Advice for neighbourhoods in Sofia (to buy in)

That would require a lot of research, visiting many different properties, and considering some other factors too. Prepare for 1 month stay in Sofia.

And it is best to start from finding a good real estate agent.

Thanks Kristiann, indeed we are staying here for a month first and will visit again in the Autumn.  We've started with a few estate agents- though not sure if they're actually good : )

1. For outside the center, I think that the south area around Vitosha has to be the top pick. This means probably Boyana, Vitosha, Simeonovo. Personally, I like this area a lot, and I've done quite a few walks up past the Dragalevski Monastery. For more options, I guess you can include (inside ring road) Ovcha Kupel, Manastirski, Studentski Grad, Mladost. The areas of Lyulin (West Park) and Lozenets (South Park/Borisova gradina) are more central, near parks, so maybe they're worth considering.

2. My first reaction is that Sofia is already so expensive that it's at the top of your budget certainly for properties in the most favored areas. But for 300k euros, I'd expect there to be some nice 3 bedroom apartments still around!

The cost depends a lot on whether your budget number is for a finished/furnished apartment, or a finished/unfurnished apartment, or a new/unfinished/unfurnished apartment.

Bulgarian real estate (like many European countries) if effectively sold by area (per m2), so it also depends on how big (m2) you want, not how many bedrooms, You can get 3 bedrooms into maybe 100 m2, but that would be pretty pokey in my opinion. (Having said, our little city pad has 3 beds squeezed into 67 m2!) I would personally feel more comfortable with a 3 bed/2 bath in maybe 150 m2 or so, if it was my main residence with children.

Typically, the properties quote the m2 of the apartment, and this includes both common spaces (your share of hallways, lobbies, etc. in the building) and terraces/balconies. So you need to factor this in if you want a specific amount of interior living space (or a specific amount of lounging-on-the-terrace  space).

I think new build apartments in Sofia are already 1,200 euros to 1,500 euros (and higher) per m2. So, a smaller 3-bedder of 120 m2 (with 100 m2 of living space) is going to be approaching 200k. A larger apartment with 150 m2 of genuine living space (and, say, 30 m2 of common/balconies) is going to be 250k plus.

This is for new, unfinished apartments, which are sold as "Bulgarian Standard", and then you need to paint, put the floors, install kitchen/bathrooms, put in lights/extractors/AC/heaters. Some even come without interior doors.

This is an extra chunk of work/money, and it all depends what kind of quality finish you want. I'd guess 200 to 400 euros per m2, just to give a ballpark.

Then furniture is another chunk.

So if you look for finished and furnished, this will be the highest price per m2. New apartment, unfinished, is the cheapest per m2.

Cheaper per m2 are older apartments (especially the panel buildings), and less desirable areas.

To get a good idea of the market, I recommend OLX.BG which is a very popular Bulgarian property site, has plenty of listings. Good for seeing what's available, and the true local pricing... but harder to buy from (lots of different agents, lots of owners, many who don't speak English). And it's not in English, so you'll need to view in Chrome or another browser with automatic translation. One of the biggest agents here is BULGARIANPROPERTIES.com and they have a good English website with lots of listings in Sofia, so you can quickly see what's around. They are a decent agent too, so they're easy to buy through, with English-speaking agents.

My quick search with them showed several finished but unfurnished apartments for under 250k euros in Boyana and Dragalevtsi. There are some very nice houses under 300k, if we include villages around Sofia. I also saw smaller townhouses in Simeonovo, and unfinished houses on a new estate in Vladya (a bit further out than Boyana).

Also, as you're on a budget, factor in transaction costs (property transfer tax, notary fees, etc.) and commission (if you buy via an agent), and lawyer fees (if you don't want to simply use the notary). I think 10-15% extra.

[Post deleted]

As usual, @EVTRA hits the nail on the head! :-) Why do you want Sofia, the most expensive place in Bulgaria?

OK... if you have a awesome new corporate job, I get it. Or you need the buzz of the capital city. Or you want to send the kids to a private international school. But... there are a lot of very nice places you could consider, for a lot less money.

