Buying property in Bulgaria

Yes a foreigner can buy a property. It is simple and quick over here but you have to be very careful. I dont have time at the moment to tell you everything but its a minefield. I know so many people who have lost a lot of money and had their lives ruined. If you want some help and advice, message me. Harry

Hello Harry,

Thank you for participating.

Rouma

We would love to buy in Bulgaria (now in Texas and, do have connections in that part of the world) but have heard nothing but horror stories so, if we ever do make the move, as senior citizens, it will be as renters.

we Have owned our property since 2006 and lived in Bulgaria 4 years. Like anywhere else if you are careful then buying in Bulgaria is not a problem.  Houses tend to have multiple ownership by different family members. The rules are in my opinion..Find a good solicitor and avoid agents. Look around Bulgaria then if you find anywhere you like ask the Mayor if anything is for sale. If the vendor ups the price then walk away. There are so many properties for sale you will find what you are looking for eventually. Questions to ask will include ' Is there any problem with water supply in summer?' Is there internet access. Check that the village is thriving and not dying out.
Anyone wishing for safe contacts in the Veliko Turnovo area may contact me.We have seen people ripped off by both Bulgarian and the expat community but we have never had a problem.

I forgot to mention that foriegners need to have a company in order to purchase land in Bulgaria. This does not apply if you buy an apartment. The process is simple and inexpensive so beware of agents charging 600 euro for the service...It usually costs around 300-400 leva.

I will echo what Angelscloud said in regards to the costs. Beware of folks taking you for a ride, but I guess if you do not know the language and no locals to help you then search for a reasonable representative either agent or a lawyer.

I realise this thread was started by the site admin. to generate some activity but it is still useful for those considering buying in Bulgaria.
I started a company in Bulgaria with the intention of buying a holiday cottage but I have since come to regret this and in the end I only purchased a building plot. The houses I looked at were ones that were structurally fairly sound but needed modernisation, mostly having no bathroom and only the crudest of kitchen facilities. On my visits to Bulgaria I stayed at various hostels. The useful thing about hostels is that the staff generally speak good English so they can tell you about Bulgaria, local attractions etc.
Mention has been made of horror stories from foreigners who have been ripped off in various ways. The most well known of these are probably the cases of people buying "off plan" apartments on the coast that never get built. These did not worry me as I was planning on buying an existing structure. When in Bulgaria I started hearing other tales of woe. Some people have bought houses in villages and spent a lot of money on new bathrooms, kitchens, windows etc only to find a bare shell next time they visit Bulgaria. Thieves (these crimes are normally attributed to the Roma community) see the empty property full of nice new equipment, break in and rip it all out to sell on. This would be heartbreaking and it was enough to put me off buying a house. Part of the idea behind buying a holiday home in Bulgaria was that it may either be used later as a place to retire or it might eventually go up in value so could represent a low outlay investment. For these reasons I did not give up entirely on purchasing a property but bought a 1500 square metre plot on the edge of a village. The land is "in regulation" which means it is classified as building land rather than agricultural land.
Personally, I have ended up moving to Hungary, a country which is similar to Bulgaria in some ways but much more westernised in others. Village houses here are not as cheap as in Bulgaria but still only a fraction of the price you would pay in France or Spain, let alone UK. Europeans can own property here in their own name so there is not the need for starting a company, employing an accountant etc. The biggest disadvantage of Hungary compared to Bulgaria is that hardly anyone here speaks English and Hungarian is a more difficult language than Bulgarian.

fidobsa wrote:

The biggest disadvantage of Hungary compared to Bulgaria is that hardly anyone here speaks English and Hungarian is a more difficult language than Bulgarian.

Do you really find this to be case with the youngsters in HU? I visited Budapest not too long ago and some regions around it, and found that the youngsters spoke a dissent English, enough to understand them and vice versa. As far as the HU language being more difficult, can't say much. But have a BG friend that claims it is just a matter of a year or so to study it and you would know it. He claims to know it and I've heard him speaking to HU, but for me not knowing it at all is hard to say either way.

