Finding a cheap house in Bulgaria

Hi..one can find a house in a village for half of that price..but will need work doing.. find an area you want to live and contact  agents there...

Would you be part time..ie..still earning an income...so can renovate a property bit by bit.

If your not into that..save a lot more money..and then start looking..

Your right..you cant buy an appt for that money...houses are for sale but mostly not livable without some work.

Good luck.

Many thanks for your reply, Wtrucky !

I would possibly look for some part time work (teaching) if living near one of the bigger cities.

I wanted to buy a house outright - more or less ready to move into. I think I might have problems sourcing and supervising labour, materials etc if a house needed serious renovation esp with no knowledge of the locale, language etc

I would prefer to live in the outskirts of one of the bigger cities so can use public transport.

Given the above, i guess it will be pot luck to find something ready to move into on my Eur 50K budget

I will continue looking

Thanks again. I appreciate the reply

Best regards,

John

Hi John,

Have you tried any of the Facebook groups? Market place etc? I know of a property that is for sale in the Yambol region that is within your budget, but it's whether it's an area that you would consider.

@Jules999 hi Jules

Thank you for your reply.  I must try the FB page. 

Yambol is not too far from Burgas so it can be a consideration

Do you have a link to the property on sale there.

Equally, any other links in general to single house prices in Bulgaria would be very useful, if you have

Best regards,

John

Hi John,

I'll pm you the link, let me know if you don't receive it.

@John123470

Welcome to the expat.com forum and good luck with your Bulgarian property search!

Congrats too on the Irish passport, that makes relocation anywhere in the EU quick and (relatively) painless.

Apartments are heading over 1,000 euros / m2 now (and far over in Sofia), so it's hard to even get a studio in the larger cities. There are still a few left around 30k in Bansko and Sunny Beach. Houses are getting expensive too, especially anywhere near a big city. I know one new member here who got a fantastic renovated house near Veliko Tarnovo (mentioned below) for 50k only 6 months ago, so it is possible if you keep your eye open for bargains, and/or look in the less expensive areas. And exactly how "humble" you can cope with. :-)

Plovdiv is the 2nd city and former European Capital of Culture, it's a great option. Burgas is great too with some lovely Black Sea beaches and nice villages/towns. So I commend your taste... but these are already very desirable areas! I doubt there are many move-in-ready houses in Plovdiv for under 50k euros. Lucky, there are lots of lovely areas in Bulgaria, and lots of smaller towns. Our village house is in the Balkan Mountains which is a super area, and it's near Kazanlak which is only 70k population but still has a Lidl, Kaufland, produce market, couple of hospitals and a Rose Festival (and UNESCO-listed Thracian Tomb).

There are plenty of agents, but here are few suggestions to get you started...

BulgarianProperties is a big agent with lots of listings all over Bulgaria, and a good website with English listings and helpful search. This is excellent for a bit of research to see what's available. There are some very cheap properties on Ebay (dot co uk) with several regular sellers. Two of those sellers are popular on this forum and offer "pay monthly" properties (village houses) for around 20k to 30k euros. That's Mowlem (dot eu) and BulgariaDirect (dot com). Two agents that I've spotted that offer cheaper houses (some renovated or partially renovated) are Idealhomes-bg (dot com) who are mostly in Veliko Tarnovo area (very nice and very popular with Brits), and premiumpropertiesbg (dot com) who are mostly Balkan Mountains near Sliven. RightMove (dot co dot uk) is also good to see what's on offer, it seems to have quite a few Bulgarian properties (several of the above agents put listings here).

@gwynj

Hello !

Thanks so much for your detailed outline and the relevant sites. 

I do not drive so I was trying get a  place closer to the cities (my plan was to teach p/time and that will require my bei g close to a city ) but you have helpfully pointed out how difficult it will be to get anything ready to move into under K50 Eurs ie close to cities

Failing all, I would probably just rent an apartment in eg Plovdiv / Sofia and take things from there. 

I do not mind commuting into cities If transport is available

I am currently renting in Blgrade, Serbia but the constant visa runs are a headache and they can refuse entry eventually eg. as I don't have a business, property here

So, my plan is to move to BGaria in April. Being EU, it is one headache less.  I will look through the sites you kindly sent me. 