I personally really like Plovdiv, the 2nd city, and recent European Capital of Culture. There are some very nice new build apartments here for around 1,000 euros per m2. This is a very civilized little city, with all amenities, but very easy to get around. We live in area called Hristo Smirnenski which is 2 km from  the center (10 mins on the bus), but next to new Pulmed hospital, new Mall Plovdiv, new Kaufland/Lidl... and next to two great parks (Youth Hill and the Regatta Lake/River Maritsa).

I drove up to Sofia from Plovdiv yesterday, and it was a breeze. Nice highway all the way, under 90 minutes even in morning rush hour. As I was driving, I was thinking how tough it used to be driving into London with bumper-to-bumper for 3 hours. :-) Once there it was a zoo with big city traffic everywhere, just like the bad old days. :-)

Bansko is the country's top ski resort, and prices still haven't fully recovered after the glut/crash. So I reckon you could get a nice 3 bedroom apartment there for under 100k.

Renovated village houses are under 100k euros too. And village houses with big gardens have become very fashionable because of Covid! :-) There are lots of nice villages within, say, 30-40 minutes of the main cities (Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo). Our rustic pile is in the Balkan Mountains just outside Kazanlak, and I'm very comfy here, I would recommend our village to anyone.

Actually, if you're not bound by some serious reason, that requires you to live in the city, I would recommend visiting the nearby villages or surrounding neighbourhoods. Check Lozen, Novi Han, Pancharevo, Ivaniane, Bozhuriste, etc. Or ask your real estate agent for similar options.

As for the budget, it is not very high and not too low. For this kind of money you can either buy a ready house of about 100 - 150 sq. meters, with some land, or buy the land and construct a house.

These two houses cost approximately 50 000 eur each. Land is a separate point, but say it another 30 - 50 000 eur.



and this one too:



Another important point to consider is the future selling price.

That's top one is quite a fancy house for 50k euros, @KRISTIANN!

I'd imagine many of us would like to know who's the builder. Maybe you can post info?

I know. That's why I've selected these houses. Just tried to post a screenshot with the price, but it didn't work. Uploading pictures here is not possible. Anyway it is relatively easy to reach the construction company from these pics. Just a couple of clicks.

If I post the name/website here it would be and advertising. By the way, the exact price, quoted in the company website is 89 600 BGN, and it comes for a total living area of 128 sq. meters. Of course under some conditional limitations.

same company, 85 150 BGN, 131 sq. meters:

@KRISTIANN

It's a very interesting post, thank you.

(Yes, thank you, easy to find the manufacturer via Google Chrome and Google's image search.)

I had already found another couple of Bulgarian manufacturers of prefabricated houses. Some (cheaper) build stuff that kinda looks prefabricated, and is produced in Bulgaria or imported from Turkey. Yours (and another) build stuff that looks more like a "proper" house.

Nevertheless, they're prefabricated, which many prefer to avoid. I couldn't find information on the website about the lifespan, or the potential for qualifying for a mortgage. These are both major issues in relation to prefabs.

These look good, but the headline price is perhaps a little misleading, in that it's for "stage 1" construction, which doesn't include, for example, the slab, or external finish, and more. (And doesn't include VAT.)

One of their holiday cabins quotes for finished, and that comes in at 35,000 leva (+ VAT) for 15 m2 of internal space (plus 8 m2 of terrace). Based on 23 m2, that's 900 euros per m2.

I think, realistically, their houses will come in at 350-500 euros or so / m2. Plus, as you say, you have to buy the plot too. So I'm not sure it's really a great bargain. But, perhaps it is, if the construction is actually better/longer lasting than a traditional built home. Definitely I can see that it would be easier to design and specify this kind of home, rather than finding a decent builder and managing the construction. So it could be an interesting option.

gwynj wrote:

1. For outside the center, I think that the south area around Vitosha has to be the top pick. This means probably Boyana, Vitosha, Simeonovo. Personally, I like this area a lot, and I've done quite a few walks up past the Dragalevski Monastery. For more options, I guess you can include (inside ring road) Ovcha Kupel, Manastirski, Studentski Grad, Mladost. The areas of Lyulin (West Park) and Lozenets (South Park/Borisova gradina) are more central, near parks, so maybe they're worth considering.

