Its all very well doing the research on the internet but sometimes, as in my case, you fall in love with something, somewhere completely different. I was wondering what made some people fall in love with their property. I thought that I had found a property that ticked all the boxes on the internet but fell in love with the first house the agent took me to. It was big, arranged in two parts which we thought good for family visits. It also had brilliant barns suitable for animals and wood storage. and a huge basement suitable for a 'boy's room'! It was also liveable while we restored some better plumbing and heating. I have never regretted the house or the village. Couldn't believe I could actually afford it! The one I saw on the internet was not right at all on viewing and I thank the agent who took me to other houses to give a comparison. Keep an open mind when viewing and it might be a revelation.

my first house i fell in love with on the internet and bought without viewing. Seven years later I still love everything about it. The one im moving to i bought for more practical reasons, better location, bigger, more appropriate for buisness etc. its very nice and i'm sure when weve done all the work needed, it will be a great buisness and home. However I do not love it the way I do my other house so in a way I'm disappointed because if i had researched better i probably wouldnt have bought the house of my dreams in a place that is only practical for holidays and I might have ended up with one great house rather than two at opposite ends of the country.

Like you oldun the house I bought ticked all the boxes but for me is was the quietness of the village and the people in the village that was important, Before I bought the house I lived in the countryside with only one neighbour so I wasn't use to living close to a lot of people and the house I bought was at the end of the village all alone which was perfect, in addition to that the house was only 7 years old and very modern with an internal staircase a bathroom and shower which again was another bonus. If I am to be honest there was so many things that attracted me to this particular house but over all it was the local community who were almost like family .

The house I first wanted to buy was a 3 bedroom place in a small village. Nicely maintained needed to have a bathroom tiled etc but that apart it was ready to live in. As soon as the seller realised we were Brits the price went up. We agreed to the first increase but no more after that, so the property fell through. The one we eventually bought is very nice as well but needed a lot doing to it. We are finally at the end of the renovation road and have put our own stamp on it. The village is nice and the people are wonderful. Had a few problems along the way but reached the goal posts eventually. Should have taken more time looking and maybe should have rented somewhere first. But hey ho we did what we did and we are happy

For us the location was he most important - Wanted to be reasonably close to the coast, mainly so that we could have many fun packed days there, throughout summer, with our son. It had to be an easy journey so we could just spend the day there, also wanted to be close to Burgas for the airport, shopping,restaurants etc. The village had to be nice - well presented - If we consider the amount of time we spent looking (not a lot) we have ended up with exactly what we wanted.

My first impression of the village was that it was a bit on the quiet side for me - but my husband just fell in love with it straightaway, after some discussion we agreed that it was the best presented village we had been to, we had always agreed that we would try a year and then see. My brother had been in Bulgaria for 3 years by then so we did had some good help from him and his BG friends.

The house we live in now is not the one we first bought - we came across this after a month of living here (in a caravan with an under 2 year old....not good) a bit closer to the centre - and my mum had bought a house "
3 doors down"
from it already - so we were a bit closer to her as well. If you are buying a finished house then the interior is important - we just wanted a shell to do with as we pleased.

For me the house did really not matter ....but the location did.

Those are interesting replies. I admit that I was probably easy to please after my life in Greece. Having lived in a very primitive house in Greece, albeit with land and wonderful sea views and sunsets. Also, having worked for years in tourism, any place with peace and quiet away from the coastal resorts would have suited me. Now I know how villages can vary in just about every way, I realise how lucky I was in my choice of village. We have a real sense of Community and I know just about everyone who lives here (about 300 people.) I was aware it was a good idea to be spitting distance from a big town and no more than 25kms away from Veliko Turnovo.
However, it was still the house itself which caught my attention. I hadn't liked the look of it on paper. The front is more modern than the back part which is wattle and daub, and I thought it lacked charm, but once inside the front door it was a transformation. We went through this part onto a small balcony overlooking some fruit trees and then looked into a huge loft space. Down the stairs to this big basement full of preserves which many Brits make into a kitchen but I immediately wanted it as a storeroom or 'boy's'room' just as the Bulgarians had it. There was a sink down there where it seemed the men used to shave. Then we went into the back part which had more room to live in than I had in Greece, plus a bathroom with a big boiler which had been converted from wood burning to electric for the shower, Also a sink and toilet. Luxury for me who had only had a very basic outside bathroom in Greece and for a few years used a chemical bucket!!! Now you will realise how easily I took to our Bulgarian life. There was also an old but working petchka and fridge and an indoor stone sink hidden behind wooden doors. This is the part we lived in for our first winter and absolutely loved everything.
Now we have gone soft and have woodburning central heating and a bigger kitchen and a basic re-vamp. I still remember that first winter though when we had our first taste of -20 temperatures.
I also loved the working barns and the veg garden and field. I had plans for a pool but realised that I wouldn't use it much. Although swimming was my sport, I am way past all that training I used to do and I really think it was a wise decision. We grow corn, potatoes and squash in it instead.
It also worked out that we had weekend Bulgarian neighbours who keep the adjoining garden pristine. In fact they were worried we wouldn't cultivate our field!
So there you are - you can tell I am still in love with our house, but guess what? Its now for sale because I have fallen in love again with a smaller house which is better now I am getting on a bit!!!!! Photos in the gallery I think. It will be a sad day when we leave but I'm not leaving the village. Put down too many roots

