Thinking of moving to Bulgaria

Thinking of retiring to Bulgaria Is it recomended Is the cost of living lower ?

Jean, there are a few forum members in that south coast area . Our property is in the north, about an hour from the coast, so I don't have any suggestions to offer, but hopefully some will chime in with their thoughts on good villages to consider. Someone might even know of available properties in their area.

Going inland a little way will increase your chance of getting a bungalow at an affordable price. Best bet for something already renovated might be the regional expat groups on Facebook. Most unrenovated properties will need a lot of work, but you may be lucky enough to buy one already renovated from someone who has decided to return to the UK.

Bulgarian Properties is a reputable estate agent with a good website in English, Rightmove will also have properties in the area. They probably won't be be the cheapest possible, but will give you an idea of what might be available.

Tricia, yes, currently the cost of living in Bulgaria is quite a bit lower than the UK. Not everything is cheaper, but most things are.  But cheaper living costs is not a good reason to move. Prices can change over time, and it's a very different country and culture from the UK. People seem to either love it or hate it. If you like the place, a better life on a UK old age pension is possible, for sure. But it's a huge move, and worth visiting more than once before making any decisions based on costs.

@jeanmandredeix

@triciaconnolly66

I'm retired, and very happy in Bulgaria. I highly recommend it.

The cost of buying property is lower, the cost of owning property is lower (property taxes, utilities, etc.), the cost of living is lower. And the health system is excellent, as you're covered by the S1. (And you can also get private treatment, for a small surcharge.)

There are many lovely areas where one can live. The issue for most is simply budget, as some places (e.g. capital city Sofia) are extremely expensive. (If you've heard that Bulgaria is very cheap, it WAS, so be prepared to spend more on your property than you expect.) I've met folks who are up in Veliko Tarnovo district and love it... and folks that live down near the Turkish border and love it... and folks that live in one of the larger cities (Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas) and love it too. Even small towns are very popular (such Bansko in the mountains, Pomorie, Sozopol, Balchik on the Black Sea). I think @janemulberry is in the north-east, and she seems pretty happy too. :-)

We have a country house in the Balkan Mountains near Shipka, and this is a fabulous area. But as I'm caring for my father, we am mostly in Plovdiv now. This is a wonderful city, highly recommended, but also rather pricey. We have also have a holiday studio in Bansko, and this is a charming town set next to a spectacular National Park. All three places are wonderful options for full-time living... and that's 3 of MANY! :-)

Thanks. It’s difficult with areas that’s for sure. We are country people but am worried by all the loose dogs and roads when you get too rural. We also enjoy eating out. Around Plovdiv does seem to be our favourite but as you say it’s more pricey. Think we will fly over, hire a car and explore a few regions. I noticed property prices have increased quite a bit recently.

That's the best plan, Jean, to go and see what speaks most to you. Bulgaria is a country offering a choice of so many different environments, from flat dry plains that remind me of Australia in the north-east to amazing mountains. Prices have risen quite steeply, but even in the more expensive areas properties are still lower priced than the equivalent in the UK. I hope you find what you want.

@janemulberry

Thank you Just doing my research now One of my main questions at minute Since we come out EU is it right a non citizen can't buy land In otherwords they can buy an appartment but not house with land and garden ?

Tricia, for any property with land, a non-EU citizen needs to set up a Bulgarian company. You own the company, the company owns the property, or properties. You can buy an apartment without needing a company provided it doesn't include a share of the land the building is on.

The company set-up process is not easy and most non-Bulgarians wouldn't be able to do it on their own. But many estate agents will offer the service for a reasonable fee, there are also helper services who will do this. It shouldn't cost more than 500 EUR and is a one-time only cost. Provided the company is purely to own property and doesn't do any business, there's no need for annual accounts or any further expenses connected to the company.

When I bought our house, the estate agent's admin person did it all for me and all I needed to do was spend a day at their office, sign a lot of paperwork, and go to the bank with her. By the following afternoon, the company was registered and I could buy the house. Well worth the fee they charged!

If you want to buy a property with land, factor in that cost, and also the cost of the notary transfer of ownership. Unless you're buying something complicated or expensive,  a lawyer isn't necessary. The seller gets all the paperwork together and the buyer and seller go together to the notary, whose job it is to make sure everything is legal. There are also taxes on property sales. Allow maybe an extra 1500 EUR on top of the property price for the company set up and notary fees.

Also something to be aware of and check on is that in Bulgaria the buyer pays the agent fees, which can be anything from an extra 500 to 2000 EUR, though some don't charge. Good agents will make it clear upfront what the extra costs will be.

Wow really informative Thank you xx

@jeanmandredeix

@triciaconnolly66

As @janemulberry suggests, it's very nice to spend some time in Bulgaria exploring and seeing what areas you like. I would say, however, that there are many, many very nice places... and if you look for nice places, many will be expensive. and perhaps out of your budget. A quick look around might be useful to decide if Bulgaria, in general, seems like your cup of tea... but I think it's rather a hard way to find property.

Many of us do a lot of research up front with various property websites... and then if you're lucky you find a house that appeals and fits your budget... and seems like a decent location, and not too far from civilization (grocery store, hospital, etc.). You can use Google for information about different places, and often take a look at some streets on Google Maps (maybe the main street only in small villages, probably most streets in a big city).

Viewing a few properties that you've shortlisted makes a lot of sense, especially if you haven't seen Bulgarian property before. Some village houses are much more rustic than we're used to in the UK!

Mowlem EU and BulgariaDirect are very popular with Brits and offer village houses on pay-monthly. RightMove is a huge UK property site, but they have overseas too, including Bulgaria. This is a really good place to look as they have plenty of Bulgarian listings from a number of decent agents (including Mowlem and BulgariaDirect). I think you can search the whole country within a specific budget, so you can see what areas are still feasible, and what kind of property you can get for your money. Many of the agents using RightMove are regional, and tend to have lower cost properties. Ebay is always worth a look in case a Brit is selling up and going home (couple of decent agents offer properties regularly too). Ideal homes VT is on RightMove too, and I have friends who got a great property (VT district) from them. Other sites include Alo (dot bg), imot.(dot bg), OLX (dot bg), bulgarianproperties (dot com).

Personally, we purchased pretty much sight unseen. I'm not saying I recommend it, but many of us do it. But, at the very least, you should do your online research on the location and prices in the area. I would also say that we (luckily) made great purchases, and the areas we picked are top-notch. BUT... in each case, when I first showed up and saw the property, I definitely had some concerns, and wondered if I'd made the right decision. There's a pretty good chance I wouldn't have purchased if I'd viewed first! It's very easy to find faults with even the best properties. And, as I had no experience in Bulgaria, my only frame of reference was the UK... so what I thought was rubbish (compared to UK) was actually really good (compared with other Bulgarian options).

Overall, a lot depends on your budget. If you've got 200k euros to spend, then that opens up most of the country. If you want to keep it under 20k or 30k, then I'd say you kinda have to go where you can still find something decent for that budget.

@gwynj

A lot of good information Thank you

Thank you, great info. I have been looking and comparing all the different estate agents, bloggers on YT etc. Also been keeping track of all those extra costs.