Monthly payments

If it's the company in Ruse that I bought my house with, then I would recommend them. Easy enough to work with, they are very helpful in every aspect.

Hia what's name of the company mate hi will tell you no problems paul

They've been around a long time, mostly selling on ebay. The reason they have no recent feedback on ebay is because they stopped doing auctions and switched to pay monthly (can't leave feedback on that format).

I'm buying though them, though I haven't seen the house yet so I could be in for a shock! I took a chance on them because I know another couple who bought through them and were very happy. I've been in their house and it was a good solid place with a lot of character and potential.

It could be wise to get someone to check out the house before committing. I didn't do it in the right order, committed to buy a house from them THEN had second thoughts. The guy I paid to look at it (he advertises on ebay for house inspections, excellent service!) sent a report, pics, and video that made me sure it wasn't the house for me. At that stage, though, I'd already signed and sent back a contract committing to buy. Eep!

I contacted Bg Direct about it, and Bill agreed to either cancel the sale or let me move the deposit to my choice of his other available houses, which I did. If you can, definitely get an inspection so you know what you're paying for. If you don't, expect that there will be things that didn't get photographed that might not be exactly what you want to see! The first house, the front and side views looked great in the photos but it turned out the back was a mess, and the location wasn't the best.

Depending how you want to live, any house they sell is likely to need a lot of work to bring it up to UK standards. The house may have been empty for a while, so windows break, roofs leak, and winters with no heating can lead to damp. Neglected gardens also turn into jungles fast! That's the same with any house you see sold by an agent, of course. Some other agents listings show photos on their websites that are ten years old! At least with the one I am buying now, I knew the photos were recent, from September 2020.  The house cost £4,000 on the pay monthly, so I'm not expecting a move-in ready palace, but something that at best is camp-in ready.

I've found them easy to deal with, reasonably transparent, and for those on a tight budget or who for other reasons can't buy outright immediately, the pay monthly is an afforable way in. You do pay more for the "pay monthly" deal. They sent me the notary papers from when BgDirect bought the property, so I was able to see just how big a mark-up he'd made.  If you can afford to buy outright, knock at least a third off his asking price. They'll still make enough profit at that to be worth their while. Overall, I've found them helpful and responsive, giving fast relies to any queries.

There is that caveat to expect worse that you think from the pics and descriptions, or to get someone to check the house out first, but I don't have anything bad to say about them. I tend to approach any estate agent the same way I do used car dealers - they're not going to tell us the whole truth about what we're buying, so the responsibility is on us to check things out as much as possible. For example, the houses are always a much longer drive away from towns or the coast than the ads imply. Research the village and the local area yourself, for sure!

I think another person here, Steve, may have bought from them too, but that's just my guess. If so, he went straight on to buy another, so that kind of speaks for itself.

So can you explain the process once you pay the deposit, what type of paper work do you get? How long after deposit is paid etc. I've no issues with state of property or price just unsure of paying a deposit blind to an unknown on the internet. Can you show what you received?
Thanks for the help and your time

Bulgariadirect.com

They make a nice profit on these houses, they buy it for cheap  and sell it for 8000 more. The only thing they do is paint the houses. Nothing wrong with that of course.

You do have to prepare for living in the middle of nowhere and shops can be further away. Also you have to renovate the houses entirely.

I wouldn't renovate a house which I don't own yet, but that is my personal choice.

Hi there! If you check the contact form of the website bulgariadirect . com/contact/

Anyway - no info about the reputation of the company.

If you need some help about living in Veliko Tarnovo or get apartment without company I can tell you where to search.

Most of UK people live near to VT in small villages. but also and in VT.

Over the years and now I continue to have contacts with people from the UK who have chosen to live here because of the specifics of my job. I do not sell real estate, I am not an agency. I will be happy to be of benefit to the people who have chosen to live in and around Veliko Tarnovo.

I've no issues with mark up nor property as it's cheap enough with land and we are happy to be located away from the tourist areas. Just need to be sure handing over a deposit blind is to a legit company whom have a proven successful process of selling people properties this way.

