Why Bulgaria?
Bulgaria is located in South Eastern Europe, situated in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula.
Bulgaria boasts an old and rich history. Many of the world’s greatest cultures have inhabited this beautiful country, leaving behind a veritable treasure trove of untold historical riches. A number of the monuments in Bulgaria are under the protection of the UNESCO world heritage list.
Bulgaria has 3 national and 11 natural parks and a number of reserves and natural landmarks.
It’s picturesque scenery is breathtaking all year round. From the stunning 220km of golden beaches and world famous Black sea to the rolling mountains that are home to world class skiing resorts, Bulgaria has everything for everyone.
Our area is steadily becoming a tourist destination and property prices are increasing rapidly with many overseas investors entering the market because of it’s high growth potential.
Bulgaria has everything or everyone.
Why Buy in Bulgaria?
Bulgaria’s growing property market has experienced yet another record breaking year of investment. Bulgaria is now one of the principal growth property markets in Europe. At a time when most countries are seeing the growth of the past few years ebbing away, Bulgaria expects this year to bring a 28 per cent increase on the number of homes sold last year from 196,000 to 250,000 properties.
Bulgaria is the last opportunity in Europe (along with Romania) to get into thoroughly undervalued property with clear and present potential as a result of EU membership. Large funding from Brussels is destined to raise the average salary, standard of living and valuation of property.
There are two main reasons why people are interested in Bulgaria as a destination to purchase property.
- Quality of life
- An almost unrivalled Investment Opportunity
Of course, these two need not be exclusive, indeed, nor should they.
Bulgaria has a wealth of character, culture and history, yet at the moment most people are interested in this stunning country simply because they wish to make money. We honestly believe that Bulgaria currently offers one of the finest investment opportunities in recent years.
Bulgaria is a country that not only has weather comparable to Spain and other top holiday destinations, but also property prices that are less than a quarter of their Spanish counterparts.
Over 150 days of sunshine per year, with average summer temperatures of 26 0C (70 0F) and occasionally climbing to a sizzling 35 0C (95 0F)
Flights are only three to three and a half hours from the UK & Ireland.
Low cost airlines are entering the market and the number of direct flights is increasing.
Bulgaria is the fastest growing holiday destination in the world. Thompson Holidays, First Choice and Going Places all said Bulgaria was in their top most popular package holiday. More than 3.5 million tourists visited the country in 2003 – an 18 per growth on the previous year. In 2003, 159,000 British Tourists visited Bulgaria, in 2004 the figure was in excess of 250,000 and this year over 300,000 British tourists are expected.
Holiday watchdog, The Association of British Tourists (ABTA) cites Bulgaria as the fastest growing tourist destination in Europe. Bulgaria has become Europe’s most popular new tourist destination and the amount of British tourists travelling to Bulgaria was up 66.3% this year – more than double the expected numbers.
Well developed and constantly improving summer resorts.
The construction Industry in Bulgaria stops all construction work during the peak tourist season (From May to October) so that all tourists are not frustrated/inconvenienced with building work taking place at the same time as they are on holiday. Bulgaria truly believes in looking after the tourist industry in their country and unlike many other countries throughout the World have chosen to take this step.
The currency (Lev) is pegged to the Euro, making it stable and less volatile.
Bulgaria is politically stable, with Government bonds being of investment grade.
Bulgaria is among the lowest cost countries for carrying out business in Europe.
Profitable Rental returns
Property prices are currently some of the cheapest in Europe and last year rose by over 30%. In the last two years property prices have risen by over 50% in some regions and are expected to grow at the same rate as seen in the recent boom in the Spanish market.
With the market looking to show growth of several hundred percent over the next few years, it has been advised by many to hold your units until at least 2009, when you should see a market spike following EU entry.
The most profitable form of investing is buying units in a new, off plan development during the early stages. By buying before the project is complete you will benefit from excellent growth, receive superior build quality and excellent payment terms.
Both in the UK and abroad “Off Plan” investments have seen outstanding results for investors over recent years and this has now become established as the preferred method of purchase for most of our customers.
Highly profitable rental returns are achieved through holiday rentals.
