I am trying to find out what people, of any nationality, look for when buying property in Bulgaria. I ask because we have just started seriously trying to sell one of our two properties. I love both and really only bought the second because I fell in love with it and there is so little interest from banks.
However, I am absolutely drained of my energy showing people around ( we have had some private viewings) and I cannot get to the bottom of what people look for. I love my present home and the second renovated home which we were going to move into, but since I love both (bought from my heart) I am letting a buyer decide which one will go! Yes, I know this may not seem a professional way to go about things but I guess I was hoping that there was someone out there who would fall in love like me!
The village is beautiful with a river and streams, mountain views, accessability, no probs with services etc and a safe, friendly place to live. Very near the big towns of Veliko Turnovo, Gorna Oryhavitsa and Elena. Post office, a few small bars and shops and a bus service. What more could anyone want?
I keep thinking 'was I the only person who fell in love with my village and house? ' I have been to several other villages and none compare with the beauty of ours. So, given that the VT is the area of choice ( and not somewhere near the coast) what is going wrong? I know that I could sell tomorrow at the 10,000euro price range but would you seriously expect to find fully working BIG houses in a safe and beautiful village at that price? Get real. Yes there are loads of cheap properties on the internet because I've checked, and the pictures look very pretty BUT you get what you pay for and I would suggest that properties which we are offering in the negotiable region of 40,000euros are a much better bargain, needing no other renovation except some manageable DIY as you go along to make it your own.
I am sure there must be many many folks out there asking the same questions and I have tried another thread asking why did you choose your house? in order to find out the answers. Nothing much came out of that question, so I guess its just down to money. But 40,000euros is very cheap for a big liveable house and if you can't afford that don't bother to waste all our time viewing.
Yes, I have just wasted a lot of time and energy today showing my beautiful home to some people who arrived with friends and I am very tired. Not because they probably won't buy, they maybe just going to put in an offer, but because I am depressed they rushed once up the main village street and back and didn't stay for the hospitality I was planning to give them or walk around the village to see what else was on offer. Maybe I am just too romantic and sensitive for this property game which I never intended to play. I just fell in love with two houses. Silly me!!!

I understand how you feel oldun. We had similar problems in the UK nice little house got no one round then bang it sold. But on exchange of contracts it all fell apart. But luckily for us the one we were buying was in a string of house all being sold by the same estate agent so they gave us an interest free bridging loan. Never been known in our area. But then because it was in their interest to sell it, we were seeing people in the front door as we were saying goodbye to people out the back door. Took 2 days to re-sell. But as to what people look for is quite simple, they all want something for nothing as it is a buyers market. Stay calm be patient and it will sell eventually. Just don't be too eager.



Tony

Sorry your having problems, unfortunately I think there are a lot of people looking for cheap and even more sightseeing. Your in a fabulous location though and the summer season is starting so fingers crossed you'll have a sale soon.

Sorry you are having problems with your sale Oldun - suffice it to say that most people appear to be looking for a cheap property regardless of the work that may need doing to it. Of course research proves that only 30% of people have the knowledge or ability to do DIY and so the probability of the property being in a fit and healthy condition after a period of time is remote, unless good outside help or contractors are drawn in to get things done. I have just had a look on Ebay for properties in Bulgaria and the houses for sale leave a lot to be desired. Scant details of some leave a lot to the imagination of what they look like in real life. But on the whole the prices are miniscule compared with a $40,000 price tag. Good luck with your sale.

I know how you feel, we have a house that I love thats why we bought it, nice village, bus , services, bar etc etc, views up the coast as far as Varna, and looking down on the resort of Obzor, but it seems no one wants to buy it, it stands in a plot of 1,500sqmts with 140 established vines which are looked after by us, we just dont have the time to look after the garden etc as its 20mins from where we live now. So yes I do know how you feel.

Thanks all of you for your commiserations and understanding. I was thinking of your place Fletch while writing and you must feel the same as me. Perhaps people think that Brits asking prices are too high but that is definitely not the case with us. You all obviously know how much time, effort and money is involved in renovating even if you DIY. However, its no good going down that route so I will shut up now. I am feeling better now. I am not desperate to sell so its not a problem but its a lot of land to keep looking nice and I can't bear to let it go.
I was just fed up that the viewing was such a rush and the people hadn't told me they were bringing friends who were extremely miserable by the way, or that they were on the way to family in Gabrovo and Plovdiv. No, they didn't have to tell us that, but we had become internet friends over the months and was so looling forward to meeting for a chat whether or not they would buy. Having said all this, these people were educated Bulgarians living in Portugal. Both were language professors in Lisbon University!

Although I don't yet own a property in Bulgaria I think its typical Brit mentality they want something for nothing its the culture I'm afraid but as you quite rightly say no one ever thinks of all the hard work that has gone into renovation and they seem to think they can but a property for very little and then spend very little to get it up to scratch but we all know that this isn't the case its only false economy and in the long run they will live to regret it so in answer to the original question "
What do people want? "
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING!!!