Any information would be appreciated

The property is in gulubovo. Thanks for your efforts.

I heard about this guy and he is a very shady person and I know he had many complaints from buyers in the past. I wouldn't trust him with my money.

If you stiil want to buy from him, make sure you have a good lawyer to make it legallly sound.

[Post deleted]

I understand condition won't be great and your paying extra for pay monthly (but that's no different to a mortgage anyway) as I'm a builder that offers no worries as even if I start again the land with electricity and water with an existing footprint is good enough, the materials in the property I'll use again anyway. My concern is how secure is the deal paperwork wise as an invoice for deposit is sent before any paperwork saying what the deposit is for, what your rights are and terms etc

I do agree with what EVTRA said. Except they aren't emptying and painting the houses, just selling them as is. That's a different British seller who empties and paints the houses then sells them on with an enormous mark-up. The houses are very much average unrenovated Bulgarian village houses, with all that entails. Some may have been empty for a while, and houses left empty inevitably deteriorate, especially village houses that are designed to be lived in, so many will have issues needing repair.

Paperwork wise - Bg Direct provide a contract that is in Bulgarian and English that lays all the terms out clearly, appears legally adequate, and covers most eventualities. That includes their rights to take possession of the property if payments are missed or bills like municipal taxes and utility bills aren't paid. The buyer gets full use of the property immediately, but the property belongs to Bg Direct until the final payment is made and the official notary transfer of ownership takes place. Copies of the contract were sent for me to sign, I sent then back, then they returned the final copies all signed by them and rubber stamped on every page in the correct Eastern European manner.

Proper invoices and receipts were done for the deposit, but not for the monthly payments. I make them by bank transfer and have screenshotted the transfers and saved them for my records. I also email the transfer screenshot to Dani, the admin person for the business. I don't get any sense they will do anything dodgy to keep my payments and reclaim the property. Hopefully I am not wrong to be trusting!

I'm pretty much taking the same approach as you, Colin. If the house is only worthy of demolishing and salvaging any useful materials to build a new house on the footprint, so be it. But I happen to like odd, quirky, vernacular houses that are hard to renovate to British standards. If I want British standards, I'll stay where I am. I want a Bulgarian village house, and this seems a useful way to get it.

[Post deleted]

Hi Evtra!

The account I send the money to is a Bulgarian business account in the company name.  I use bank transfers to pay them, and the information I add to the transfer makes it clear what the payment is for. I hope if there was ever a dispute that would give adequate proof of payments.

I'm reasonably sure they will still pay tax on the purchase price when the notary deeds go through, though you do make a good point about how much they would put as the full price. I doubt they would get away with claiming it to be less than was paid when they purchased the house from the original Bulgarian owner in September-- but that is considerably less than I am paying! I pay the tax on the notary transfer of ownership, and they pay capital gains tax. Is that right, or are there other taxes involved?

I imagine using this system there are ways to minimise tax - they can claim monthly administrative expenses and probably other expenses as tax deductions. Whether it's right or wrong to minimise tax, there are always ways for people who don't pay tax on a regular wage or salary to get creative with tax deductions.

[Post deleted]

Hmm, yes, I see what you are saying about the capital gains tax minimisation by owning the property. In Bulgaria, does that require the property to be the owner's main residence, as it does in most other countries I'm aware of? That would be tricky to show proof of, as the business owns the houses, not the individual, and he must own at least five or six most of the time.

The bill for the local taxes goes to them, as the current owner, they then invoice me for the amount, no doubt plus an administration fee. If I move into the house before ownership transfers to me, then the water and electricity bills would be in my name and my responsibility. I doubt the house is even basically liveable at present, so if I stay there before I own it I will be camping - bringing my own electricity and water. 

