New members of the Bulgaria forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

Yes, Graham, land and property is cheap over here and I think building materials are too, anything that is imported though can be more expensive, say, maybe some of the technology. 

I don't think you'll have any problem finding building materials, my husband used to say that wood was expensive over here, and not ‘dried', cured, I can't remember the right word for it.  There are also several big DIY shops in Varna similar to B&Q that sell everything from screws to furniture.

There isn't any tax over here when buying, we had to set up a business in order to buy though but that has been dropped now, although it might come back in after ‘brexit', how fed up I am of hearing that word!

  I have to pay an accountant to do ‘nil' accounts and put them online every year.  The tax will come when you sell your house if it's on a business any difference between what you pay for it and what you get for it will be viewed as profit.


Hope that helps


All the best

Sue

Hi Graham,  I don't think you will have any trouble finding building materials there are lots of local places, also inVarna several big DIY stores similar to B&Q where you can get almost anything. My husband used to say that wood was expensive over here and not dried/cured, sorry can't think of the right word.

When we bought our house we had to set up a company and every year I have to pay an accountant to do a ‘nil' account and publish it online, That has ended now for new buyers but I don't know if it will come back after ‘brexit'.    No one knows what will happen or whether we have to start buying visa's again. 

The tax will come when you sell your house if you buy it with a company  anything you get over what you paid for it will be regarded as profit.  I think it's 10% but someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Hope this helps

Sue

Hi I'm Mandy,

I have been married to a Bulgarian for the past 25 yrs (yes! when it was a mad immigration system)!!   and live in the UK.  We travel to BG frequently and have property there (vrachesh Nr Botevgrad).  We have considered moving there a number of times, but maybe the time isn't quite right yet!!!
Would love to make some new friends!!

Hi,

I'm Ramses, 41 years old and I'm thinking of moving to Bulgaria in a couple of years. I have set myself a few goals and the first thing is learning the language. I'm looking for a good book or teacher in The Netherlands.

Second thing I'm planning to do is to travel through Bulgaria and looking for a place that I could live.

I also want to learn about the culture and folklore, does someone knows a good book or website about this? Or a few dates for festivals or hollidays so I can visit.

I like these goals .....

however learning the language will take some time. There are many textbooks but to start with this you will need a teacher.

travelling through Bulgaria to find your place is the best approach!

Well I meant that I want to know some basic stuff as doing shopping, a simple conversation. I want to fit in.
That's why I want to know more about the culture. Like what kind of music people listen to, the favourite writers, famous people etc. The basic things that keep people busy in social live.

Hi, I'm Davy, Flemish, 37 years old.  Currently exploring the Varna region to see what the possibilities are to do business.  I'm 4 days per month here and it would be nice to meet with other Belgians to discuss their experiences here in Bulgaria.  I can speak English, Deutsch, Nederlands, Français and Italiano. 

Feel free to connect!

Hello everyone we are Penney and Dave we are currently house hunting in Bulgaria for a holiday home for our family with long term semi retirement plans we are a very chilled out couple into the music / festival scene , also keen VW and classic scooter fans and into scooter rallies / Mod & Nothern Soul we are very excited about this next adventure and look forward to chatting to you along the way and who knows we may even meet a few of you one day 👍🏽😊😎
Happy Days 😎
Penney and Dave x

33 years old, Finnish guy.

Working for a Finnish employer in the IT sector, will be moving to Varna to work remotely starting October.

Interested in meeting new people (locals and expats) and specifically learning the language. Wouldn't mind getting in physically good shape while in Bulgaria

Keeping an eye open for business opportunities but at this point it's purely speculative.

Hi there
My name Bertie and is married to Sharon, and we have to kids Jadon (6) and Abby(3)
We live in South Africa and we are Christian
I work in the Agricultural sector and we are considering to move to Bulgaria.
Naturally there are some questions on my mind and I would appreciate being able to talk to some people who have first hand experience on  moving to Bulgaria.
Thanks

Hi, we are Nick and Andrea.  We're looking at a property in Patresh so fingers crossed, we'll be starting a new adventure in the next few months.  We've also done scooter rallys - got the patches and bad backs to prove it lol.  My first love of music is Northern and Nick likes the ska/indie side of the scene 😁  Good luck with your search 😀😁😀  Not sure what went wrong there, this should have been a reply for Dave Vespa 😂😂😂

Hi Bertie Senekal,

It will be a good idea to post a separate topic with your questions. in this way everyone will be able to reply and share experience.

You can also search the forum for previous topics on similar questions.

