seeking some SOLID advice about moving to Bulgaria

The on piece of advice I would give at this stage is be very careful about location. Bansko is fine if you want skiing business, I'm not so sure about the summer. Many parts of Bulgaria are cold and snowy for several weeks each year and the rule is simple go south and to low elevations for the best weather.

I have been watching the internet and communicating with agents for weeks. The two conclusions reached from that is not to believe internet prices and be very, very cautious of agents - just like everywhere else in the world.

We are just back from one week hollyday near Bansko ! Never we will go again . Full of new buildings , half finished ... empty . And they will stay like this for a lot of years , who is gone buy all this appartements ???
                               Axinia

Thank you for you post.
What internet sites are you watching? Are you planning to buy in Bulgaria?
If I do not an estate agent then where do I get information regarding property out there?

Thank you for your post.
We was only thinking of Bansko, we have yet to visit there. Do you know Bulgaria well? We was looking for a B&B on a lake.....any ideas of areas

Everything depends on where you decide to base yourself. It is possible to get half-board for two for €30 per night. A decent apartment, fully furnished should be achievable if you book 6 months or more for €250 per month.

You need to trawl every site you can find, including Viva Street, Gumtree and sites like this. Keep asking people if they will let, some will, some won't.

We have a choice of five places, all very nice and all under €300 per month. Once we've decided which we want we could let you know what's available - when are you heading out there?

Hi,

if you are looking to build a B&B on a lake/dam, it would be good to search for properties not only around Bansko, as it doesn't have too much of them around there. A great place is in the mountains around Elena. There is a very big dam - Iovkovci(http://holidayecho.com/?p=2299) and a lot of properties around it in the near villages. One thing to advice you is to be prepared for some snow in the winter(not only around Iovkovci, but every place that is not a major town/city) as it may take up to one day to clear the snow in some of the small villages.

As for Bansko, there are people in the summer as well, I was there 2 weeks ago and it was nice(new buildings and not empty like most villages), there was summer jazz festival, but a lot of restaurants and shops are closed for the season and I have seen them full in the winter, so have in mind you won't be full all year long.

Feel free to ask any specific questions and I'll be happy to help you with advice or some other way!

Have a great day!

thank you everyone for your replies.
My partner and I will be travelling to BG in late October to search the country for possible properties.
If anyone out there knows of an area that is quiet but would have tourists...possibly all year round and very close to a lake then please let me know.
I know that everyone is different in their ideas but this is what a forum is all about!

I Just moved to the popular village of Dragijevo bout 10k from the city of Veliko Tarnovo. Just moved in a week ago but understand there are a number of ex pats in the village. There is a camping ground in the village owned by an English couple. There is a lake nearby.
Maybe worth a look, if you need more info let me know here or by PM

Ron

thanks Ron I will give it a look