Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Hi,

I am new to this forum and have got quite a few questions. If you can offer any feedback on the issues I raise, I would be extremely grateful. And finally, my apologies if this post goes on a bit!

I am interested in moving to Bulgaria (full time), with a friend of mine. We are two young guys who don’t particularly enjoy living in England at the moment, so we are pooling our resources together to move abroad. As I am sure you can understand, a major draw of Bulgaria is the cost of living as well as the cost of property (compared to here at least!). However, we have done extensive research and believe Bulgaria to be a beautiful country, which has the potential to suit us perfectly.

The first thing we require advice about is which region in Bulgaria would be best suited to our needs, so hopefully over the course of the post, you will get a feel for what we are after and may be able to make some suggestions. Weather is extremely important to us; we love the sun, but are not too bothered about whether it is warm. I have read that on the coast, the north (eg. Varna) is similar in temperature (in the summer) to Burgas, but that it has a lot more cloud and rain? So if people could offer insights into other parts of Bulgaria that would be great. What would be ideal is somewhere that is sunny and warm/hot in the summer and sunny and cold in the winter… A concern I have, is whether being higher up means drastically different weather to being closer to sea level? i.e. wind!

We have also decided that we would like to live inland (partly due to expense), and would like a fairly big plot. However we would also like the internet. We see the ideal situation as living maybe on the outskirts of a medium/large village, but close (15/20km) to a big town. Basically to allow for things like the cinema etc.

We like the idea of being able to grow our own fruit and vegetables, so would be interested in hearing from anyone who has recommendations of locations that are well suited to this.

If you are still reading; thank you! I have an awful lot more to say, but I will post that another time, once we have (hopefully) received some advice on the best location(s) to narrow our search down to. Oh and if anyone has anything critical/sees any big problems with the above, please say!

I look forward to your feedback.

Thanks!

Paul

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Welcome to the Forum Paul, Someone who knows about Bulgaria will be along;) But should you get any issues give one of the Forum Leaders a Shout.

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

My first thought would be - do you speak Bulgarian? Don't expect a lot of English speakers in this part of Europe. Especially outside the capital. Second, what would you live on? How would you make a living? Third, I would imagine that Bulgaria is quite backward compared to western Europe in terms of amenities, level of comfort, etc., etc.

Bulgaria wouldn't be my choice, that's for sure, but that's only my personal opinion. DH is from the Czech Republic and you couldn't pay me to live there.

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

I agree with the above poster regarding income and language. I'm planning to do something similar in neighbouring Romania but I've lived here for 6 years already in the capital and so speak the language well enough to handle things like contractors, service suppliers and to interact with the locals (who are unlikely to know English in the smaller village where I'm searching for a property). Romania is also a much easier language than Bulgarian for a Brit to learn (it's a Latin-based language so a lot of the words are familar, especially if you've done a bit of Italian, French or even Latin at school). Prices are also a lot cheaper if you know the local language, including the initial purchase cost of the house.

"Backwardness' could be a problem, depending on your attitude. The place I've got my eye on has running cold water and electricity, but no gas, no heating and no sewage system. Gas isn't a problem, I'd only use it for cooking and it's easy enough to run a cooker off a cannister. I'll fit a septic tank for the sewage, although there is some local red-tape involved. The heating is trickier - you either need to fit an electric boiler (expensive to install, quite expensive to run, easy to use) or run wood burning stoves (cheap to install, a little pricey to run, difficult to use).

Internet may be a problem. The place I'm looking at has a phone line, so you could certainly get dial-up, but I doubt it's digital so I would guess ADSL is out of the question. Romania, on the whole, has very fast internet (one of the fastest in Europe) but I'm not sure that applies to the villages. I know one of the ISP has a satellite internet service. Anyway, I'll be mostly using my place as a summer escape initially so 'net isn't an immediate concern.

One advantage is that you should be able to get lots of cheap fruit and veg, eggs and meat from local residence - all good natural produce without the 'bio' or 'organic' branding BS which makes them so expensive back home. Most country houses here have a plot of land good for growing your own, and many also have fruit trees (usually apples and plums, used by the locals for making their plum/apple brandy) and possibly a small vineyard for wine production.