No doubt Budapest is a lot more cosmopolitan than the rest of Hungary so there will be more English spoken there.  The only time I've been to Budapest was driving through to the airport. My experience of Hungary is in the towns and villages in the south west and resorts on the south edge of lake Balaton. The tourist areas of the lake do contain quite a lot of Hungarians who speak German as Balaton is a popular holiday destination with Germans and Austrians.
Don't take my word for it that Hungarian is a hard language, ask any linguist or Hungarian. I know of a chap who has lived and worked in Budapest for 15 years, has a Hungarian wife and bilingual children but still struggles with the language.
My apologies for going off-topic on what is supposed to be a Bulgaria thread. My mention of the country in my previous post was merely to present it as a possible alternative for those looking to buy holiday homes or relocate.

Hi Christine ,

Are you still looking to buy a property in Bulgaria ?
I am Bulgarian and my husband Belgian . We can always help you for free ? Dont hesitate and contact us.

                               Axinia Milanova

Hi Axinia Milanova,

You could give some information on the forum so that everyone can benefit from it.

Thank you.

ps: just to inform you that free advertisement is not allowed on the forum.

Christine - Expat.com team

Hi Christine ,

Like you known I am now Bulgarian and my husband is from Belgium .
We already help a lot of people from Europe and UK . Bulgaria is beautiful but when you buy a property you need to be extremely carrefull. You are looking to be happy and not to be angry !!
Your Expat forum is really perfect and will help a lot of new buyers from UK and the rest of the world
                               
                                   Sincerly yours ,
                                   
                                   Axinia

hi am new to this site and have been looking at comeing over next month to look around and buy have u any advise thanks dave

Hi Dave ,

Welcome to Bulgaria .
The best is renting a cheap car , drive arround and discover your future region or village .
Than look to see if you find your dream house ! And the most important take an English speaking lawyer to help you when you buy in BG
                                      Axinia

Hi Everybody ,

You like to buy in Bulgaria , no problem but take ALWAYS an laywer who speak English !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alex do you know that in 2006 a UK real Estates together with his BG collaborater from the coastside cheated many UK citizen who all lost togheter more than 250.000 pound !!
So again and again take first an independant lawyer !!!

                                       Axinia

Hello Fidobsa and others,

Since this year, Bulgaria changed it's law which means foreign individuals do not need to start a company anymore if they want to buy a plot of land or house!

This means buying something now is much easier, avoiding (yearly)costs involved with the company.

Kind regards,

Alex

Please tell me what to look out for in buying property in Bulgaria.  I have an agent, who is also a lawyer, and speaks good English.  He seems very reputable but how can I know?  Anyway, would appreciate any info you could give me.  Thanks.

Mary

Mary, could you please recommend your agent in the business directory ? you're off topic

Guys, could we please concentrate on the initial topic ?

We're looking for advice and not for agents

thanks

Hi  are you ready to help me to buy a property ? 

regards

hi  could you help me to buy a house  in Bulgaria

regards

Hi looking to buy a holiday home in Bulgaria , is there any areas which should keep clear of? Would like to be near black sea as possible.
Regards Robert (uk)

Hi guys,

@SERGESSR, there are many people who can help you with buying a house in Bulgaria, but it depends on the area you are looking to buy a house in.

@Rmsparey, there are a lot of options about buying a holiday home near the sea. The main options are:
1) to buy a holiday home directly in a town/village on the seaside
2) to buy in a 10-20 km radius from the sea

The problem with 1) is that it costs more and is usually cramped with buildings in the bigger towns. If you are not a party animal, you should avoid Sunny beach, as this is what it is and it is definitely the direction it will be going in the future.

Option 2) is way cheaper and you can get a house in an are that is not so crowded.