2. My first reaction is that Sofia is already so expensive that it's at the top of your budget certainly for properties in the most favored areas. But for 300k euros, I'd expect there to be some nice 3 bedroom apartments still around!

The cost depends a lot on whether your budget number is for a finished/furnished apartment, or a finished/unfurnished apartment, or a new/unfinished/unfurnished apartment.

Bulgarian real estate (like many European countries) if effectively sold by area (per m2), so it also depends on how big (m2) you want, not how many bedrooms, You can get 3 bedrooms into maybe 100 m2, but that would be pretty pokey in my opinion. (Having said, our little city pad has 3 beds squeezed into 67 m2!) I would personally feel more comfortable with a 3 bed/2 bath in maybe 150 m2 or so, if it was my main residence with children.

Typically, the properties quote the m2 of the apartment, and this includes both common spaces (your share of hallways, lobbies, etc. in the building) and terraces/balconies. So you need to factor this in if you want a specific amount of interior living space (or a specific amount of lounging-on-the-terrace  space).

I think new build apartments in Sofia are already 1,200 euros to 1,500 euros (and higher) per m2. So, a smaller 3-bedder of 120 m2 (with 100 m2 of living space) is going to be approaching 200k. A larger apartment with 150 m2 of genuine living space (and, say, 30 m2 of common/balconies) is going to be 250k plus.

This is for new, unfinished apartments, which are sold as "Bulgarian Standard", and then you need to paint, put the floors, install kitchen/bathrooms, put in lights/extractors/AC/heaters. Some even come without interior doors.

This is an extra chunk of work/money, and it all depends what kind of quality finish you want. I'd guess 200 to 400 euros per m2, just to give a ballpark.

Then furniture is another chunk.

So if you look for finished and furnished, this will be the highest price per m2. New apartment, unfinished, is the cheapest per m2.

Cheaper per m2 are older apartments (especially the panel buildings), and less desirable areas.

To get a good idea of the market, I recommend OLX.BG which is a very popular Bulgarian property site, has plenty of listings. Good for seeing what's available, and the true local pricing... but harder to buy from (lots of different agents, lots of owners, many who don't speak English). And it's not in English, so you'll need to view in Chrome or another browser with automatic translation. One of the biggest agents here is BULGARIANPROPERTIES.com and they have a good English website with lots of listings in Sofia, so you can quickly see what's around. They are a decent agent too, so they're easy to buy through, with English-speaking agents.

My quick search with them showed several finished but unfurnished apartments for under 250k euros in Boyana and Dragalevtsi. There are some very nice houses under 300k, if we include villages around Sofia. I also saw smaller townhouses in Simeonovo, and unfinished houses on a new estate in Vladya (a bit further out than Boyana).

Also, as you're on a budget, factor in transaction costs (property transfer tax, notary fees, etc.) and commission (if you buy via an agent), and lawyer fees (if you don't want to simply use the notary). I think 10-15% extra.

Many thanks indeed Gwynj for your thoughtful and helpful response! I'm definitely going to look into Vladaya and Simeonovo, and see if relative lack of infrastructure/the nature of their surroundings precludes these options.

Cheers

In my point of view, Vladaya and Simeonovo are not the best options. Same applies for Boyana and Manastirski Livadi. I know this requires some reasoning. Genreally the negative sides strongly outpass the positive ones.

Many reasons, and too few time to describe these here.

@ gwynj,

I know that many people are trying to buy a top quality product for almost no price. The problem is that it is against any economic logic. Hence the problems.

This is so typical for two categories of people here in Bulgaria. I will not mention these.

As for that specific house/construction company, I think it provides a good quality to price ratio, but as I mentioned before "under some conditional limitations"  - VAT, plot, foundation, finishing, etc. And regarding SunKing, these are within his budget limitations.

In your case it would be best to directly contact the company and discuss all items that you find unclear, or that you need certain detailed information.  And of course compare with other similar company/product.