I can't remember if it's specifically mentioned in the contract, but completing the payment early can be done, and then the notary transfer of ownership would be done sooner. The contract states that transfer of ownership must happen within a month of the full purchase price being paid. There would be no discount for completing early. I've signed the contract to pay a set price. It was made clear that the time to negotiate a discount for paying sooner or paying in full immediately would be before the contracts are signed.

The time frame of paying off over almost two years suits me best for personal reasons, though the price is low and I could easily pay in full. I can see from the previous notary documents that I am paying in GBP twice what he paid in BGN. But my Bulgarian is not good enough to negotiate a purchase direct from the owner, and after a great deal of looking over the past few years, I haven't seen any agents selling better houses at a lower price. I am okay with the deal.

The worst case scenario would be if the business goes bankrupt before the transfer of ownership occurs. Then I would most likely lose my money. But they have been in business in Bulgaria many years. I am hopeful that they will continue to stay in business, at least until September 2022!

[Post deleted]

Hi Colin I myself have been looking at these on e Bay for sale

Hello how do I go about searching for someone to check out a potential house I like
Thank u tracy

I'm buying with Bulgaria Direct. The contract looks fine. The one thing buyers need to be aware of is that the property still belongs to them until the title is legally transferred at the notary after payment is complete. If payments are missed, the contract gives them the right to reposses the property. It's not a mortgage or credit-based thing, more like rent-to-buy.
He does do a significant mark-up on the price he paid the Bulgarian owner, but from checking out the Bulgarian language property sites for similar properties in the area, it seems he paid the original owner a fair market price. For me, it was worth paying more for the installment plan and the ease of dealing with the company rather than attempting to buy from the owner myself, or dealing with estate agents who charge a 2000 EUR fee.
Do expect that Bill has most likely shown the house in the best light in the ebay listing. If there's a side to the house with no pics, chances are it's in a fairly bad state. Also, it wouldn't be wise to spend much on renovating the property until you own it, unless you are 100% sure you won't miss a payment.
Bill and his office assistant Dani are helpful. He even sent me a huge number of extra photos of my house that he took the next time he was in the area - the bits he hadn't shown on the listing! I'd decided to buy the place anyway and already signed the contract. In fact, the bits not shown in the ebay listing were better than I'd expected.
Jeffreystracy, there are two independent guys advertising for house inspections on ebay. Bear in mind they are both builders also hoping to get renovation work!
That said, I had one inspect the first house I considered buying. It cost I think £100 or £120, but he sent me very comprehensive information that decided me not to go ahead with that property. Photos, videos, a written description of not only the property but the village, too. I feel it was money well spent, and I am far happier with the house I ended up buying.
You do need the seller's permission to have an inspection done, unless the inspector stays outside the property boundaries.

There are several agents who sell on Ebay, and maybe 3 or 4 with decent feedback. They seem to have a geographic focus so one has properties near north-east coast, one near Vidin in north-west, Emerge is Ruse, BulgariaDirect is VT.

Main pay-monthly folks are BulgariaDirect, and Paul Hawtin (Emerge). I think @janemulberry is correct that the BulgariaDirect listings are usually as-is, and Paul's typically have been cleaned/painted so they look a bit tidier. They are both good with plenty of satisfied buyers.

They don't post as much now, but I don't think it's anything sinister... Bulgarian prices have risen significantly, so it's just harder for them to find cheap houses they can make a profit on. Having seen the prices, I'm not sure they have a huge markup... especially as Brits on Ebay are still kinda looking for decent houses for 4k... and those days have long gone.

I don't think either has aggressive sales tactics, or aggressive contracts. But, for sure, as @EVTRA says, if you don't make all the payments you will lose the house. If you're on a very tight budget, it might be worth considering. But many of us would prefer to haggle up front and pay outright with cash.