But it all depends on what you are looking for. Personally, I will choose some smaller village directly on the sea(I prefer the south part more). Great places(for now) are Lozenets(the best combination of modern and authentic and not so crowded place) and Nessebar(but there are a lot of tourists here in the summer, as the town is of historical importance). Another option is to go south near the Turkey border. There are almost deserted areas around there and you can really enjoy a better relaxing lifestyle.

Good luck!

Hi there,
If you are interested in buying property in Bulgaria I highly recommend considering this choice. I'm not a realtor but the head of the project is a friend of mine. You can contact them in Moscow or Bulgaria. High quality and lots of support. Check it out for yourself at pines-beach-resort com not far from Varna.

I have for sale house in Koprivshtitsa
If anyone is interested to write to          hotel_ray@abv.bg

Hi hotel RAI > can you please post an ad in the housing in Bulgaria section? Thank you.

Maybe now is a good time to buy property in Bulgaria as prices are quite low. At resorts complex starting at 450E per square meter. when you make your purchase, be aware that if it is complex, then you will have maintenance fee which starts at 6 euros per square meter per annum. Also all real estate has tax and garbage fee depending on the region and it usually starts at 50F per year. I would like to share this information so that you can calculate your future costs related to the acquisition of property in Bulgaria. if you use a real estate agent's commission is between .2,5% - 3%
Upon purchase of the property do not forget to make sure that no encumbrances on the property mortgage, etc.
good luck!
ivankagp@yahoo.com

Thank you for helping Ivanka Petkova!

Aurélie

Im considering to move to Bulgaria. Here is a list of questions that seem important to me at this moment:

I see that one can get a 5 year bulgarian residence permit if one has a company in Bulgaria. So once you open the bulgarian company that is required to buy property in the country, is that enought to get a 5 year residence permit? Or does it require some "activity" or reputation of any kind?

You can stay in Bulgaria for 90 days without a visa. Does that mean that if I cross the border once every 90 days, I can practically live in Bulgaria as long as I want without a visa?

Just to be sure...can foreigners buy AGRICULTURE land in Bulgaria if they form a bulgarian company?

What is the general price of getting unregulated land regulated, and does regulation neccesitate establishment of electricity and water supply and cloaking system? Im asking because I want to build a house without electricity and water.

What is the max percentage of building area on a regulated plot?

Is it legal to build a windmill on your property in Bulgaria? In Denmark it appears to be illegal. 

What are the total costs of opening a bulgarian company, all fees included?

Many thanks,

Mikkel

hello Mikkel.
I understand you are from Denmark is the country which is a member of the European Union. To get a residence in Bulgaria will need based on what being in the country. If you own a registered company in Bulgaria will actually be appointed as manager of this company and you will have a contract to work in Bulgaria. You will need also ask you a contract to rent apartment or can relocate property declaration by the person who is in Bulgaria which states that you live in his address. Also you have to do a translation of a Bulgarian identity document that you have.
It is not necessary to prove activity of your company. To obtain a residence permit in Bulgaria nationals of member states of the European Union is easy.
Company registered in Bulgaria may purchase any real estate in Bulgaria land and suffering, no matter whether they are agriculturally or for new construction.
All costs for registering a company in Bulgaria is around 450-500E.
Your comapny will have an annual fee for accounts maintanance that it depends on the workload of the company min 300E per year
I hope this information is useful for you!

Ivanka Petkova
ivankagp@yahoo.com

Thank you so much. So first I should form a company in Bulgaria, secondly I buy land and then I guess it have to become regulated before I can put my adress on the land as the "company office", and after that I can apply for a residence permit?

AlexBulgaria states that foreigners buying land in Bulgaria doesnt need a bulgarian company anymore, but I suppose I still need a company to get residence permit.

I have been looking at cheap agriculture land in Veliko Tarnovo, but I would like a plot of land far from neighbours and would prefer a place with big mountains and nature such as in the south. Is it realistic to find cheap land in the south and then convert it to regulated land easily?