In modern day Economy there's a very useful concept called "Opportunity cost". And it is there for a reason.

[Post deleted]

Hi All,

Thanks for the lively, engaging, bitter and informative discussion!

Regarding the question "Of all the places, why on earth Sofia?!", I confess that this thought occasionally crept into my head as we viewed a number of newbuild apartments over the last week : )

But of course there is a good reason for it...If it were just myself with nobody else to consider, I'd probably end up in an obscure, very poor, depressed and somewhat historical farm village in Portugal with a property that featured a large barn large enough to fit 6  cars, and a modest home with some space for human habitation too, comfortable and practical but with zero style and even less prestige than the village address itself : )  Okay, to be honest I'd find myself longing for the food quality and variety of Lisbon and I do need access to a major airport, so I'm exaggerating a bit....

But to make a long story short a huge part of the reason why we are considering Bulgaria in the first place is to benefit from the family/social circle which is established here- unfortunately with every single person being exactly in the center of Sofia....I want my partner to have solid access to that, so removing ourselves from this logistically by going far outside the city would defeat the purpose.

As you can guess the other main reason is to get more value for our money/spend less, but given that Sofia property prices are now three times more expensive than central London, this aspect is fading somewhat...

...I'm exaggerating of course, but we are taken aback by how expensive it's become and it seems some locals are too

Investing in property is not my area of expertise, nor am I considering buying an apartment or house here as an investment- rather as a primary residence.

Still, I do seem to sense worrying signs that this could be the worst possible time to buy / an unsustainable bubble, which would be very unlucky timing indeed.

...because I question, what are the main drivers behind this persistent drive up of prices and how could they be sustainable?  Two basic macro factors I know are:
1) The population of Bulgaria is shrinking largely because educated professionals are leaving to go west (Bad for prices)
2) Urbanisation is rampant so this could offset point 1 to a certain extent with many folks moving into the biggest business city (Sofia) (Good for prices)

But hearing about apartments and houses reaching levels close to key western European cities- How and why?!  I doubt the economy is booming so well that there is a quickly growing horde of high earners?  And even an upper-middle class Bulgarian local earning lev would not be able to comfortably afford these prices, so we're talking about the top 1 - 5% of earners.  Perhaps in Bulgaria the well-known growing gap between the rich and the poor is accelerating?

Bulgaria is not only never on the list of most desirable countries for expats to retire to, but also Sofia specifically would not be at the top of a Bulgaria-focussed list; those looking to save money would go into the country or a cheaper, perhaps more charming city like Plovdiv...Sofia would be more for wealthy professionals assumedly. Which ones? There can't be SO many expat managers flocking here from Germany etc.

WTF

@SUNKING968

Thanks for sharing your insight.

Retirement Destinations:

Yes, absolutely, the list of countries to retire on a budget often seems to have a Latin American flavor. Or focus on the tourist favorites France and Spain, which are not inexpensive locations.

This recent survey is pretty typical:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/best-bu … eport.html

Many are quite USA-centric, so ease of travel favors Latin America.

However, you can see that the top picks (Costa Rica and Panama) are both more expensive than Bulgaria in terms of cost of living.

I did the Latin American swing with stints in Panama (with visits to Nicaragua and Costa Rica), Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. I give them points for natural beauty and great beaches (and great mountains in Chile and Argentina). But, for various reasons, I am much more relaxed here in Bulgaria.

Macroeconomic Factors:

It's a huge topic, and I'm sure we all have different views. You're right that Bulgaria has a depopulation problem. But it's also an EU country now, and, typically, this leads to some levelling up. I don't have the stats to hand, but there seems to be evidence of inward investment. My impression when I visit Sofia, or drive around Plovdiv, or drive though Burgas to the beaches, is that there's lots of construction (and not just apartments, offices and manufacturing), and lots of upgrading of infrastructure / public parks.

I sometimes have a coffee in Plovdiv with a couple of my former teaching colleagues, both of whom are Bulgarians, but who spent their working lives abroad, and have now returned (as working retirees, I guess). They both say the Plovdiv of today is almost unrecognizable, with a dramatic transformation to a European-style city. If you have the 20 year perspective of a local, the trend is unquestionably up.

