禁漫天堂

have heard it be useful for many people so far. i would just make sure the agents offering the pay monthly service is reputable.

Hi Jessica! As Martin says, the main thing is to choose a reputable company. If you share who you are looking to buy from, forum members might be able to comment on their experience with the seller.

I bought our house on pay monthly with Bulgaria Direct, so I can only comment on their process. Other sellers might do things differently.

It's not a mortgage, more a rent to buy scheme. They own the properties they sell, so they are the seller, not an agent. Mowlem, another long-established seller, works the same. The buyer gets the right to use the property but doesn't actually own it until the payment is made in full. There's no interest, because it's not a loan, but the asking price may be a little more than actual market value to cover admin fees.

When the deposit is paid, that starts the process and you're committed to buy. They'll ask for things like your passport information, UK address, etc, so they can prepare the contract, which will be posted to you. It's in both English and Bulgarian, and seemed legally correct to me. Obviously it's under Bulgarian law, not UK law. If you're happy with the contract, you sign it and send it back.

One thing to be very aware of that's stated in the contract is that if you fail to make the monthly payments, all rights to the property revert to them and the buyer loses whatever they've already paid. Only start a pay-monthly purchase if you are sure you'll be able to continue making the payments.

Any time after the contract is done, you can get the keys and start using the house, including renovating it. Unless you're very experienced with Bulgarian village houses or buy a more expensive fully renovated property, chances are it will be in worse condition than expected and need more work than you thought it would, so be ready for that. I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong! I love my house and have no regrets, but I did cry my first night here when I discovered the amount of fixing-up the old place needed. You also take full responsibility for all bills associated with the house from the date of contract, things like council tax, electricity, water.聽 They sent invoices for these.

Once the house is paid off in full, they'll arrange the legal transfer of ownership. This happens at the local notary's office in Bulgaria. Unless you have EU citizenship, you need a Bulgarian company set up and the company buys the property, as non-EU citizens can't own land. Bulgaria Direct helped with that. There was a fee for this, which was clearly stated in the documents sent with the contract.

I found Bulgaria Direct excellent to deal with. There were no hidden fees, no dodginess. The only issue was the misunderstanding about one aspect of the house condition.

I would suggest if you haven't been to Bulgaria before, come and have a look first. It's very different to the UK and Western European countries. People tend to either love it or hate it.

I hope that helps and good luck with your Bulgarian adventure!

Thank you so much for your replies. I have been looking at Bulgaria Direct all of there properties are reserved online so I will have to just wait and keep looking. What areas would you recommend? We plan on coming over for a week in August so don鈥檛 have a lot of time to decide.

@jessicamclaughlin25

im currently in bulgaria now, booked a 5 day trip to varna, and i would honestly say its not something you can rush. Many locations in BG offer different lifestyles. Im really enjoying my time in BG but im super excited to visit other places too.

@jessicamclaughlin25

They're pretty helpful, if you drop them a note / give them a call, they'll probably tell you which ones aren't reserved, and whether they've got anything interesting coming up.

Mowlem (on RightMove Bulgaria) also has many pay-monthlies (mostly north, Ruse way), maybe have a peek at what he's got available?

@jessicamclaughlin25

Ateas depend on what you want really. I would visit several. We knew we wanted to be further north so we took estate agents visits from west to east.聽 We are more than happy with our choice and are loving it here. Only slight down side is loose dogs and strays in other villages.

@Martin Adams

Hello

I鈥檓 new to the forum , I live in a village northe east Bulgaria - how is your trip

going ? Weather is very hot this week ! Plenty sunscreen needed 鈽�锔忊榾锔�

Jessica, if you are seriously looking for somewhere, it's worth contacting Bulgaria Direct via email. They may have other properties soon to go on sale. Their properties do get reserved very fast, but they are always getting something else ready to market. Or sometimes people pay the deposit then realise they can't afford it or their partner doesn't want a house in Bulgaria or whatever, so previously advertised properties become available again.

If you haven't been to Bulgaria before I would definitely recommend making that trip here first. Which region really depends what you want and what your budget is. Think about whether you want near the coast, near mountains, near a city, or way out in a rural village. Then look on Rightmove or similar to get an idea of prices. The more popular areas like on the coast, in the mountains, or near a major city are likely to be much higher priced, while somewhere an hour's drive from the sea or near a smaller regional city could be more affordable. The other factor is whether you want a place where there's already an existing expat community.

One thing to think about, as well, is whether you want somewhere for a holiday home or you hope to move to Bulgaria. If you just want somewhere for holiday visits, an apartment is a lot less work. And if you want somewhere to make a permanent home and you don't have EU citizenship, you need to consider how you'll get a D visa, the first step to a residency permit.

But first, just come for a holiday and enjoy being here!

Bg.house is another that have pay monthly houses around popovo area

@Gillespielesa

Hey! Trip was great thankyou, Spent alot of time with one of the members of the forum and he was super welcoming showed me lots of amazing places etc too. I will be coming back in the next 6-8 weeks i think in more central BG locations.