Obviously, I'm talking about a different country, but the two do have a lot in common and I imagine you'll encounter similar problems, so hopefully this is of some use to you. I don't know how much time you spend in Bulgaria but you should certainly get over there as often as possible, identify certain villages you think might suit you, and once you've found a village you like, you can keep an eye out for adverts online or through agents for properties for sale. You'll probably find, as I did during my search here, that even if you identify a target region, there'll be noticeable differences between the villages in that area. The village I'm hoping to buy in has a nice atmosphere with most of the residents being Romanians or Saxons, clean houses, lots of flowers, and more facilities - basically, I get the feeling the residents there have a sense of local pride.

Another village I visited and was initially interested in (mostly due to location and price), just a few km down the road, was a lot dirtier, the houses in poor condition, poor roads, no shops and the demographic was less appealling. I've known foreigners who've bought properties in those kinds of villages and especially if you're not there all the time, you can expect to see things routinely disappear from your house and garden. One guy even had his newly installed double-glazed windows nicked!

Good luck with your plans and keep posting.

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Hi Paul,

First congrats on the brave decision to move to another country, I know it is a tough one, so many things to reconsider.

In regard to Bulgaria, the only issue that I am concerned about is that you do not mention your plans for work. You should know that if not in the capital, it is quite difficult to get a job of a proper pay. You should seek the major cities there like Varna, Plovdiv and Sofia. You said you would like to live in a village, but I suppose your impression of a village is quite different, because in Bulgaria actually a village is a place everyone goes away from, in order to move to the city, so think about it. I know you'd like a calm life, but nevertheless, you should think over more than one aspect of the situation.

In regard to the comment on the Bulgarian language: don't worry about it. Almost everyone in the country speaks English, especially the young people, for English is the first language taught in each school, high-school and university there.

In regard to Romania...no it is not true than in Romania the goods are cheaper. In fact the truth is that after both of the countries were accepted to EU Romanian citizens living on the border started to go to Bulgarian superstores to purchase in bulk goods for their shops and households.

So this is something I would recommend, choose a city to go live in, however with a vehicle you could always make trips here and there and travel around. It would be great in order to know the area better, to enjoy yourself. And after a while you will be the one giving advices where to move for other guys who wonder.


Cheers!

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Be sensible ! ( I speak the lingo , quite well ! , and I read even the cyrillic , and I well know the surrounds , Bulgaria , Roumania , Hungary , Serbia , the whole sad lot there and thereabouts , terrible as it really IS ....)
DON't do IT !
Cheers ,
R.

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Yes Ray, they are a sad lot down there, but never was like that until those countries imported 'western democracy' and with it all the bad ailments of society-unemployment, crime, prostitution, etc.
I spent half my life in those parts of Europe and I remember hard working honest people who cared about their families and lived decent lives. I remember not locking your front door, neighbours helping each other, free university places, free medical care, free nurseries.
Maybe the poster has had the same experience as the Eastern European girl on the German forum living and working in the North of England?
Do not tar all with the same brush.
To the original poster-Bulgaria is a beautiful country, but crime is rife, you will need to learn the language and finding a job will be tough.
I meet Bulgarians here in Italy who are here because they can not find jobs in their country or the jobs are lowly paid. Do your research before you move there, we are all looking for greener grass, but I am not sure it is greener in Bulgaria.

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Hi, I have lived in Bulgaria four nearly four years now, I live close to Veliko Tarnovo, a beautiful city full of life. It has the second largest university in Bulgaria. English is the second language here, most young people speak it.

Some people choose the Black Sea coast, some the ski resorts and others various villages around the country.

I know too many people who have bought on the coast and in the ski resort areas, These place become ghost towns during the off season and don't get the best weather. The coast can be wet and windy the ski resorts suffer more wind and freezing temperatures.

