I bought via pay-monthly (Bulgaria Direct) and it's generally been a positive experience. There are quite a few other sellers around. Most work on a sort of rent-to-buy type arrangement, it's not a mortgage. I can only speak from my own experience.
Make sure you get a clear contract stating the seller's obligations to you and your obligations to the seller. The Bulgaria Direct contract is in both English and Bulgarian. They buy the property first, so they aren't agents but the actual seller. The buyer assumes all responsibility for the property from when the contract is signed, so if the roof falls in or you discover the place has more problems than you thought, it's your responsibility. They do make sure there are no outstanding bills or other claims on the property, so you won't risk the nasty situation of finding you've also taken on someone elses' mortgage, or you only own 1/2 a flat, or 1/4 of the house, which can happen! Ownership isn't transferred until after the final payment is made, when the notary paperwork putting the property in your name is done. The other thing to be aware of is that missed payments can mean that the property reverts to them, and you lose what you've already paid. But everything is legal and above board with them, nothing dodgy at all. The admin support is excellent. The cost of any extras, like setting up a Bulgarian company for non-EU buyers to legally own a property with land, and the notary transfer, are clearly stated in the contract. Our house is now fully paid off and ours.
Generally, houses will be in worse condition that you would expect, sometimes far worse. Especially in the lower price range, village houses can be very basic, even recently lived-in ones. Broken, falling-apart windows with paper-thin glass. Dirt floors, even in main rooms. Very basic plumbing. Lots of junk and rubbish. Appliances shown as part of the furnishings that don't work. As Gwyn said, if a toilet isn't shown in the listing, have a high index of suspicion. It's probably because there's only an outdoor hole-in-the-ground type, or a flush toilet that's in a dreadful state.
Kitchens and bathrooms will usually be in with a detached separate building or an add-on at the back, and may often be in a far worse state than the main house. Sellers don't always count them as part of the house when describing condition, so ask! For example, I was told in writing (by a salesperson I believe no longer works for Bg Direct) that the roof would need attention at some point but was in decent enough shape and didn't leak, with no immediate repairs needed. Probably true when he wrote it, provided it was a sunny day! But less than two months later when I first visited the house I discovered that only applied to the main rooms, not the attached kitchen and bathroom where water poured in when it rained and clearly had done for a very long time! I knew about sellers often not counting detached outdoor kitchens and bathrooms as part of the house when describing condition, but it never occured to me that also included attached ones!
The seller should be willing to provide extra photos or more info if you ask specific questions. If they don't, I would avoid that seller. The same with anything in the contract that doesn't seem right to you. Ask and clarify! Also, ask when the photos were taken. Houses left empty can deteriorate quite a bit even if 100% accurately described and photographed when the place first went up for sale. Gardens will become wildly overgrown after a single season. I've seen some online sellers using the same photos and descriptions on properties that have been on the market for many years, or perhaps sold back then but are being relisted.
Where toilets go in a bathroom - frequently in the shower area as a wet room type arrangement. That seems to be the usual way for renovations, so if you want the toilet separate, you need to make that clear to the builder. If the property doesn't already have a flush toilet, the septic tank/cess pit may not exist at all, or may not be up to what you need.
Definitely, unless it's in excellent condition and clearly been fixed already, make any roof and chimney repairs the first priority! I'm seeing a bunch of nicely renovated places on the market with ruined ceilings and floors, presumably because the owners thought they could get away without fixing the roof. Electrical wiring may also be ancient and dangerous. Plumbing may be bodged.
Renovation prices have gone up a lot, so costs may be more than you see people say they paid. We paid just under 10,000 GBP for our house on 1/2 acre, including the notary fees. So far we've done a full reroof, guttering, and three new chimneys on a two bedroom 60 m2 house, which cost the equivalent of 8,000 GBP in April 2023. New main fuse box and full electrical rewire of the back part of the house, which cost about 400 GBP in September 2023. And a partial rebuild of the old kitchen and bathroom including new ceilings, replastering the walls, leveling and tiling the floors in both rooms, fully tiling the bathroom and fitting a window, new HWS, shower, sink, toilet, and washing machine plumbing, which I think came to about 5,000 GBP in total, spread out between October 2023 and April 2024. I didn't get a new septic tank, and am hoping the old cess pit will do the job well enough. Time will tell!
The place needs a lot more spent on it, and isn't yet fully livable. Fine to stay a few weeks in, but it wouldn't be easy to live through a winter there as it is.
Saying all that, I have zero regrets. Despite the issues, we love our house, the neighbours, the village, and are counting the days until we can move full-time! We are blessed to have a safe, friendly village, and amazing neighbours who've been welcoming and helpful. It makes a big difference.
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