Their village houses are too basic/rustic for my taste, but many love this kind of thing. Most need (unless you're a really hardy country type) a pretty serious renovation with plastering/rendering, inside/outside painting, new windows, roof overhaul, new bathroom, new kitchen,  new heating, maybe new septic, maybe insulation. But that's why they're so cheap. However, having seen their listings, I think they do a very good job in that they know Bulgaria, and they know what Brits like. So these tend to be good-sized houses, in solid (if unrenovated) condition... with a good plot... often outbuildings... often privacy of garden wall. In the trade, I think this is what they mean by "good bones", so your renovation efforts (and budget) aren't wasted on a falling-down hovel. :-)

In which case, you probably don't need to figure out a house inspection, as you can be quietly confident about what you're getting based on the photos/videos. And you don't need to worry about them running off with your deposit or including any nasties in the contract so they can cheat you later. So they've earned their commission, no? :-)

My objection is not the specific houses, or the agents. It's that we are entering high inflation (nearly 10% already in BG) so it will be quite expensive for labour (unless you do all the work yourself) and materials. I think might be cheaper to find a well-priced already-renovated house. And if you really have such a tight budget for the purchase, do you have enough money for the renovation, or a decent pension to live on? Bulgaria is still a very cheap country, but it's not as cheap as it used to be! Having said that, I'd be the first to concede that getting a house for 10k, and living comfortably on a state pension, is not something you can do in the UK.

@gwynj Hi there, is Paul's Emerge now Mowlem as it looks very similar but a different company name/domain? Anyone had experience with them? Prices have gone through the roof so not sure it's worth it anymore but at least there's no interest charged by the looks of it. I think if you can sit on it even the land these properties stand on will be worth it one day. I'm Bulgarian living abroad and can take out a loan but the interest is expected to go up even more and I don't want to be in a position where i lose the house as I can't afford the payments. Also, with these guys you can pay it off much quicker. Any current advise would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

@lekova

Welcome to the expat.com board, and good luck with your property search!

Yes, I believe Mowlem / Emerge / BulgarianOverseasProperty are all variations of Paul Hawtin. And BulgariaDirect is still offering properties.

I hear that they're good folks, and they have interesting properties for Brits moving over. But you're in a rather different position, I think.

I'm sure it can be worrying seeing prices go up a lot in your homeland, and that you might be priced out of the market. But if you're working abroad, I'm not sure you want the extra worry/hassle (or expense) of an old house in Bulgaria that you don't visit very often. My personal experience of being a remote owner is that it's a right pain in the proverbial! :-)

Maybe you're better off focusing on your career abroad? And use your income to pay your rent and living expenses, especially as everywhere is getting expensive this winter, not just Bulgaria.

Do you still have family here, and you are hoping (one day) to inherit a property (or a share of a property)? If so, maybe there's less pressure to buy something now. If you want a place you can return to every year, maybe a small "lock up and leave" apartment could be more useful?

If you just want to feel you own something in Bulgaria, what about a small regulated plot in a nice village? As a Bulgarian you can buy in your own name, no company required. This would be cheap to buy, and cheap to run (very few bills). And you can build (or throw up a prefab cabin) years from now, without having any pressure or aggravation in the meantime.

Hi Lekova! Seeing what Bulgarian property prices are doing, buying something for the future might feel wise. I left my home country (Australia) back in the 90s for what was supposed to be an extended working holiday, and soon was priced out of the market to the extent it was not financially possible for me to return. So wanting somewhere you know is yours makes perfect sense!

But I think Gwyn's advice (as usual!) is also good. There's a lot of extra expense and responsibility that comes with house ownership.

The houses Mowlem sells tend to be bigger, more expensive, and in better condition than Bulgaria Direct because they clean them out, lay concrete floors, check the roofing, and paint. But they still need a lot of work to be liveable. Bulgaria Direct tends to have lower cost houses that are likely to need work doing sooner rather than later. Neither charge interest as such and paying monthly is an attractive option, but their prices can be higher than a Bulgarian buyer would pay.

I bought with Bulgaria Direct and don't regret it. As a non-Bulgarian speaking non-EU citizen, I feel the help they provided with the buying process was well worth paying extra. But the house needs work doing very soon, just to keep it structurally sound. To be honest, I'm a little concerned what damage I might find when I return there in spring! I wanted to get the roof replaced before winter, but it wasn't possible.