Bulgaria is on the path to the Euro, with most of the conditions met, so it's happening January 2024. Again, opinions vary, but I think Bulgaria is poised to do well as a result. Bulgaria is still a low-cost location, even as a Euro country, so it has a competitive advantage. It's not a highly-leveraged country either, unlike Greece, Spain, Italy.

I have made a substantial investment in Bulgarian real estate. I didn't do it right at the start, but as I saw promising signs for future growth in both the economy and real estate prices (and as I found myself enjoying living here). In my 4 years here, I certainly haven't seen prices going down. But, of course, "past performance is no guarantee of future returns" and all that.

Buying in Sofia

Well, I'd be pretty nervous to plunk down 300k euros for a pad in Sofia. Not because I think it's a bad investment, but because it's a lot of money, and it's a new city/country... am I going to like it?

So, actually, when we first came here, it was just to get our residence permits as a Brexit-beating option. We had no intention of living here (as you say, it's not usually on the list of fab places to hang out). But our lawyer was in Plovdiv so we spent a few days there doing the paperwork, and we thought... wow, what a charming little city... maybe we can live here!

So I bought a cheap and cheerful (renovated, but tiny, in a panel building) flat that could be a temporary base. I mean, 4 years later, we are still using it, so I am rather fed up of it!

And, as a former ski instructor, I'm very sentimental about ski towns and hiking in the mountains, so I plunked down 20k for teeny pad in Bansko.

And then we realized we had a ton of stuff from our German/UK houses so we needed somewhere to put it. So it was either rent a big deposit, or buy a house with enough room for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and piles of junk dragged across Europe. So if you want space for your cars, you'll need a country house, because the space is too expensive in Sofia.

So, yeah, we then bought a house in the Balkan Mountains with a big walled garden and plenty of space (now that I've renovated downstairs, I've actually got 350 m2, so it's a good size).

But we went back and forth on whether we need to live in a city (and work there, I did teaching at a couple of schools in Plovdiv), or if a country village is too small and isolated. We loved Bankso, it's super cute. And the mountains and scenery are wonderful. But it's a tourist town with tourist prices. Many live there year round, of course, but we found we just like visiting.

At the start, we thought the country life was too quiet and isolated. And the house was a unbearable in winter (downstairs open, not insulated, insufficient heating). And I got some teaching jobs. So it had to be the city.

But then Covid happened, and everyone wanted to live in the peace and tranquility of a village, far away from sick people. :-) So I've had 15 months in the house, and, while here, I've renovated the downstairs (new lowered, insulated floors, walls, efficient windows, insulation) and upgraded the heating. So it was comfy this past winter, even at -14. And I got the internet guy to bring fiber to my house so I have 80 mbps wifi. The result: I've loved village life, And I'm able to do remote teaching at much better wages than working in a physical school in Plovdiv (and way less hassle).

We didn't even find the distance from Sofia an issue. There is a good highway, and it's an easy drive. But it turns out we rarely bother. The airport is a non-issue. We have a local limo service that does door-to-door for 50 euros (that's for a nice car, 100-odd minutes of driving). We pay 25 euros for a normal taxi from Alicante Airport to our flat in Elche, which takes 10 minutes!

So what's the lesson? Well, I'm not advising that anyone should do what I did. We have 3 el cheapo properties, and, really, we'd all agree that we'd be better off having one really nice one. :-) But, at the same time, to our great suprise, we discovered that each of these 3 places is delightful, with much to commend them.

And you're not sure if Bulgaria is the right place for you. And you want a bit of Sofia, because of the in-laws, but you don't want to work there. And you need a country house because you want a barnful of Ferraris. :-)

So... maybe you should rent somewhere first to get a proper feel for the place?

And/or, maybe you should consider a nice house somewhere (with a big garage/barn for cars and bikes), but have a little pied-a-terre in Sofia you can go hang out there for a few days and see friends and family.