The ideal place is central. Veliko Tarnovo is a beautiful Historic City situated in the perfect position. It has all modern facilities: cinemas, ten pin bowling, great tennis courts, horse riding, rock climbing and many more. Museums, lovely bars and restaurants. It has large supermarkets, etc and there is an English book shop. It is only 90 minute's drive from Uzana, a small ski resort near Gabrovo. There are many eco trails, waterfalls.

For a home the best possible place would be a village close to Veliko Tarnovo were you have the benefits of the country life and the close proximity to all the shops and services. It has been said that Veliko Tarnovo is one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. And is good if you need education for children.

Believe me I know a few people who have regrets about there location, not realizing the problems until after they had moved here. I have lots of English friends who absolutely love it here but to avoid a lot of pitfalls its good to have contacts here.

If you would like to speak to someone who has lived here for four years and get a few helpful tips, feel free to contact me. I am happy to help if I can.

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

I don't think anyone can tell anyone else where the ideal place is as completely personal choice. I moved to Bulgaria permanently in 2006 after visiting and travelling around the country for two years prior to that. It is certainly not all an easy ride, especially as a single woman there. And you do, as others have said, need to consider work and income. Living costs are generally cheap, especially inland, but you still need something to live off. Most expats I know work for other expats doing building, gardening etc or work from home via the internet.

Speaking the language certainly helps and you should make an effort to learn the alphabet etc but you can certainly get buy without speaking Bulgarian and most expats I know only know a few words.

I live in central Bulgaria. Great climate. Warmer than the north and much less snow. Easy access to Greece, Turkey, coast, good motorways etc...

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Hi, not sure if this is still relevant but...

I own a plot of land in the Samokov / Borovets region of Bulgaria, near to the Iskaar Lake and on the main road between Sofia and the large ski resort in Borovets. It's a beautiful area and has plenty of water sports and hiking activities in the summer and skiing in the winter. So in terms of jobs, perhaps there are tourists related jobs available in that region.

My plot of land is for sale, its regulated, about 800m2 with a small dwelling on and is in a large village just off the main road.

I don't know if this would be of interest to the original creator of this thread who is looking to move there, or anyone else on this forum - if i have the wrong section for posting this please DO tell me.

I'm happy to negotiate on price, if anyone's interested let me know.
Good luck with the move! :)

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Post in the classifieds NOT here. And given market in Bulgaria at the moment such a plot would have to be very cheap!

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Hi Paul, i moved to Bulgaria over 5 years ago, there have been alot of changes here since we moved into the EU, unless you have either regular money coming in or have a job lined up i would seriously advise against coming here, i was lucky i work for an online worldwide hotel reservations company called Hitrooms, i found this job via the internet all my collegues speak english which is great i suggest that you come over here in the summer for a vacation before thinking of settling over here. good luck

noelle

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Hi Paul,
I wanted to know how you got in with looking for a home in Bulgaria.
i am new to this site so I may be a bit late in asking you.
My husband and I were there earlier in the year and are going back in October for another look around.
Like you we cant decide on where in Bulgaria.
We like V.T of course but wanted to look all over.
I would be really interested in how you have got on with your search.

thanks
sonny

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Dear Sonny

Before you move here you have to take into account the area to which you wish to live, winters over here can be very harsh and if you live in a small village you have to be aware about shops, where to buy wood for heating your house, i would strongly suggest you buy a 4x4 car as the roads over here are terrible. also please know not everyone over here understands english especially in a small village, sofia is a very expensive place to live, vt is nice but again most big cities are expensive to live in, i live in varna which is a resort city in the summers is great because there is so much to do but in winters everything shuts down as the tourist stop coming. also please be aware of the massive corruption over here, especially with the estate agents, do not be fooled into thinking they are your friends, THEY ARE NOT, do not use a brokers called kapital, we used them to buy our house and be were robbed blind, do your research throughly before coming here permantely so you are aware of the pitfalls, and if you meet other english people who live over here also please be careful with them.

regards


noelle

Re: Advice about moving to bulgaria
 

Couldn't agree more Noelle. Everyone always says they want to live VT way - probably because it is where most of the expats live. Personally I don't like VT and it has far worse weather on that side of the Balkans than we do on the opposite side near Stara Zagora.