Kris

Hi,
There must be SA farmers somewhere in Bulgaria according to this text: https://www.netwerk24.com/landbou/Nuus/ … 20170914-2

Pls don't think  I know Afrikaans, I read it with Google Translate

Hi 👋
My name is paula, I am married to Paul we have 7 children and 3 grandchildren so we are always busy..but now the kids are all grown and have their own lives we decided to start a new adventure here in Bulgaria. Why Bulgaria?? Why not... it's such a beautiful country and we have visited many many times and stayed in so many places.
We have finally found a property we could see ourselves building into our home, we will not be here full time for a couple of years so will spend 2/3 months at a time here...
We look forward to meeting new people and learning new things...

Wishing you all well

Hi my name is Maria I live in Essex UK so happy to have found this site,  I'm thinking of buying a property in Bulgaria...I've been researching and gathering infos, however will need a very safe area where me and my family can relax until ready to retire and move permanently 😃 any info and advise very appriciated thank you.

Hi,

I am due to come into a bit of an inheritance. My best friend here in Edinburgh and I have talked for ages about just getting out and moving abroad.

The inheritance is not huge - but Bulgaria looks like a place where the money would go much further. But getting on a bit (57 yo!) so not taking up a new career, but may have to do a bit of work to keep things ticking over. I have a TEFL certificate, taught English to foreigners in a English school in London for a few years - and loved the job. Recently I have been doing some on to one English teaching with a Kurdish refugee through Edinburgh college (because of injury he is physically unable to get to the college).  also have a honours degree (I know that some places, for teaching English, insist on your having a degree!)

Moving to Bulgaria I'd want to be near the sea but also not too isolated from things - so Burgas seems to be the best area to look at.

Also, with the BREXIT mess, what do people feel as per the situation for Brits living in Bulgaria with BREXIT going on?

I wondered if anyone has any advice, suggestions, know what chances of doing some private English teaching?

Ta in advance

Chris (in getting increasingly cold Edinburgh!)

Be careful when you buy there are a lot of pitfalls. Rent for a season then you'll be ready. Bulgaria's frickin cold in winter. I hit Vietnam, it's a blast and you can score good $. 20$ plus /hr+ better $ for privates. Everything is much nicer than Thai or Cambo. I fly soon!!

Hi all we are Jason and Rebecca,we have recently purchased a house in Bulgaria in a village in northern Bulgaria called alekovo near Veliko tarnovo,we have been over only a week ago to check on the property and to access what needs to be done to bring the house up to scratch,our intention is to renovate the house and then move over in about 4 year's time so it's going to be a long term project

Hi everyone I am a working mature lady looking to retire next July my dream is to buy a house and live in Bulgaria so there is a lot I need to know I can do a lot of things work wise but I imagine work is hard to find . I use to run my own guest houses so that could be a possibility, I also shabby chic furniture and Decopage it I do sell at lots of cahoots and have my own suppliers so always an interesting sortie I can teach riding always had horses and I have a dog too but I'm also a qualified beauty and massage therapist and have all the equipment . So what do you think folks is it just a dream or can it happen.Any ideas, people here in UK trying to quash my dreams saying crime rate high, properties have no damp course but I'm sure by making a few friend's here I will go in the right direction.

Question 1   would I be able to receive and live off my state pension
Question 2 would I be safe
Question 3 I need to know requirements like visa income etc to be able to live there

Regards Kay

Hi Kay,

The short answers to your questions are:

1. Yes
2. Yes / but you have to avoid certain areas and certain minority groups/
3. Do not bother about this. Just apply for a long term residence. No visa is necessary at present.

That was the easy part. The other will take some time.
Having experience in running guest houses is perfect, and you can expand this idea in Bulgaria.
The furniture idea is also very interesting, especially if you can sell it abroad.
Horse riding is probably not the best option.

And .. I've always admired people that try to give an advice for a country they have absolutely no idea of!!! And even will have difficulties locating it on the map! So better ask people living here, especially expats.

Any way, that's becoming pretty long and I would adwise you to post a separate topic on this e.g. SAFETY in Bulgaria, or Business ideas in Bulgaria ... etc. Or even others. Many people will be able to comment and share experience.

Regards,

Kristiann

Thankyou very much for your help and advice how will I find areas to avoid

Regards Kay

Any areas with gipsy population should be avoided. Highly recommended.

Thankyou would someone there be honest enough to tell me where not to buy as I would not know gypsy areas also I thought they move around like here in UK

Regards K

People in Bulgaria are honest. Still.

So no problem for receiving information about the presence / absence of certain minority groups. If you buy in a village, where there are even less than 10 families of them, then you're at risk. Migrating thievs cannot be avoided, but they would not (normally) attempt to rob a house in a village they do not know.

Best approach is to have reliable Bulgarian neighbours. Especially if you're leaving the house unattended for longer periods of time. A dog will also keep them away.
And when you're selecting an area, ask your real estate agent to avoid places with this specific minority group. If you 're unsure - when you arrive on site ask s.o., even a taxi driver. They know everything.

Please post a separate topic for the recommended areas in Bulgaria, or any other detailed information you might need.