[Post deleted]

gwynj wrote:

@SUNKING968

Thanks for sharing your insight.

Retirement Destinations:

Yes, absolutely, the list of countries to retire on a budget often seems to have a Latin American flavor. Or focus on the tourist favorites France and Spain, which are not inexpensive locations.

This recent survey is pretty typical:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/best-bu … eport.html

Many are quite USA-centric, so ease of travel favors Latin America.

However, you can see that the top picks (Costa Rica and Panama) are both more expensive than Bulgaria in terms of cost of living.

I did the Latin American swing with stints in Panama (with visits to Nicaragua and Costa Rica), Chile, Brazil, and Argentina. I give them points for natural beauty and great beaches (and great mountains in Chile and Argentina). But, for various reasons, I am much more relaxed here in Bulgaria.

Macroeconomic Factors:

It's a huge topic, and I'm sure we all have different views. You're right that Bulgaria has a depopulation problem. But it's also an EU country now, and, typically, this leads to some levelling up. I don't have the stats to hand, but there seems to be evidence of inward investment. My impression when I visit Sofia, or drive around Plovdiv, or drive though Burgas to the beaches, is that there's lots of construction (and not just apartments, offices and manufacturing), and lots of upgrading of infrastructure / public parks.

I sometimes have a coffee in Plovdiv with a couple of my former teaching colleagues, both of whom are Bulgarians, but who spent their working lives abroad, and have now returned (as working retirees, I guess). They both say the Plovdiv of today is almost unrecognizable, with a dramatic transformation to a European-style city. If you have the 20 year perspective of a local, the trend is unquestionably up.

Bulgaria is on the path to the Euro, with most of the conditions met, so it's happening January 2024. Again, opinions vary, but I think Bulgaria is poised to do well as a result. Bulgaria is still a low-cost location, even as a Euro country, so it has a competitive advantage. It's not a highly-leveraged country either, unlike Greece, Spain, Italy.

I have made a substantial investment in Bulgarian real estate. I didn't do it right at the start, but as I saw promising signs for future growth in both the economy and real estate prices (and as I found myself enjoying living here). In my 4 years here, I certainly haven't seen prices going down. But, of course, "past performance is no guarantee of future returns" and all that.

Buying in Sofia

Well, I'd be pretty nervous to plunk down 300k euros for a pad in Sofia. Not because I think it's a bad investment, but because it's a lot of money, and it's a new city/country... am I going to like it?

So, actually, when we first came here, it was just to get our residence permits as a Brexit-beating option. We had no intention of living here (as you say, it's not usually on the list of fab places to hang out). But our lawyer was in Plovdiv so we spent a few days there doing the paperwork, and we thought... wow, what a charming little city... maybe we can live here!

So I bought a cheap and cheerful (renovated, but tiny, in a panel building) flat that could be a temporary base. I mean, 4 years later, we are still using it, so I am rather fed up of it!

And, as a former ski instructor, I'm very sentimental about ski towns and hiking in the mountains, so I plunked down 20k for teeny pad in Bansko.

And then we realized we had a ton of stuff from our German/UK houses so we needed somewhere to put it. So it was either rent a big deposit, or buy a house with enough room for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and piles of junk dragged across Europe. So if you want space for your cars, you'll need a country house, because the space is too expensive in Sofia.

So, yeah, we then bought a house in the Balkan Mountains with a big walled garden and plenty of space (now that I've renovated downstairs, I've actually got 350 m2, so it's a good size).

But we went back and forth on whether we need to live in a city (and work there, I did teaching at a couple of schools in Plovdiv), or if a country village is too small and isolated. We loved Bankso, it's super cute. And the mountains and scenery are wonderful. But it's a tourist town with tourist prices. Many live there year round, of course, but we found we just like visiting.

At the start, we thought the country life was too quiet and isolated. And the house was a unbearable in winter (downstairs open, not insulated, insufficient heating). And I got some teaching jobs. So it had to be the city.