tonyb60 wrote:

Should have taken more time looking and maybe should have rented somewhere first.

We were quite fortunate whilst searching for our perfect house as we were in a rented apartment for three years in Sofia, which gave us plenty of opportunity to look around various places and properties.

For us, it was a very specific 'wish list' for both the property and the location, if any of the boxes didn't get ticked, we didn't buy it, no matter how much we liked it ...

Property: must be at least three bedrooms, must have bags of character (we lived in France for 15 years prior to moving to Bulgaria and have always owned old character houses), good views, detached, enclosed grounds (for the dog), easily maintainable, good neighbours.

Location: We wanted to be in a market town with a river, yet close to forests and parks. However, we decided the town had to have ... shops, bars, restaurants, bus station (daily buses to Sofia and the Coast a must), post office, doctors, chemists, hospital, police station, broadband internet, cable TV, open air markets, and ... dustbin men!

We eventually found a 'monument of culture' (listed building in Bulgaria) in the 'old quarter' of the fabulous mountain town of Kotel. Not only did it tick all our boxes on the house itself, but also the town. Whilst we have good views, peace &
quiet and the river and forests only a few minutes away, we are also less than two minutes stroll to the town centre with bars, restaurants, hotels, museums, etc.

Unfortunately, due to work commitments (which in this day and age are quite important), our lovely home is now for sale.

If anybody is looking for a lovely piece of Bulgarian history in a fabulous mountain market town, further details can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=76&
t=1144

your place sounds terrific Chris but I am afraid you will be waiting a long time to sell. I have had an interesting email from our agent. He apologised for lack of interest in our property but said people are STILL sacrificing location in order to buy 10,000euro houses. This is what I suspected and there was nothing at that price in our village 7 years ago! I find it hard to believe that people sacrifice location not realising what this can mean in Bulgaria besides lack of views. Anyone reading forums, which so many do, must have read about thieving and general neglect re rubbish etc and would surely not want to live in these places. In fact, I can't remember who it was, but a forum member recently thought it a good idea to mention some places to avoid. I know this would be a hot potato for anyone living there or wishing to sell, but it proves that it definitely is not wise to compromise on location.
There are some great bargains around for fully renovated houses which Brits have to sell for one reason or another (see Fletch's topic PRICES) but not for 10,000euros. I have actually just decided to ask our agent to get viewings saying that offers would be negotiable just to see if this generates any interest.
This is going off topic a bit, but it does sort of answer the question about 'WHAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR HOUSE'? Maybe because it was CHEAP!

We went to look at a house with someone once about 3 years ago - They had not bought it at the time. I advised them time and time again not to buy it as was not a good village and I also explained why. However it was 4k Euros cheaper than the other property they also liked, which was in a much better location - both needed about the same amount spent on renovation.

Unfortunately they were swayed by the 4k Euros cheaper and bought it - This person has been burgled 5 times now. It has cost her a lot more than the 4k Euros she saved on the purchase price.

To some only the purchase price is important.

Definatly location was first priority, and then the fact that it was already renovated, we didn't want to spend months maybe years living on a building site along with the hasssle of trying to get things done.
Thirdly it had to fall within our 40,000 euro budget which it did.