Unfortunately village houses left to themselves tend to deteriorate rather fast. One slipped tile in a winter storm can end up causing a fallen ceiling and damaged wall and floor! Old wooden windows rot and collapse. And fertile village gardens turn to jungles even faster.

If you choose a house in an area where you have friends or family who can check on the place regularly for you and arrange some maintenance as needed, or if you can visit once or twice a year, owning a village house could work. I can't move into mine for five years, and will be visiting several times a year till then working on it myself, getting work done, and hopefully staying on top of the weeds so they don't spread to my neighbour's gardens.

But if that isn't an option, you may find your house in a sad state when you finally are able to get to it. Gwyn's suggestion of a small lock-and-leave apartment (make sure it has low service and maintenance charges) or a piece of regulated land, could be wiser in that case.

@colinhill0912 I don't know if they are legitimate but Bill one their workers probably his stage name is too rude to be a state agent I was pressured all day to seal the deal despite only seeing the property it on the pictures and the price being too good to be true

to the. Whilst in the process of sending my documents and asking Bill about his full name I was told the property is sold just like that

no warning I bought my car and it was more civilised than that when the dealer gives you their word, they allow you time to process what is needed, I'm glad I didn't go with this company too unprofessional from the start

It's unfortunate you had a bad experience, Sandra. But the way they work is whoever pays the deposit first gets the house. It does say that in their listings.  Their properties usually attract a lot of interested buyers and sell fast.

They are legit, and the prices are appropriate for Bulgaria, considering they are always unrenovated or semi-renovated properties that need work doing.  A little over market value to cover the cost of administering the pay-monthly and the admin assistance from Danislava, their office administrator, who's been enormously helpful. As I write this, I am sitting in a house I bought from them. I love the house and the location. The only issue I've had was that the description was over-optimistic. Not deceptive, but positives were played up and negatives omitted. Far more work is needed than I anticipated.

If you are looking to buy in Bulgaria the rising cost of renovations is something to bear in mind. My house cost 9,000 GBP, and I've just paid 7,500 GBP for a roof replacement as it leaked badly. I would guess another 20,000 GBP could easily be needed to get it even to basically liveable standards.

Hi I delt with Mowlem about 10 years back but to do my company accounts set up etc. Pav I believe is in charge can't remember the name of the girl in the office think it was Eva but they were all lovely and very trustworthy. The houses they sell are double or treble what you would pay from the actual owner in the villages. Paul I believe worked as some sort of agent to put stuff on eBay for them that was where Emerge comes in that was the name he was using on eBay and obviously taking a cut. I have NEVER met him so can not vouch for him at all. However having purchased my house from a private seller with the help of Eva who helped set up a company..bank account etc. Walked round all the relevant offices and Notaries and translated all for us for about 200 euros I can say it was money well spent and the actual purchase only took a few hours. Once you have a company set up it is really easy to buy. Don't be afraid of buying direct from sellers you will be amazed just how easy it is and how cheap houses can be. But DO get someone like Eva to translate and check all the documents for you. Then going forward if you find you trust them you can give the power of attorney to pay taxes etc if you are not in BG.

So overall I would say I would trust Pav and Eva at Mowlem. BUT they have a massive mark up after all it is a business But, Emerge and Paul whatsaface I would be more cautious about.

@sandrakassem2

Pretty sure that "Bill" is the big boss. He's a nice, helpful guy, but a bit blunt, and doesn't have much in the way of patience. They list their houses on Ebay where you bid, so it's not a typical real estate business with hand-holding. And most of their houses sell very quickly (within a couple of days of listing), so you don't usually even have time to fly out to see the place, and most act based on the photos/description (which, in fairness, is pretty comprehensive). So what you might see as pressure is really just reality: you check out the listing, you ask a few questions, you make a decision. For him "decision" = deposit transfer... not promises or documents. :-)

If you want a slower style of sale, following multiple viewings, then you definitely need a regular agent, and you need to be in Bulgaria. (Or, perhaps, you just need a better feel for how BulgariaDirect works.)