Hi guys we are looking to buy a a property in Bulgaria through Bulgaria direct but they are asking for a deposit which is a couple of grand before we can sign the contract is this normal?

@trishnasuthar46

I imagine it's the first instalment plus an amount to cover the notary fees etc?

OK starter for 10

1.聽 聽 The deposit is normally to view the contract to keep timewasters at bay, make sure the money is returnable if you do not wish to continue.

2.聽 聽 Take the contract to a lawyer as I can guarantee its weighted towards the developer, be prepared to pay around 450 Euro and the lawyer will not only examine the contract but also do the searches.

3.聽 聽 When the lawyer comes back you can go back to the developer or agent and argue the toss, but please listen to your lawyer, if asked they may well assist you with this process.

4.聽 聽 I live in Varna for 20 odd years and have dealt with property sales completed and off-plan and please realise a Notary is not on anyone鈥檚 side they just confirm the actual sale took place and contract signed.

5.聽 聽 If you need a Lawyer, drop me a line with your email address and ill give you the name of a good one.

All these points should be taken very seriously and given due diligence at all costs.

Sean

@trishnasuthar46

Be wary of recommendations for lawyers etc unless they're from someone you know/trust: "good" lawyers are hard to come by here and what constitutes a good one may be a matter of opinion or sheer luck (or someone shilling for a mate). I'm not saying that's the case here but I've had more than my fair share of recommendations for what have turned out to be dodgy/incompetent lawyers/notaries/tradesmen/doctors etc.

At the very least, also ask other people if they've come across "X", whether they've had any dealings with them and what their opinions are. And don't forget that problems can come out of the woodwork years later, so try to double check everything yourself - there's basically no comeback if someone screws up or deliberately screws you over...

Very true and of course you have to find a good one as thats speaks for itself however that not easy and thus you have really only have recommendation as a guide.

However, there is no way checking yourself will be of any good unless you are a competent Bulgarian

Lawyer. Its not only the contract, especially in off plan as the various ownership and Acts need to be checked.

Have a little faith not all Bulgarians are rogues鈥� , I wish you good fortune with your choice but at all times " Caveat Emptor".

Sean (Varna)

PS Have a look at my site [link under review] - history enthusiast

Thanks guys

@seancolson

"Checking yourself" is ALWAYS a good idea - even the best of lawyers can make a mistake (especially since a lot of copy-and-paste goes into contracts); skitsas can be incorrect or don't include everything that you think you're buying; addresses can differ between the records held at the municipality and the Cadaster (and sometimes between different departments of the same municipality - don't ask me how I know that...馃檨).聽

When you sign that Notary Act (in Bulgarian) you are signifying your agreement to everything that's in it; if anything is wrong with it, you'll usually have to persuade the original seller(s) to come to the notary's office to sign a new one.聽 That's assuming that you can find them and that they are able, and willing, to do so.聽 Translating a contract is easy in these days of Google Translate and/or AI translators, and could save you a lot of money and stress. If you can afford to lose the money and/or property then by all means just hope for the best, otherwise do whatever you need to to try to cover your backside..

Good advice , but as one can see by your last note its complicated for a mere mortal, let alone a BRIT so take GOOD advice at all times!聽

Cheers

Sean

@trishnasuthar46

BulgariaDirect are a popular company with Brits, especially as they have a lot of pay-monthlies. Their properties usually go quickly, and, yes, if you want it you need to pay a deposit to reserve it. It's standard, not something to worry about. But if you're not sure you want the property, then don't reserve it/pay a deposit. They will happily show you their properties if you want to view in person before deciding, but many folks do buy sight unseen.

They (typically) sell fairly rustic properties in smaller Bulgarian villages. They're good at finding stuff that Brits like which is a solid house with good bones, with a nice little plot of land, sitting in a decent village... with easy monthly payments, so you can stretch yourself to a slightly better house. But most will need a fair amount of renovation/updating.

If it's pay-monthly, then it's a contract with you and BulgariaDirect, not a notary transfer of the property (by Notary Act). They do the Notary Act / official transfer when you've made full payment (I'm assuming you're looking at the pay-monthlies).

In my opinion, it's always wise to remember the principle of 'caveat emptor'. With over 30 years of experience in Eastern Europe, I can assure you that regardless of what the contract states, it's essential to review every detail thoroughly. I highly recommend having it examined by a reliable independent lawyer鈥攏ot the notary and you'll be grateful you did!聽

Dont just sign .... think !

@gwynj hi Gwynj thank you for that say we took the risk and gave the deposit聽 first. Everything has gone smoothly so far waiting for the contract via post and yes we did the monthly payments with them not seen the properly in person yet but previous was an expat builder and renovation look like their at high standard so fingers crossed we don鈥檛 have to much to do 馃榾