But then Covid happened, and everyone wanted to live in the peace and tranquility of a village, far away from sick people. :-) So I've had 15 months in the house, and, while here, I've renovated the downstairs (new lowered, insulated floors, walls, efficient windows, insulation) and upgraded the heating. So it was comfy this past winter, even at -14. And I got the internet guy to bring fiber to my house so I have 80 mbps wifi. The result: I've loved village life, And I'm able to do remote teaching at much better wages than working in a physical school in Plovdiv (and way less hassle).

We didn't even find the distance from Sofia an issue. There is a good highway, and it's an easy drive. But it turns out we rarely bother. The airport is a non-issue. We have a local limo service that does door-to-door for 50 euros (that's for a nice car, 100-odd minutes of driving). We pay 25 euros for a normal taxi from Alicante Airport to our flat in Elche, which takes 10 minutes!

So what's the lesson? Well, I'm not advising that anyone should do what I did. We have 3 el cheapo properties, and, really, we'd all agree that we'd be better off having one really nice one. :-) But, at the same time, to our great suprise, we discovered that each of these 3 places is delightful, with much to commend them.

And you're not sure if Bulgaria is the right place for you. And you want a bit of Sofia, because of the in-laws, but you don't want to work there. And you need a country house because you want a barnful of Ferraris. :-)

So... maybe you should rent somewhere first to get a proper feel for the place?

And/or, maybe you should consider a nice house somewhere (with a big garage/barn for cars and bikes), but have a little pied-a-terre in Sofia you can go hang out there for a few days and see friends and family.

Thanks mate for the interesting anecdotes and insight- and it's very cool to hear that someone who has as many international living experiences as you (  no personal connections here) can end up enjoying Bulgaria the MOST. I should say that I am not "shocked" by this, meaning I have a positive outlook towards Bulgaria, the quality of life here and the culture, unlike many westerners who have an automatic negative bias "because it's the poorest country in Europe" (Getting harder and harder to listen to this as every second car I saw in our afternoon walk here was a Mercedes or Audi and luxury property developments are popping up everywhere. Maybe I'M too poor to live in Sofia LOL). As long as the financial/lifestyle aspects prove advantageous enough, there is close to zero chance of me moving here with my exceptional partner and freaking out and hating it, partially because I'm very independent anyway AND have literally decades' worth of experience living in countries that were far inferior to Bulgaria and which I literally hated.

So the only big disappointment so far is the narrowing cost advantage of property here in Sofia (I need to confirm the tax situation too)....but it's still measurably better. Most would assume I was "forced" to come here but actually it was my suggestion, not only because I fancy the idea of living in Eastern Europe but also to distract my partner from her first choice, which was living in central Munich. Choosing to establish one's life in central Munich in 2021 equates to an automatic death sentence whereby to even afford an uncomfortably small, unacceptable apartment and modest lifestyle you must work 60 hours a week until you are 135 years old*

I have thought of the multiple properties route potentially, but due to potential family concerns/growth that wouldn't work until maybe 5 years into the future.

P.S.- I chuckled at the "barnful of Ferraris" comment but actually I am morally against both Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

*because it's so bloody overpriced that you even have to continue working after death, your corpse grudgingly toiling beyond the grave to pay off your inflated mortgage or debts. Yes the architecture is pretty and squeaky-clean but there are lovely corners of/buildings in Sofia too.

EVTRA wrote:

the run for the west ended with plandemic reset.
Lots of Bulgarian expats lost their jobs or seen the perspectives to shrink.
So they are moving back...usually not in the villages as they still have working years ahead or small children and so they move to Sofia thinking as a better opportunity. Then the internal migration from villages and smaller cities.

There are only two towns growing in Bulgaria..one is Sofia and the other is Kardjali. Very different reasons,different demographic but yet the rest of the country is depopulating...to Sofia....not much abroad.

There is an actual shortage of dwelling in Sofia and building is generally justified.
in other hand, the rest you see in the country are just bubbles. Large numbers of unsold, unfinished projects...yet new concrete is poured powered by easy credit and money laundering and previous years funds from programs etc. Of course all this will end sooner than later even if Boyko and mafia are all salivating at green scam revolution funds.

Great insights, thanks for the comments!