I was just wondering where and why people bought their property in central Bulgaria. It seems to me (but I could be wrong!) that north of Veliko Turnovo is very popular around Polski Trambesh and Resen for example. Whereas the beautiful area south of VT on the way on the main road to Elena through Dragezhevo where the campsite is, Merdanya, new Bulgarian restaurant opened, and Mindya. Then there is the village road running through Kapinovo, Tserova Korya, pchtlishte and Prisovo. The countryside is wonderful and the Stara Planina give a glorious panoramic backdrop to all. The weather is often better than in VT as the area is protected by these mountains and access year round is not a problem. Also safe and no problems with utilities.
I rarely see agents driving clients around so I have presumed that, although there are good properties for sale, the buyers are not interested. Any thoughts on this, or did you consider the area but bought elsewhere or were the prices too high reflecting the above points?
By the way I am not an agent or a seller.

We lived in an apartment in Sofia for three years whilst searching for our ideal property.

We looked at many places and decides we wanted a town/village of cultural significance with historical buildings.

We wanted wonderful surroundings yet all facilities on the doorstep (hospital, shops, bars, restaurants, bus station, etc.)d but within 1.5 hours of an international airport and the coast.

We also wanted to buy a 'historical' listed building to renovate.

Enclosed gardens (for our dog), easy access to parks and forests (for walking the dog), great neighbours and no traffic!

It was a very tight specification, but we found our ideal town (the market town of Kotel, between Yambol and Veliko Turnovo) and the perfect property (a listed building in the ancient quarter ... two minutes from town, two minutes form the parks and mountains)

This is what I mean Chris. You had your list of requirements and waited until you found it in beautiful Kotel. I don't know if you have sold your place yet and if you haven't, someone is missing out on a great deal. It seems to me, having read forums over the years, that price is the only factor influencing choice. This is really the worst reason for buying (only my opinion) and if you can't afford a property in a nicer area then maybe it would be better not to buy at all. 'Buy in haste, repent at leisure' as the saying goes. You can make a house more beautiful but you can do nothing about a village if its not in a nice area etc. People still seem to be buying in the low price range (under 10,000euros) thinking that everything else is overpriced. This is patently not true. Looking at property websites, I am staggered at the range and choice of fully renovated properties in better areas which seem to sit on the books forever. Also, reading forums over time, people are buying, but not these more desirable properties in a more desireable area. Or maybe the agents don't give them a chance to look around more in the village.

Prices south of VT tend to have higher prices, you can get more property for your money further north. That's what I have found. Location location!

It was a little different for me, my other half is Bulgarian so we went to live in his house near Karlovo. After renovation, we wanted a slightly bigger house, especially as we were having a baby. We were very lucky to find a piece of agricultural land that we changed status off before the clamp downs. We built our own house and this is where we are now. Our village is quite big and lovely and we are not far from Karlovo. Luckily, I started to love the area, (after about 5 days, it wasn't instant), but it was also my first visit to Bulgaria, so I was lucky that the region was so beautiful. I love our region. There are not a lot of expats that either live here full time or have holiday homes, mainly because prices are higher and prices didn't drop much either!

So from what you say Charliechech prices do reflect the area so location is important everywhere and carries a higher price tag. I guess if you sacrifice location for price that's a personal choice but everywhere good location costs more and what is the point of falling in love with a house ignoring the village, its inhabitants, isolation or any of the other things that it might have a problem with. These things only becoming apparent over time when its possibly too late to move on unless you have the finances and the energy to start all over again. Forums are so useful for giving an overall view from many posters who may have had a lot of experience of Bulgaria, but if people choose to ignore these opinions on their own head be it. Forgot to add that prices have not dropped in our village either.
By the way, Charliechech bravo for all your efforts on behalf of Bulgaria's disadvantaged orphans.

In my case I changed my mind about buying a cheap village house for renovation into a holiday home. This was because I heard about people with the same idea who did the modernisation work only to find their new kitchen, bathroom, windows etc had been ripped out and stolen next time they returned from UK. I had already started the process of creating a company in Bulgaria so I decided to just buy a building plot, as it could still prove a worthwhile investment and would be a potential place to retire if I live long enough to get a pension. Like many Brits I chose the VT area but soon got wise to the outrageous claims of the estate agents. Places they claim to be near VT are as much as 70Km away! Villages very close to VT are quite expensive so I chose Nikiup, which is about 24km out. It is also handy for the Roman site of Nicopolis ad Istrum (well worth a visit if you have not been).