Our first house that we bought we had no choice, there were no agents as such 15 years ago, but we were so lucky that we bought one through a friend who had this family house and they sold it to us, 7kms from the sea in a great village with everything that you need, 20mins from Burgas. The second house that we bought about 5 years ago is about 20mins drive from where we are now at the top of the mountain behind our house with the most stunning views up the coast and on a clear day you can see Varna, I always loved this house and when it came up for sale we decided that we would buy it, we spent a lot of weekends at this house, but found that when we finish work during the summer months we just dont have time to go there enough to look after the garden etc,so we put it up for sale about 1 year ago. we put it up for about 10,000euros more than we paid for it due to the work that had been done, we had the whole house re rendered and insulated so in fact we would have made very little profit from the sale,we dropped the price to what we paid for it but still no interest. Prices in our area have never been cheap due to the location but it seems the only people that are interested in looking for houses are still looking for the good locations but prices that are being asked in villages that have died in isolated and remote parts of the country. Yes you can buy a house for the price of a new car, but it has its reasons why its so cheap, but unfortunatly people dont think of this when they buy. It can take you hours to travel 100kms due to the roads etc, and people do not believe what people say about a village etc, you dont find out until you have bought or lived here for sometime. If anyone is interested in buying a nice house with great views only 40mins from Burgas airport let me know

Borntolaze bought a good house for a good price but I notice it was in the 40,000euro range which is what you would expect to pay for a renovated house. Everything Fletch says is so true and I cannot understand the reason for only wanting to pay 10,000euro house. Why? There are reasons its so cheap and very good ones which has been said. They are the houses owned outright by villagers and the house will be so basic that it will cost all those extra euros to make it habitable even for holidays. If bought for investment, it might fall down before a resale because it will be years before that kind of market comes back. Its so much better to go that extra mile and pay a bit more for a nice, habitable home which you can live in straightaway in a nice area. If you have only got 10,000euros I would suggest that its a waste of money buying in Bulgaria. Keep it for cash flow.
I was hoping more people would say they actually fell in love with their property for a home rather than just for the price.

I am totally in love with the house that we are selling, but we just dont get the time to spend in it due to work, as I have always said I will not retire in Bulgaria. I also hoped we would move to the house we are selling but when you have been driving the amount of hours that we do etc through the summer season the thought of another 20mins stops us. It is in a much nicer village than ours, and has fantastic views I just love it. But a house needs to be lived in and loved although we do look after the vines etc and the garden It really is to much with work. So sadly its up for sale but whether it will ever sell I have no idea, I just hope someone will come along and love it as much as I do :Very sad:Have to also say the village has never had a break in as far as I am aware.

If you are buying a house to renovate then the only important factor, in my opinion, is location....followed by cost and potential. I also think that when you buy this ramshackle house to renovate that you should have a budget readily available to do some work on it straightaway ie. Roof, windows and any stuctural repairs, done to weather proof and secure the property. Anything else can be done over the following years. If you are fifty something and plan to retire in Bulgaria it is a good way to start the process, buying now may even turn out to be a good investment. Leave it sat there, untouched, for a few years and you will most likely come back one day to a pile of bricks.

I am just under 1 hour inland from Burgas. The village is small, tidy, trouble free and is a nice community (only thing, during the week only the older ones are here) - The house next door to me is for sale at 3k Euros (not mine)- Needs complete renovation - which would be cheap as it is small. The "
property"
and land would cost a lot more closer to the coast. The money you would save purchasing a bit further away from the coast would certainly cover the cost of the extra 30 minutes or so traveling, required to get to the coast and the airport. Maybe that is why so many go for cheaper houses a bit further inland.

We bought the first house we saw! I went out to Bulgaria with my daughter and daughter-in-law for a scout around, and met up with
agents as arranged. They were great, asked us what we were looking for, and took us around various properties. No time wasted on "
crap"
as they
put it!! Very refreshing.
I came out one month later with my husband and we bought the house. Fully renovated, as we initially wanted it just for holidays.
The house was great, quietish area yet not too far from town, and fantastic unspoilt views.
The only problem was the "
garden"
. Not been touched for years, it needed some tlc.
So we are in the process of moving out permanently (only 3 days to go!) and are going to try our hand at semi self sufficiency.
Never regretted buying the house for one second.
Although we probably bought at the more expensive time, it doesn't really matter as we don't plan to move. It wasn't bought as an investment, just
for family and friends to use.
Can't wait!