I would like to add to what Scott has posted and say that when the cheap property hunters are looking round and think they have found their dream ? its only a house not a HOME

Daisy I think you are right. People seem to think only of investment and not as a home and a future life. The investment game is not happening at the moment even if you buy very cheaply. That cheap house will probably fall down before the market picks up. I am sure it will eventually, but definitely not in the near future. There are a couple of properties in our village sold a few years ago and no-one has been near them. One has completely fallen down and the other just a shell too far gone to renovate. Even the land has no views so that would never be easy to sell and I think it must have been sold unseen except for a pic on the internet.
As for our Bulgarians.... They were not villagers and as far as I could tell in conversation, the only connection was from a childhood with grandparents who left their house to a cousin! Therefore, on reflection, I think they might have been looking at village houses through 'townies'' eyes like many Brits. Checking out every crack in the plaster etc. and thinking the price too high! I think the lady had been romanticising while living in their Lisbon apartment as many do, and the reality of village housing was a bit of a shock! Well I'm off to sit in our lovely garden under the apricot tree and read my book. I must be mad to think of selling it to some ungrateful people of any nationality who will be knocking on our door asking why this and that doesn't work. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I think that you are spot on they want to still be able to buy at prices 5 years ago, yes you can but the house will only be a shed, inland you can pick up some very cheap houses, but if you want to be near the coast or with a sea view you now have to pay a higher price. The road up to the village that we are selling in is on the old Burgas to Varna road, an right at the top of the mountain which is why has the most stunning views, the road is potholed and people have said but the road is full of pot holes, I wont go down the road of potholed roads, lol I have yet to know the old Burgas to Varna road close due to bad weather, the new one does due to the amount of ice it gets on, which makes the village accessable all year round, but people seem to want perfect roads and a good house with stunning views of the coast line and the surrounding countryside for nothing. we are selling at what we paid for it, we have spent over 20,000lv on insulating the walls and rerendering also doing the work inside to put an inside staircase in. But people seem to think that we must have bought the property for pence and are trying to make a killing now we are selling on.

I so agree Fletch. There are people looking to buy but still no-one seems to listen to any advice given on forums. I have been to many villages around VT with the choir and I can safely say that I would not trade our village for any of them. Although ours is a small village it is so pretty and has no busy main road passing through it. Accessible all year round. I recently saw a wonderful British renovated house (you can always tell a British house!) but its position had nothing to recommend it and was surrounded by a high wall and the village left a lot to be desired. Although large, there were no more shops and bars than our village. Maybe its true what our agent said, that people are sacrificing location for price. I thought it was written in stone -'location, location, location' so why is this ignored in Bulgaria? I am at a loss to understand why Fletch's house hasn't sold and I have another friend fairly near the sea who is having the same problem. Anywhere in the world a property in or near a coastal resort has a higher price and Fletch is not asking a lot. I know she has dropped the price, but it is not 10,000euros - the magic figure!!!
Personally, I would not insult the seller by putting in some ridiculously low offer.
I notice we haven't had any replies from prospective buyers. Maybe they have been frightened off.

I have to say that I am mystified by what people do want, when we first came to Bulgaria we bought our first house in a village 7kms from Sunny Beach by a large lake, this house needed a lot of work to it as at the time 15years ago there were no houses for sale as such, so we were very lucky to have got the house we did in a great location. we made the decision to move to another in the village about 5 years ago, as the first one was just not worth renovationg. As we work the long hours we do we decided to pull the old house down have an engineer split the land into 2 plots, had architects draw up plans for a new house, and have made the full project so we could sell this on, again no interest the price is 10,000 pounds, for both plots and everything, to me its worth this as the hardest part has been done also a very expensive part, all anyone has to do is build a house as its all been pegged out, there is water, electric even telephone wires to the house.. So the buyer can either keep all the land or sell on one plot.

My goodness - that sounds a bargain. Actually, a while ago I considered moving down south and thought about your house. However, I can't tear myself away from all the Bulgarian friends we have made locally! This is why I consider Bulgaria as my home and not just a house to sell. You have lived here for so many years and been a real pioneer with a successful business behind you. I can understand you being more at a loss than me as to what people are looking for. I guess the agents are better sales people than we give them credit for.

I have just had some refreshing news. A very nice Bulgarian couple came to view recently who live and work in Lisbon now. They are looking to return to Bulgaria for their retirement. It was a quick viewing which was disappointing but they have emailed that we have a very nice home and its at a very good price. Unfortunately it is too big for them because they are not retiring for another 5 years and they were concerned that it was a lot for them to look after when they can only visit a couple of times a year. They wished us well with the sale because they appreciated the improvements we have made.
How nice to get some feedback and how polite they were. So different from the average British buyer. It has really cheered me up because I never expect a reply nowadays nevermind a sale.
In view of their remarks I think its best to keep the money tied up in the property rather than take a loss to just put it in the bank. We have enough to get by so I am lucky and the strimmer (and my man) will just have to work harder to keep the land under control.

After re-reading my above comment, I think it must be absolutely true that most people looking to buy in Bulgaria want something for nothing and 90% buy only for investment and not a home.
In our village we have some very enterprising young Bulgarians who have been busy clearing houses and land that they have presumably bought for a song. You wouldn't believe how basically good they look with the clearance and you might be lucky and pay 10,000euros for one. I have noticed that they all have wonderful views so the Bulgarians seem to have learned a lot about what Brits look for. I admire them because these guys are not agents and have little money or paid work.