I imagine there are bargains to be had but will entail being in the country to find them

Big thanks again for all the solid information.

I will let you know how I get on.

Best regards,

John

@John123470

I appreciate that not driving adds an extra complication. And I totally agree that being in a larger city is the most convenient option. We like Plovdiv too (and have an apartment here) and it's great to have all the services of a larger city. We live in a lovely part of the city close to two large parks (Regatta Lake and Youth Hill) with a brand-new hospital and mall (Mall Plovdiv), Kaufland and Lidl supermarkets all within a 5 minutes walk. The bus stop (1 lev per journey) is right outside our apartment and it takes 10 minutes to get to the centre, where we can stroll in the pedestrianized main shopping street, stop for a coffee, or have a lunch in a trendy restaurant in Kapana. I'm singing its praises, sorry. :-) The catch is that houses near our apartment are probably 100k and up, even if fairly unrenovated.

Plovdiv, Burgas and Varna are three of the largest cities here, so it's a bit like choosing Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds in the UK! :-) However, there are many smaller cities and large towns which have all the important facilities like supermarkets, schools, clinics/hospitals, cafes/restaurants and so on.

As examples, I already mentioned that our village is a satellite of Kazanlak, population only 70k. Karlovo and Asenovgrad (in Plovdiv district) are nice too, and they're a similar size. Veliko Tarnovo is a lovely city and this area has long been popular with Brits, and it's a bit bigger (90k). Gabrovo (north side of Balkan Mountains near VT) is similar to Kazanlak. Stara Zagora (bigger maybe 130k) is a lovely city (I go there regularly as it's an easy drive from the house, and the big Praktiker is there). There are many similar sized options which could be very livable.

In addition, most villages here have regular bus transport, which might be feasible especially if you are not too far away from the main town.

For us, our village house is 10km to Kazanlak, the main town. That's a very easy drive for us, maybe 10 minutes to Lidl or the produce market. But Enina (our neighbour) is a larger village (2,000 population, say) and it has a bakery and 3 or 4 small supermarkets, and it's only 2km away. The bus from our village runs 4 or 5 times per day into Kazanlak. I've caught the bus in, done my shopping at Lidl, and then got a taxi back (only 10 leva, and means I don't have to wait 2 hours for the bus). I don't walk to Kazanlak, but I often walk to Enina. I also have an e-bike (China import from AliExpress) which I love, and often use to go up the mountain, or down to Enina/Kazanlak.

@John123470

Separately, you don't say what you teach, but I am a (lapsed) teacher of (EFL/ESL) English and Mathematics. I taught in the Plovdiv centre in both a language school and a private high school. The pay was not high (5-6 euros/hr) with variable hours (so had to hang out in town rather than go home) and costs (food, coffees, buses/taxis). I find it's MUCH better (and MUCH less aggravation) to chill out at home and teach online ($10-$20 per hour, maybe more). As well as higher pay, there are no costs, no travel time, no language complications, and work to one's own schedule. And this remote working is feasible almost anywhere, even in villages, as Bulgaria has great connectivity (our village house has fibre internet for 20 leva/month, and I have 100 mpbs wifi inside, plus a MiFi with a mobile SIM in case it ever goes down).

Bulgaria is a lovely country, we enjoy living here very much. And we're happy to recommend it. But it is (or was) the poorest country in the EU. This means that the costs (of property and of living) are very low. Which is definitely a big plus for many of us expats. But it also means it has the lowest salaries too, with an official minimum wage of less than 400 euros per month. That's a big negative for anyone who wants or needs to be employed. It works much better as a destination if you already have some passive income (pension, rents, dividends) to live on, and/or you plan to work remotely for a foreign salary.

@John123470

Hi John, if your priority is to simply live in Bulgaria then why not consider simply renting a house or apartment?

With your budget of around €50k you can easily find an apartment to rent for around €300 per month (or less). With your remaining funds you will easily be able to show the Bulgarian immigration authorities that you have the available readies to qualify for a long stay visa D.

I intend to relocate this year and plan to rent as this would avoid many of the potential pit falls involved in buying a place.

Also consider that buying a property could confine you to living in that area indefinitely, whereas renting offers more mobility and flexibility in your choices of where you can live.