Actually you can buy property in Bulgaria and without a firm in this case makes another type of registration for foreigners who have property in Bulgaria. If you do not do business with this company it is better to try to get a residence with a bank account in  Bulgarian bank where you have some money, but either way you will need an address that you provide when you make your application for residence in Bulgaria presumably this is the address where you lived in Bulgaria.

So happy for all the help I got from people on this site. Now Im trying to find the right area to live in.

Does anybody here live in the Rila mountains or other places with high mountains?

Im looking for a cheap ruin or agriculture/forest land in a rural mountain area with no neighbours in sight. Preferably close to a town but just isolated from its roads.

Mikkel

Also I have been looking for something in the area of Kalofer and the surrounding mountains. Anyone here who lives in that area?

What does a bulgarian lawyer cost all in all for carrying out such a process and is it possible for me to obtain all the documents eventually saving hours of the lawyers work? Do you pay a bulgarian lawyer pr hour or pr property?

Hi,

this may be off topic and a bit of a cleche but i am thining of buying/renting a beachbar/cafe. would anyone know of a good realestate office?

Hi, the two ones reliable that I know, maybe somebody else knows any other one:

yavlena.com/
mirela.bg/en/

Both websites with English version so you may search and compare.

Cheers.

How on Earth can you be that simple-minded? Sorry, no means to offend anyone who has been trying to "understand Bulgaria", but if you think you can just take a car, move around, find a village and simply move in, you're in horrible mistake.
I'm local. I have worked for some real estate agencies. Now I don't, but I still have my contacts.

There are so many beautiful houses which are in dying villages. Still, a house can be that easily manipulated to look solid. You don't just need an agent, you need a friendly agent, who can state the exact condition of the property, what is it made of, is there any inner-wall leakage that with time can ruin the whole electric system, what the neighbours are... These are just some of the things you need to know.

How do you imagine living in the crappiest part of Paris, just because you see that Paris is a beautiful city?

You need someone to guide you. Getting a lawyer is the easiest, but he knows that you cannot ask him for refund if the house turns out disaster...

Better think twice, and then decide whether you wish to take that risk to buy on your very own...

Do you realy believe all the real estates are honnest ?????????
A friend of us bought just a property without Real Estate and you know what ......... any problem at all and in two weeks all the documents ok !         
                            Axinia

I read the initial post here and decided not to participate because the advice the administrator was requesting should only come from someone with experience and expertise. Some of the posts so far have confirmed my belief that my initial thinking was sound as they have contained incorrect information. I do not offer that as an opinion but a statement of fact.

Moving into a new community is no more difficult in Bulgaria then in any other country of my experience and offers the same hazards as one would encounter in the UK. I talk from the experience of having moved into small communities in several parts of the UK on the basis that I did what the poster considers impossible; got in my car, found a village, bought a property and moved in.

The advice offered by the last poster is off topic and misleading although clearly well intentioned. I for one would be fascinated to learn why the poster thinks Bulgaria is unique in offering barriers to potential immigrants.

In my experience in several countries on several continents there will always be people who will dive head first into property purchases which turn sour. There will also, always, be agents, whether they be of the estate or best friend variety who will give advice which is not necessarily in the best interests of the property purchaser.

Can you imagine the naivety of someone who takes advice on the purchase of a property from someone who has been employed by the owner of that property to sell it on his behalf? I can, I've seen it on several occasions and here we have an expert suggesting just that - I trust the members here to make a sensible judgement of how useful that advice is.

The reality is that swimming in the shark infested waters of ex-pat existence is risky and only for the aware. The only opinion one should trust is one's own as it is one's own money one is risking. It makes perfect sense to ask the opinion of others but treat it warily, check it, check it again and then make your own mind up.

There are, IMHO, two kinds of people in this world and they exist everywhere; the good and the bad. If you are incapable of identifying which is which then curl up and die. If on the other hand you have the imagination and courage to settle in another country then trust your own judgement and seek out the good, you'll find them with some searching.

Hello my name is Jernina and i have been ripped of and it cost me a lot of money .