Food & Drink
One of Bulgaria’s foremost strength’s is the abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables and the delicious varied cuisine. It is without doubt the reliance on local produce that ensures Bulgarian meals retain a character and flavour, which has been lost in many of Europe’s fast food societies. Salads are a particular delight and the traditional “Shopska” salad is a must during any stay in the country.
Vegetarians will find that much of the local dishes are in fact vegetarian. From the multitude of salads to traditional stuffed peppers, vegetarians are surprisingly well catered for.
Organic Farming Methods
Here is an example of the wonderful food on offer at Wild Farm in Gorno Pole, Eastern Rhodopes. Organic, rich and all homegrown products. First we have a glass of Betty’s raki. She serves four kinds of racia as it is called here: made of grapes or apples or plums or a red fruit from the forest. Then we taste the starter: shopsca salata of cucumber and tomato covered with white curls of sheep cheese. Main course: chops of calf meat, Rhodopean patatnik (baked potatoes) and lutenitza, a lovely mix of onion, paprika, carrot, tomato and oil. Wine: gourgeous red made by Betty herself with local grapes picked by her cousins. Dessert: savarina, a kind of baklava with hazel-nut.
The Thracian Lowlands Region
The Southern Bulgarian Region has a moderate continental climate with favourable even distribution of precipitation throughout the entire growth period of the vines. The region includes the central parts of the Thracian lowlands and parts of the Sakar Mountains. Most of the red grape varieties are grown here -Mavroud, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Misket, Pamid, as well as some other varieties. The climatic conditions in the region, which is well-sheltered from the strong northerly winds, are conducive to the production of exquisitely rich and easy-to-remember high-quality red wines of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Mavroud varieties. The wine from the indigenous Mavroud variety is highly appreciated as it combines the fragrance and flavour of red berries, spices and herbs.
Cost of Living
The general cost of living remains a fraction of that of many European countries, even in the tourist hotspots. A typical three course meal will generally cost no more than £6.
The two main beers in the country are “Kamnetiza” and “Zagorka” which cost approx £0.80 Pound Sterling, per pint. Whilst, the red wine is justifiably famous. The red wine enthusiast should certainly take the time to try a bottle of reasonably priced “Tcherga” or slightly more expensive “Uniquato” on any visit to the country.
Annual running costs for a property in Bulgaria are considerably lower than the UK. The annual cost per property should be in the region of £800 Pound Sterling.
Air Travel to Bulgaria
There are three International airports in Bulgaria and seven domestic airports. The international airports are in the capital Sofia, Bourgas and Varna, which are located on the Black Sea Coast.
The nearest airport to our Planinovo Dream Village is Bourgas airport, and is located 1 hour 30 minutes travelling time from the airport.
New Low Cost Carriers Interested In Bulgaria
Six new lost-cost carriers have expressed interest in flights to Bulgaria. Among them are the UK’s Easy Jet, Italy’s May Air, Germany’s Air Berlin and Slovakia’s Sky Europe. Representatives of Bulgarian airports have made an offer to the six companies during an aviation exhibition in Copenhagen.
In December 2005, Sky Europe started flying to Sofia in competition to Wizzair, which already has regular flights to Bulgaria from UK starting from £13.99 plus airport taxes. From the middle of 2006, May Air started to fly from Bulgaria to Venice and Bologna.
Flights are available from May to October from all major airports in England, Ireland & Scotland (19 airports) to Bourgas and Varna.
Tourists are eagerly awaiting confirmation that Easy Jet and Ryanair will shortly commence flights direct from UK and Ireland to Bulgaria. An additional company, China’s private Hainan Airlines, has also expressed interest in flying to Bulgaria.
Useful Flight Websites
Please find below a list of useful websites where you can book flights to travel to Bulgaria:
www.wizzair.com
www.thomsonfly.com
www.thomascookfly.com
www.airtours.co.uk
www.firstchoice.co.uk
www.flights-uncovered.co.uk
www.balkanholidays.co.uk
www.cheapflights.co.uk
www.lastminute.com
www.ba.com
www.charter-flights.co.uk
Use property as a base for visits to other countries?
Many purchasers use their property as a base for travelling further afield to nearby countries who border Bulgaria.
The countries who border Bulgaria are Greece (494km), The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (148km), Romania (608km), Serbia and Montenegro (318km) and Turkey (240km).