Hope this gives you some 'food for thought'.

Best wishes,

William

My wife (Bulgarian) and I, live in Varna. We've been considering buying a house in the Dobrich / General Toshevo area, which is towards the Romanian border, one hour from Varna. The land is extremely fertile in this area and there is much agriculture. Houses in villages, in this area, start at just €9,000, but will require work at that price. If you're looking for something with little or no work, then around €20,000 will get you a house and between half an acre and a full acre of garden.  If you look at imot dot bg site, you'll find loads of houses over the entirety of Bulgaria.

I appreciate you said Plovdiv or Burgas, but Dobrich area is particularly cheap.

To give you some idea, in comparison, we own a modern, three bed maisonette in the city of Varna, which we paid €148,000 for. Prices in the cities have increased significantly, due to an influx of Ukrainian migrants (many have money to spend!).

However, I do agree, initially renting, for say six months to a year, would put you in good stead for a longterm residency card.

As an Irish passport holder, @John123470 probably won't face the same visa issues as non-EU residents (Brexit, the "gift" that keeps on giving - delays, paperwork, and hassle!). Renting still could be good to allow trying an area before buying. OTOH, when doing that, there's the whole thing of settling somewhere then having to move again which is a pain.

Bulgaria is such a varied country, mountains, sea, rural. Unfortunately most good ready-to-live-in houses within easy reach of a major city will be outside the 50k EUR budget, as prices have risen so much. I would second @cyberescue1 on the Dobrich/General Toshevo area. It's one of the poorer regions, mostly farmland, reminds me of similar wheat and sunflower growing areas in Australia (my original home country). Dobrich looks something of a post-industrial wasteland at first glance, but is actually a really nice city with beautiful parks, a good range of shops, and a lot going for it. Plus it's just 6.5 lv for a relaxed bus ride from Dobrich to central Varna.

There's a strong possibility of finding a house on land in decent condition in one of the villages not too far away from Dobrich. Toshevo is a nice small town heading north from Dobrich toward the Romanian border. People seem very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. My house is in a village further out again, Krasen. There are a few places for sale in the village for under 20k, which like my under 10k house will need work. Internet is good, but the local bus only goes to Toshevo two or three times a day. It's doable without a car but not ideal - makes me wish I hadn't developed a pesky health problem that stops me driving.

@janemulberry

Hi Jane

Many thanks for this information !

Dobrich area and villages nearby definitely worth looking into.

Many posters on here have been very helpful. It is great to hear from people on the ground - their experience of an area.

Next part is going to visit the different places and that I hope to do in May

It might also be possible to rent a house long term opposed to buying

Thanks again, Jane

I'll let you know how I fare

John

Hi John,

I'm planning to move to one of the 3 coastal regions in Bulgaria, most likely Varna. However rents are considerably cheaper in the other two coastal areas I notice. Perhaps a town/village in the coastal hinterland would get you a cheap rent with access to the sea.

To gain an idea of what the current market prices/rents are, I suggest two websites in particular

olx. bg and bazaar.bg. These sites also have a lot of properties for sale too.

To get an idea of the cost of food shopping please look at the Bulgarian websites of Kaufland, Billa and Lidl. Though often people use the many local markets which are fantastic.

Public transport is inexpensive and reliable.

There are a few Facebook groups for expats in various regions of Bulgaria which are also a great resource for answering any further questions that you may have.

Good luck with your adventures!

Best wishes,

William

@wtruckyboy

I agree. Most need a lot of work, at least for common Italian standards. You need patience, time and money. Even new houses, which are usually expensive, don't satisfy those standard. So it is better to do as my friend from Verona did. She bought a house near Pajardik and slowly renewed and enlarged it according to local law.

@William Byron

William,

Many thanks for this information. 

Esp the 2 sites .. olx works fine, bazaar.bg doesn't but olx gives a good enough idea of the price range.

I imagine estate agents may become a necessary evil when looking at properties to rent .. at some cost but they will have ready to go places

I will arrive in Sofia so it seems best to rent there as a base for a while then go out and visit the various places.