Hi All Expat's
I have just joined up! ok I am Paul and will be in Bulgaria on the 21/11 to 24/11 and will be completing on a property, more of a project LoL,  I will refurb the property and use as holiday home with the hope of living there in a year or so.
Any one in VT 21/11 to 24/11 and would like a drink one evening please let me know.
Paul

I and my partner have just moved to Sofia to rent through the winter 2018/2019. We are going to be looking at land with a house on to buy. We are primarily looking in the area around Vratsa, although we will look at anywhere within a few hours of Sofia, especially if it is in or near the mountains. We are looking to buy a cheap property and renovate it ourselves. Whilst we are in Sofia, we intend to study Bulgarian intensively, so we are looking for Bulgarian speakers who would be interested in helping us with conversational Bulgarian in return for help with English. We would like to hook up with other ex-pats who have bought similar, cheap properties, who could give us advice. Were super excited about our future in Bulgaria and look forward to meeting you!

Hello I'm Leren, from England. I travelled to Bulgaria last year to attend a festival near the Rhodope mountains and completely fell in love, I found Bulgaria to be so beautiful and peaceful and the people really friendly, I'm looking to buy my 1st property out there next year and was hoping anyone can shed some light on the best routes to go down.

Did you manage to move to Sofia yet? I am also an Indian but live in Australia.  I was curious because we have quite regularly been to Bulgaria since 2005 and continue to do so. I have hardly seen any Indians there although I have been to  couple of indian restaurants. 

If you have already moved, just wanted to know how it is like living there being an Indian?
Sachi

Hello Leren,

basically you can follow one of the two routes:

1. Find a good real estate agent/agency and assign the task to them;

2. Track down the property you need yourself, then arrange the deal with a public notary.

In both cases do visit the property before you buy it, this is not a pair of jeans ....

This should be enough for a good start. 

Kristiann

Hi Kristiann, can you tell me how I would go about finding a reliable public notary? We are not at that stage yet, still looking, but since you mention it, I thought I'd ask 😁

Hi all

My name is Joannah and I come from South Africa. I'm a freelance artist and streamer on Twitch. I recently moved with my boyfriend to Sofia Bulgaria and we are both in love with this city. There is just something about this place that makes us excited about the future. We are interested in outdoor sports although it's a little cold for us to go out now. We are foodies at heart and really love seeing the street art everywhere.

I joined this forum to meet other expats in Sofia and discover what their experiences are and to also maybe find some help with the migration office, but that's a bonus.

Nice to meet you all.

Ciao

Not sure if this will appear in the right place but here goes.  Am a bit dim when it comes to computers.  Have been in Burgas area for about 10 years and confess I know practically nobody. Decided I must make some effort to socialize. Am about 20 minutes drive from Burgas in a westerly direction. Would like to communicate with some fellow Burgasians.  Cheers. Anton.

Hi I'm jimmy,

I'm looking to learn more of the Bulgarian culture as I have a Bulgarian partner and I like to learn in addition from what she teaches me. Also to impress her gran. On that note, are there any tips on gifts to win her over or mostly, thank her for granddaughter and understanding?

Hi my name is Gary i have just bought a wreck of a house just south of VT.

Bought it in November 2018 - it took a week to buy all done and dusted, i currently live in Malaysia as my wife works here. we have bought it as a 10 year project with no intention of selling or profiteering from it, it will be passed on to nieces and has cost me 9500 pounds, all from free savings.

i will be returning to BG to start work on it it in April 2019 and will need an old ford transit if anyone is selling one let me know.

regards

Hi everyone,

My name is Omar, I'm Moroccan Portuguese who's trying to start a new software service company in Sofia.
I joined this platform to meet up with the community here, learn and share my experiences, and hopefully get some advise on setting up a business in Sofia.

Let the Ride begin!
Love you all

Hi,

Am from India, moving to Sofia in June with my husband and kid, as part of job relocation.

Looking forward to the move.

Am currently in the process of identifying schools for my 12 year old along with identifying possible neighbourhoods for renting a house.

Any suggestions?

I will not be working initially, but might look at some work / community activity for part of the day eventually

Welcome to Bulgaria! Here are some links to private, English language schools in Sofia:

https://www.bssofia.bg/https://www.aas-sofia.org/index.cfmhttps://www.acs.bg/http://aeasofia.com/

By the way, I got these links from from this publication, which may contain more helpful information about Sofia:  https://www.inyourpocket.com/sofia/expat/Schools

As for yourself, this organization helped me to settle into my life in Sofia:  https://iwc-sofia.org/

VillageGirl

Thanks a lot!

Hey, everyone,

I'm a local well-intended to help out whomever I can with advise on whatever comes up to the best of my ability so ask away. I'm based in Sofia but I'm originally from Plovdiv so I'm most familiar with these two cities but I'll do my best to keep you guys safe from harm here so let's see who needs help with what.

Good Luck to all of you and welcome down.