Bulgarian property

It's no surprise that no one lives in these houses and I don't believe for one minute that anyone in their right mind could buy here
-@Andrew45

No sewerage? Sounds like Greece, Serbia, Northern Macedonia etc?

Sounds like how many Bulgarians still live?

Are they not in their right minds?

@Andrew45

Welcome to the expat.com forum!

I understand that Bulgaria suffers from a pretty serious depopulation issue (perhaps the worst in Europe), so that means there are many dying and neglected villages which it might be best to avoid.

But that still leaves plenty of very nice ones. The Pandemic did make village houses more attractive, but for a younger/wealthier demographic they still need to be relatively close to cities/ large towns for jobs and schools.

Our country house is in a lovely village in the Balkan Mountains. It's close to two national parks, a UNESCO world heritage site, the famous Buzludzha monument, the not-so-famous capital of the Odrysian Kingdom (Seuthopolis), and a large town (Kazanlak, with its Rose Festival)... so I can concede that this makes it a bit more desirable. But, even so, most of my neighbours appear to be very typical Bulgarians, including plenty of pensioners. And yet they have all mod cons, as far as I can tell: double-glazing, insulation, renovated roof, central heating (even gas!), fibre internet, solar hot water systems, proper inside bathrooms (now connected to our recent sewerage system), upgraded wells (much deeper using modern drilling tech) with garden irrigation systems. So I think it's a mistake to think it's at all typical to live in quaint rustic poverty. :-)

@GB_2_BG

Quite right! I believe "sewerage" refers to sewers and a sewer system. You will find this in most (all?) cities and large towns here. But most villages don't have this, so the houses will have septic tanks instead. I'd guess maybe 90% of village houses across Bulgaria have septic rather than sewerage? A few might still have the old-school outside loo with a hole in the ground, but I'd imagine most folks will have upgraded to at least a basic inside WC / shower and septic tank by now.

Andrew, come back to Britain instead, where we have lovely clean sewerage systems that pump all the s&*t into the sea making half Britain's beaches unsafe to use. I'd far prefer an old-style village house septic system where my waste is absorbed on my land, rather than polluting rivers and oceans!

There are a lot of unmaintained properties in ALL areas, it’s not unique to Varna. Ours is a prime example, the father died here in the village, grown up children living were nearer the cities, mother left to live with a son, house sat empty for over 10 years.

shock horror there is no sewage system in our village 😱🤣 most people just have deep holes in the ground, even now. Our place got an upgrade, there’s  a pipe from the old toilet block just outside the house  that discharges into the, currently dried up, stream. Hmmm, no thank you, literally $h!tting on your doorstep! And also no thanks to an expensive septic system either 👎

we have installed a compost loo in aforementioned outhouse, and we will be having one in the bathroom indoors when we get to winter. We deal with our own waste here, and I am glad to finally have the chance to live so lightly on our planet.

I also intend to use a composting toilet. Glad it's working well for you, Helen!

@janemulberry why! Unbelievable. Are they off their wits to “sew” into the ocean?! What a nana…

There are plenty of filters and membranes and then: what about a compost, if you’re in the village and have your own garden or flower bed or other.

@HelenDinBG so why the properties are so expensive if most of them never stand to any standard, especially in the villages?

MkMg1, my comment was regarding the UK sewerage situation this summer, not in the Bulgarian village! Half the UK beaches were closed over the summer, because the UK government allowed raw sewage to be pumped into the sea. Most Bulgarian villages, apart from the larger ones, don't have sewerage, it is the individual property owner's responsibility to deal with their waste. I am keeping the flush toilet and cesspit, but will also have an indoor and an outdoor composting toilet to minimise what is flushed. Personal choice and more control over how I manage this issue, one of the things I love about having a village house! I hate the thought that my waste flushed away at my UK house ended up in a river or in the sea!

Also, not all properties are expensive, especially compared to UK prices. I paid under 10,000 GBP for mine, a three bedroom house on almost an acre of land, right in the centre of a small friendly village, but in a less popular area a fair way from a city. Yes, overpriced for what it is, compared to what a Bulgarian buyer probably could have got it for. But what I paid extra for was all the additional and ongoing support the estate agent is providing with all the legalities and paperwork which I would struggle with given that my Bulgarian is still quite limited. I wonder whether the house you mentioned you were looking at buying is priced high because it's historical, and in a much more popular small town.

I bought a house with a very large plot of land for around 5000 euro but the estate agent tried (and did) milk the property for several thousands more in fees for support. Until, that is, we asked for assistance and then he was nowhere to be seen so do be careful.

@janemulberry Where is your property? It sounds lovely. I have a son who is interested in moving to Bulgaria, and he is looking in the Bansko region, but also thinking about how to get a secure online income before he makes the move.

berryd, thankfully the estate agent has been extremely helpful so far, filling in masses of paperwork for me at no additional charge. I hope that doesn't change!

Petra, my place is a long way from Bansko. The village is in the North-East corner of Bulgaria, Dobrich region. One of the poorer areas, but the people have been friendly and helpful, and there's no crime (unlike where we live in the UK!). No skiing, no mountains, and very few tourists. It's an agricultural region.

If your son wants to move longer term and not just for the permitted 90 days per 180 days, has he looked into the requirements for the D visa Brits need since Brexit made us non-EU citizens? It's a bit more complicated than just having evidence of an income, unfortunately. We need to wait till I'm officially retirement age (four years and six months!) to move. I hope your son is able to find a way to make it work.

@janemulberry Thank you for your reply Jane. I'm glad you're so happy with your home in a quiet rural area - it sounds lovely.

I did realise that it's not plain sailing anymore for making a move to Bulgaria, but I got the impression that as long as you are setting up a business it should be ok. My son would be planning to set up a translation business. He or I should look into it a bit more I think. I saw that you need the help of a Bulgarian to do this - again something we should look into.

Will you have to wait until UK retirement age or Bulgarian retirement age before making your final move? I'm not too far off 60 myself, so might end up in a similar situation. But I'd like to think that if my son moves out to Bulgaria we would be able to relocate on the basis that we are family. Perhaps that is a little naive though. Anyway, thanks for your help.

Petra, there have been a lot of posts here about D visa requirements, and some good replies from people who have knowledge and expertise. Doing a search on the site will bring up a lot of information! Unfortunately your son might find getting the visa could be a little more complicated than just setting up a business or having enough money to live on.

There are a number of options, and if he researches the various requirements now, he'll be better placed to choose the right visa option and do what is needed to ensure he meets the requirements. If he has a good knowledge of written and spoken Bulgarian and can show he has some contracts for translation work, he may be able to get a freelancer visa. But best to do the research now, as the process can take some time!

@janemulberry Thank you for your reply Jane. I'm glad you're so happy with your home in a quiet rural area - it sounds lovely.
I did realise that it's not plain sailing anymore for making a move to Bulgaria, but I got the impression that as long as you are setting up a business it should be ok. My son would be planning to set up a translation business. He or I should look into it a bit more I think. I saw that you need the help of a Bulgarian to do this - again something we should look into.

Will you have to wait until UK retirement age or Bulgarian retirement age before making your final move? I'm not too far off 60 myself, so might end up in a similar situation. But I'd like to think that if my son moves out to Bulgaria we would be able to relocate on the basis that we are family. Perhaps that is a little naive though. Anyway, thanks for your help.
-@Petra L UK

Always deamand for translation services. That is a very good idea.