Rentals have increased but if one looks around and willing pay in advance (if such is possible), i imagine it may help to reduce costs

Great that you are starting your adventure also - at least you know what direction to point yourself in

I will let you know how I fare on my search

Best,

John

@rapsodia16

Thanks again, Trucky

It might well be best to rent for a spell and look around at what is available

Problem with renovations in remote areas is finding competent, willing workmen -  if not skilled to undertake the work oneself

There probably are bargains out there - just takes patience

Best,

John

@William Byron

William,

I was watching below video of Dutch chap (based in Sofia) and how off grid life in Bulgaria was not for him.. after sampling both.

https://youtu.be/EKfLF2JeizY

Granted, he was talking wee small out of the way villages .. but the alternative would possibly be just a bigger version of same with the addition of a clinic in screaming distance

If one speaks Bulgarian ...I imagine it would be 1/2 ok

And/or

one is madly in love and its you 2 against the world

He predicts a full-blown religious experience if you stay 'out there' for too long alone

Renting seems the way to go

LOL, that guy in the video went super remote! I think it depends what you want. Bulgaria offers everything from being the only human for miles to being in the centre of a busy city, and there is plenty in between -- smaller cities, small towns, big villages, and small-but-not-isolated villages. I think unless one wants a very very quiet life with minimal human contact, avoiding anywhere that doesn't appear to have a road into it on Google Maps is wise!

OTOH, in more inhabited villages, even without speaking Bulgarian, people are likely to be friendly and helpful. The residents of villages that have lost their younger folk to the cities or working abroad welcome newcomers with open arms. Google Translate or DeepL on your phone can make for some excellent conversations!

Renting in a city as a base to explore sounds an excellent starting place.

Maybe slightly off-topic, but as we're sharing videos, this one is by a Visionary Brit, and his eco-village of Gesha View. I found it rather interesting, and it does illustrate how some folks can see Bulgarian villages as a very desirable way of live.

I haven't been to Gesha, but it's a very small village in a lovely area (which I have been to) near Dryanovo Monastery, just north of the Balkan Mountains (roughly between Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo).

They refused to cut down trees (or make roads) during construction, and the lovely stonework visible on the houses is actually concrete cast using with silicone moulds.

I only just found this, so I know very little about this development. I found it because Bulgarian Properties has a beautiful house for sale in this village, one that lots of Brits would love to own. (Sadly, must be rich Brits, as they want nearly 50k for it, and it still needs a complete renovation.)

My guess, as this is quite old, is that this project was a victim of the Crash of 2008. Sad, because it's a nice idea. I did find some ads for houses for sale, and they wanted 200k euros for a house, way back in 2009. Probably a bit steep, even for utopia. :-)

https://youtu.be/LK7bgilIbcw

@John123470

A quick tip to narrow your searches when using Bazaar or olx is to use their filters, where you can input your limits regarding price ranges, floor level and so on.

Best wishes

William

@William Byron

Thanks William

And @Jane above

It is very true, Jane. So much depends on the mindset of the person moving to any of these villages

Thank you all for your posts

I found it because Bulgarian Properties has a beautiful house for sale in this village, one that lots of Brits would love to own. (Sadly, must be rich Brits, as they want nearly 50k for it, and it still needs a complete renovation.)
-@gwynj

That's a potentially stunning house, but oh my, so much work needed! My guess is there wouldn't be much change from 100,000 EUR for the repair and renovation work!

I guess the concept of 'cheap' can be very broad. It depends on your finances, where you are and what you expect in return for your money.

In some places in the UK, you can't even buy a Box for your car with that money.

But I found, quite oddly, that Bulgarian house prices are not that far-fetched from what you can get in Italy and/or France for roughly the same thing (Of course, not in Rome or Paris).

I am coming to Bulgaria next weekend and have already inquired about some potentially good options. Still, honestly, I could not find anything below 60/70k (Euro) that would have been habitable right away.

Another thing to consider is any extra work needed on the property. Let's assume that maybe you find one in a village for 30k; then you need another 50k to fix it and make it liveable...consider that Bulgaria loses approx 100/150k in population each year. They are likely all young people going to Germany, France or other European countries to work...you won't find workers very quickly to come to your village and fix stuff (especially if you need extensive work).

But I am someone who has not been in Bulgaria for over 20 years...so I might be just talking out of my ass!!!

