving the support that Bulgaria is from the EU.
In the next few years Bulgaria investments will go through the roof..infact to be honest they already are but it is still very reasonably priced as far as property is concerned, especially in the country where you get loads for your money.

An emerging giant as far as everything that is still nice about Europe is concerned!

jdr

Well just go back a few pages and count how many threads there have been on BULGARIA and you will realize why.
If there was the useage then I am sure the site owners would add a forum for it.

Bijilo123

are you a property salesman?

jdr

Sure sounds like it don`t he. lol

tush

I think you described Bulgaria very well davey I cannot comment on the political side but your description of the countryside is exactly what I saw.
I am surprised at you other guys, davey may well be a property sales man but then again he may also just be someone who is passionate about Bulgaria and wants to pass it and his knowledge on to others.
Perhaps a forum hasn't developed because of the off the cuff comments like yours

Bijilo123

No site for Gambia either

Market forces and freedom of speech.

'tis allowed.

jdr

Like the man said, market forces and all that.
The bus doesn`t run if there are no passengers. ;-)

davey462

A property salesman!!!......I wish!

I guess my thread does look like a bit of sales pitch but I am afraid you are way way off the mark

I simply love the place and cannot believe what I have got or how much I have got for my money. The facts are the facts and I thoroughly researched them before making the committment to buy. The EU are throwing money hand over fist at Bulgaria and if any of you spent enough time as I did travelling around the country you can see how it is changing...granted it is going to take quite a few years to get up to..say..the standards of Spain but it is happening.
When you buy property abroad I think you should always take a long term view and Bulgaria is simply loved by the property experts because they all see the potential....trust me you don't have to be einstein to see where it will end up. The only direction investment in Bulgaira is going is North...plain and simple.
Right now I personally see the most potential in the south of the country because of its proximity to other already or developing nations like Greece and Turkey. And of course the climate is milder in the winter and warmer in the summer for longer.
The last time I was out there the hotel I stayed in in Stara Zagora in the south was full of investors from all over the placce..Ireland,UK,USA,Russia and Scandanavia for example.
I have bought a large 4 bedroom house for renovation with 1,000 square metres of land for under £25'000. The house sits in a nice village with a monastery nearby and a spa resort not too far away.
I can drive to either Greece or Turkey in an hour and the nearest large town is only 25 - 30 mins away. When you drive through the Town,Stara Zagora, you can see plenty of new commercial development from foreign companies...large french and German corporates to name but a few. So they also believe in the potential.
Easyjet now fly to Bulgaria and Ryanair are looking to go there imminently. These operators know what they are doing!

davey462

Actually Tush...if you search Bulgaria forum on google for example you will find some good Bulgaira expat forums. This place is not the be all and end all by a long way!

davey462

If you go to <Snip rule 9> Tush...you will find an excellent forum for expats in Bulgaria.

I have just watched the programme on TV 'A Place in the Sun Hotspots' funnily enough and Amanda Lamb has just highlighted Bulgaria. Apparently 50'000 Brits have invested in Bulgaria already.

Bijilo123

Tush, sell up and buy in Gambia - it is much better. Mind you I went there in the early 70s but I did think it was good!

meauxna

Well, that will be the end of the cheap good times.

tush

Have you any idea of the size of Bulgaria?, 50,000 is like a pea in a drum

Scott2105

Hi Davey

You say you paid £25k for a house that needs renovation. How bad was it? When you say "renovation" are you talking about getting the place up to UK standard. My wife has been looking at websites with property for £12-£16k. Was just wondering what sort of condition a house would be in for that sort of money.

carefreebrit

Sorry if you think I am being rude but I have not laughed so much for a long time as when I read the original post then the stuff which followed.
I hope by now davey 462 has realised that EU funds are being witheld due to the unchecked corruption in Bulgaria.As for where Bulgaria will be in 5 years time, perhaps the same state as now. In 10 years time probably going backwards unless the corruption is stamped out. There are other forums on Bulgaria, one of which focuses only on that country and is full of people with various opinions,few of which agree totally with the OP.
The EU earmarked millions of euros for this country because it is so backward as to be an embarassment in 2008. Most Bulgarians did not think their country was ready to join and laughed their socks off as they applied to leave the country and go elsewhere. It is one of the few countries in the EU whose population is decreasing--why do you think that is ?
The roads are repaired regularly because of bad workmanship each time- the main Sofia to Varna motorway sometimes has potholes which would wreck your steering if you went into them, and you cannot enjoy the beautiful scenery alongside many roads as you have to swerve around both potholes and unlit cars and donkey carts if driving at night.
As for property, it is possible to buy a village house in need of repair for £2,000 to £ 5,000, so davey must indeed have a wonderful place for £25,000. A decare[1,000 sq metres] of land is usually the minimum with a village house as the Bulgarians need that to keep their animals and grow crops. Have a look in some village shops to see what they sell, or better still what they don't sell.
As for driving around as much as you davey, I think in the past 2 years I have lived in Bulgaria, I have driven enough kilometres, visited enough villages, and spoken to enough Turks [Did you know that in many villages Bulgarians are a minority, and many children starting school can't speak Bulgarian ?], to get an idea of the area where I am based. There are other views than mine of course, but my opinions are based on living here not on jolly holidays. One reason most locals are friendly as you said, is because often they have just sold their old house to a foreigner for many times what a local would pay them.
Oh, and did you know that holiday companies have reduced the number of flights from UK to Bulgaria-in your words davey "These operators know what they are doing".
In case you think my 2 years of driving around here, and 2 years before that of not driving around , have not given me enough information to base my opinions on, I could always ask my wife to post her thoughts if she could be bothered. Why would that matter ? Well she has lived here for over 30 years and all her friends and family [Apart from me and our daughter !] were born here, and could fill pages with opinions similar to mine.
Good luck [Sincerely] with your house davey, but please be careful and read other sites to see what has gone wrong for many Brits, to help avoid the same fate.