I guess one of the perks of Bulgaria is that, if you get your tax residency there, it could be quite a saving compared to the like of Italy or France...but then you need to weigh services, how you fit in the country and with the people, language, healthcare, etc. etc.

Healthcare, especially, is something I am more concerned about because I have found myself in the past in places where I needed medical attention, I couldn't speak the language properly, and there wasn't anything decent for miles and miles (more hours flying, really...)

Good luck with your search, I hope you find a good place!

I am currently selling 1 bedroom flat for a very good price. Near Shumen. If anyone is interested.we can talk on the phone or camera. Thanks

@Yuri1976

You're quite correct that Bulgaria is getting more expensive... and there are definitely low cost properties that you can find in France, Italy, Germany, Spain and so on. But Bulgaria is still the poorest country in the EU, so, broadly, it still has the lowest costs (of both property and living). Even though you can find properties in your price range, I don't think that property prices are actually the same, if you compare like-for-like (of property size/attributes and location).

Leaving aside Sofia, the capital, which is large and expensive, there are several very attractive smaller cities in Bulgaria. Especially, perhaps, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo. The Black Sea coast is lovely, and there are many nice towns and villages there. And there are several spectacular National Parks (Pirin, Central Balkan, Rila). And the Rhodope Mountains are lovely too (Greece has the Rodopi Mountain Range National Park). There are also 3 popular ski resorts (Bansko, Pamporovo, Borovets).

If we compare, for example, Plovdiv with Milan (2nd city), or Bansko with Tignes (large ski resort), or Sozopol with Sitges (popular beach town) then property prices are substantially less here. Similarly, we'd pay a huge amount of money for a country house in the UK's Lake District National Park, compared to something in/near, the Central Balkan National Park. I don't dispute the snob value of Milan, Tignes, Sitges, or the Lake District... but it comes at a steep price. Bulgaria has their unpretentious, country cousins, and for me that's part of its charm. :-)

Additionally, as you note, it's not just about the property price, although many tend to, understandably, focus on this. Bulgaria has very low taxation (10%), it has a very low cost of living, and it has very low property holding costs (property taxes, maintenance fees). Wages are low here too, so it's not the place to come if you need to work. But for remote workers earning foreign salaries, and those with passive income (pension, rents, etc.) it's extremely affordable. I'm entitled to a full UK state pension which is about 1,000 euros per month - back in UK, this income would be considered below the poverty line.

I love Bulgaria, and I love my new life here. It's the happiest I've been in years. :-) But, sure, if money was no object, I would probably have chosen to live in Spain or Italy or Cyprus or France. The architecture, food and culture in those countries is wonderful. But, here, my meagre stash goes a long, long way... and Wizzair and Ryanair have cheap flights from Sofia to all those other sexy countries. :-)

You're also correct to discuss depopulation (a huge issue in Bulgaria) and access to key services. On the latter, I can say that I joined the Bulgarian health system (14 euros per month as unemployed) and I'm entitled to free healthcare in Bulgaria, and they gave me an EHIC for use on my EU travels. I have a great doctor and dentist in Plovdiv (better than I had in UK), who both speak very good English. And I've had excellent experiences in my local Pulmed hospital (private, but they're in the public system, so I just pay the small extra costs for VIP treatment). True, if I get sick in my village, that might be a very different story. :-)

@gwynj

A very comprehensive explain of the overall situation in Bulgaria

You mention more sought after destinations like France, Italy etc where similar properties will naturally be more expensive, but isn't Italy (not sure about the other EU countries) fire-selling properties in smaller villages for €1 ?

Granted they need renovations etc but some utube videos saw people getting up and running for less than eg €50K ? - less if one has hands-on savvy in the renovations. (I don't so would be dependent on local workforce + being able source building materials + being able to trust said workforce to carry out renovations in the buyer's absence)

One final option in Bulgaria might be to rent - opposed to buying a ready to move into house in the smaller villages / towns ?

Might be the owner of such properties is in no hurry or doesn't wish to sell outright

The drawback here of course is that one cannot call the place home but it would be a start

Given rising cost of living in general EU, i wonder if this translates into more / less folk looking to buy properties in Bulgaria currently ?

Also, the proximity of remoter places to medical facilities has to be considered - esp for older buyers

@John123470

You make a very interesting point about one-euro houses in Spain and Italy which have got a lot of publicity. And I applaud efforts to revitalize dead/dying country villages. But these are usually remote villages, with limited services. and limited job opportunities (unless you're a digital nomad/remote worker). There's a reason why they are in decline. (And Bulgaria is not the only country where the youngsters know that all the job opportunities are in the big cities.)

Bulgaria has the same kind of villages too, where there are many empty or abandoned or falling-down properties. There's no high-profile campaign to get these properties sold, but I'd guess there are plenty available for a few thousand euros.

But it's a challenge. Even for remote workers. I don't like to be in tiny villages far from a hospital or supermarket. I want to have mountain walks outside my house... but I also want to be 10km away from Lidl. :-)

As you rightly say, it's not just about the purchase cost. Most of the cost is in the renovation! So whether you pay 1 euro, or 3,000 euros, it's not such a big deal compared with 20k-50k of renovation costs. My impression is that building materials are slightly cheaper in Bulgaria than elsewhere in EU. And because it's a low-wage country, the cost of workers to do your renovation should be less here than elsewhere. When we were working on our house in Germany, I couldn't get any tradesmen to do anything for less than 50 euros per hour (and this was 10 years ago). Here, I found a gang of "gypsy" workers to help me with our village house, and I'd guess they were working for less than 50 euros per day.

Renovation costs are so hard to quantify anyway. Depends on who your workers are (and how much work you do yourself). How big your property is. How dilapidated it is. And how fancy you want the finished property. If you want contemporary style, with lots of external insulation, new UPVC glazing, renovated and insulated roof with new tiles, new floors, new wiring, new plumbing, modern kitchen and bathroom, gas central heating, landscaped garden... that's definitely an expensive job! :-)

But it's a big question whether you need such a renovation. I don't know the answer. I know many members here have purchased traditional Bulgarian village houses, and I believe there are plenty who have done a much simpler renovation. If the house is clean and dry (and has been lived in and cared for) then there's a lot less ESSENTIAL work. You need an inside bathroom, for sure, which sometimes means a septic tank too. You probably need to upgrade the kitchen. But does it have to be insulated? Do we have to put in UPVC double-glazing instead of keeping the old window windows? (Some houses have rustic double-glazing with inside/outside frames.) Probably cleaning the place and throwing out all the old furniture, and painting it all over (inside/outside) will transform how it looks. (One of the buy-monthly guys does exactly this before putting his properties on Ebay.)

With no insulation, it will cost you a bit more to heat/cool the property, but electricity is pretty cheap in Bulgaria. It's a LOT more expensive in Spain, Germany, Cyprus! I reckon that many Bulgarian village houses can be perfectly comfy in winter, once you throw in a couple of modern wood (or pellet) stoves. And the winters are short, I have all our windows open from March through October, usually. :-)

Renting is definitely a good option, if you can find something you like, at a decent rent. It certainly gives you plenty of time to explore Bulgaria and decide which areas you like, and start looking out for property bargains (not common, but they come up if you keep your eyes open). You can rent small apartments in a city for a few hundred euros per month (300-400). You might even find that a city flat close to all amenities, and easy to walk around, or jump on a 1 leva bus has an appeal that you had not realized! (And no gardening or renovation work to do.) Houses to rent are a lot less common, but I have occasionally seen ads from Brits who have offered their house for rent because they want to go back to UK.

@gwynj

Sensible advice . Well said

@John123470

Don't even try the 1 euro option...you don't want to deal with Italian bureaucracy.

Those towns usually have zero services, and the deal will come with incredibly stupid limits and boundaries, incredibly high costs in terms of time, papers, lawyers, notary, etc. etc that will make anyone who works remotely (actually the only ones who can manage to leave so off-grid) completely unfeasible.

I can give you links, tried a few of those schemes, and when they replied to me (yes, because it is often just a way to get EU funds) they treated me like a complete moron and made it so difficult that my head was spinning by the end of the call or email (and I speak Italian)

There are beautiful towns that could become gems, but the people in charge in those places are absolutely useless and actively put you off.

But you can find a house with hectares of land on the Alps and in the Apennines for as little as 15k...but then it goes back to the cost of living, tax, services etc.

@Yuri1976

Great points, Yuri (and Gwyn) above

I believe also the £1 houses require you lay on a deposit after purchase and that you forfeit this deposit if you don't / cant renovate within a certain time frame. 

It does seem odd they would introduce the difficulties you mentioned if they really want folk to populate these villages !

You mentioned houses (remote, i suppose) for sale in the Alps, Appenines with land - it would be interesting to check out any sites if you have any information on same 

Thanks again to all the posters above - very useful information for folk considering buying property abroad

The lower priced mountain properties in France, Italy, etc I've seen on YouTube -- there are a few interesting channels showing people renovating these houses -- well, calling them houses could be an exaggeration! More  like one roomed stone shepherds' huts. Beautiful views, and perfect for those who enjoy isolation and nature and have a pioneering spirit. Often getting building materials, furniture, most of what we consider needed for living, is a challenge in these places.

@John123470

https://www.idealista.it/geo/vendita-ca … prezzi-asc

A few examples here...there are other websites...this one seems to have a lot on the Orobie close to Sondrio and the Como Lake and Switzerland. Again, I don't know about these properties, but in my experience, Italian houses are usually quite solid and liveable (although I think you still need renovations in the cheapest ones)

for Bulgarian, I have no idea...coming to Bulgaria tomorrow, and I already have a few viewings. Still, I can spot from many posts on bulgarianproperties that the range is usually quite wide, and there is no linearity regarding price/value.

Many of the ones agents have sent me were obvious crap and complete ruins that need to be pulled down and redone (still, they were asking anything from 35k to 70k for ruin in isolated places). I might be a ''foreigner'', but I don't have 'moron'' written on my forehead (I know, I have checked!). This, obviously has nothing to do with Bulgarians as Nation...that comes with the job I guess and you find that Agents and Salesmen are pretty much the same Species anywhere in the world.

Some of the good ones I have spotted have been sold, so I assume they were good. As in other markets, you need to be on the spot, have your finances ready, and wait/move fast when you get the occasion.

Unless (and this is something I am also looking at), you go for a very cheap property with potential. As long as the frame and foundations are solid and you don't need to redo that, that is probably the best option because (my experience so far) even if you go for a 50/100k property, you still need a sizeable budget for renovation and there is a lot of crap on the market that they are trying to sell to ''the stupid foreigner''!

Unless you are not looking in Sofia, Plodviv or Varna (places that actually have a housing market and buyers). Remote locations should be sold with strong discounts because no Bulgarian wants to move there and only foreigners really do it...so any inflated price is just speculation.

@John123470

That's a problem... bureaucracy...or they actually really don't want to repopulate because it is convenient for them to get funds from the EU, foundations etc.

As of Today, there are 6000 Ghost towns in Italy, and many towns and villages have less than 50 inhabitants. I was in Tuscany on the Apennines in January, and seen quite a few of them. Some were breathtaking but then you talk to people, ask for information and you understand why Pontito has 16 inhabitants with a potential capacity of 600

@Yuri1976

Thank you Yuri for all the info.

The more I learn about buying property from the posts above, the more onerous it seems.

I think some of the places advertised above would be ideal for a young couple willing to invest time / monies in renovations.  Some savvy regarding renovations would be invaluable also.

As a 60+ yr old who doesn't drive and has no building savvy, i think I would be taking on more than I could handle tho I am fed up to the eye teeth of being a renter. 

I will however keep an eye out for offers while I am in Bulgaria.  Who knows, I just might get lucky

As a 60+ yr old who doesn't drive and has no building savvy, i think I would be taking on more than I could handle tho I am fed up to the eye teeth of being a renter.

I will however keep an eye out for offers while I am in Bulgaria. Who knows, I just might get lucky
-@John123470

John, also look at agents in the Veliko Tarnovo area. It's a wonderful, historic city and has some good villages not too far away, many with a reliable bus service and a village shop. The area has been very popular with Brits so it might offer some decent chances to find an already renovated property in your price range.

@janemulberry

Thank you, Jane

@Jules999 Hi Jules! Was just wondering which are the fb pages you mention?