BulgariaDirect have been around for many years, and have sold a lot of Bulgarian village houses to Brits (often before they've moved over here). I would say they do a very good job of finding solid village houses that Brits will like. And they have plenty of happy customers. I came very close to buying a couple of properties, but got outbid each time.

However, in the end... I physically came over and got my resident permit sorted out (using a lawyer-supplied rental contract for immigration purposes) first. Then I figured we needed a place to live. I actually ended up buying several properties from BulgarianProperties. They are a very big agent with lots of listings all over Bulgaria, and a lot more variety than just village houses. They also do very comprehensive listings (in English, with good descriptions, plenty of photos, approximate location, often 3D room views, often videos, sometimes Whatsapp tours if you ask nicely). In most areas they have English-speaking agents who can show several properties in the same area, if you've got your heart set on a particular place.

We're very happy with our new homes in Bulgaria, and I'm happy to recommend them as an agent. But our village house is in a very desirable village near the Central Balkan National Park, and close to a city (Kazanlak), and it had already had a lot of renovation work (new windows, new insulation/render, new roof, new electrics, new plumbing, etc.). So the price is much higher... and I had to pay an agent's commission... and I had to pay it 100% up-front. It's a bit apples-and-oranges, innit. :-)

@Mollygiz

I'm not 100% sure, I admit, but my understanding is that both Mowlem and Emerge are entities run by Paul Hawtin. Like BulgariaDirect he lists mostly on Ebay, focusing on Brit buyers. I think they introduced the pay-monthly first, and then BulgariaDirect followed a couple of years later. There are multiple expat members who have purchased from them, and the feedback is good.

Like BulgariaDirect, I think they do an extremely good job of finding dry, solid village houses that will appeal to Brit buyers. The difference is that BulgariaDirect typically leave as-is, while Mowlem/Emerge do a bit of "tarting up", as described by @janemulberry.

I am always skeptical when folks say they charge a huge markup. I'm really not convinced they do. However, cleaning the place out, and giving it a lick of paint is something that most expats can easily do, so perhaps it's debatable how much value this really has. But clearly he has to pay workers to do this work (and his houses definitely look very presentable after).

I get the idea of finding the undiscovered gems and haggling direct with the owner, but I've never done that in my life! It's a really challenging option, especially for an expat who doesn't know the country/language. I'd say it's a lot easier to look at Ebay and see what's available on pay-monthly, or check out BulgarianProperties (or RightMove or any other big agent) and see what's available for your budget. Even if you pay a bit more, it's a very convenient way to go.

@janemulberry

Thank you, this is very helpful and informative as always! It's really interesting to see your experience of pay-monthly.

I agree that BulgariaDirect doesn't tell the negatives, but then which agent does? They all sell the dream, right? :-)

My view is that it's not even entirely their fault. My impression is that many have a very romantic idea of what a typical Bulgarian village house is like. And it's a bit of a reality check to start living there... after a more modern home in your own country. There are plenty of older Bulgarians who live in a very "natural" village house, so it's definitely possible. But in my village, I can see that all the Bulgarians who can afford it have done a lot of upgrades, including UPVC windows, external insulation and so on.

I think we also have a very poor idea of what it costs to do renovation work here, and we imagine it will be a few euros.

Your numbers are probably an interesting ballpark, thanks for sharing: most pay-monthlies are now around 20k UKP (cash price).., so if you add 10k for the roof... and 20k general improvements... you're up to 50k UKP. There are still some nice renovated houses around for that kind of money, and it's probably a lot less work and aggravation!

Our village house has (like many) separate upstairs and downstairs with external stairs. Upstairs was fully renovated, so we brought our suitcases and moved straight in. It's lovely, and we're very happy with the house and the location. Even so, winter was a huge shock without central heating, so I had to install 2 new AC units, and a big pellet stove!

Downstairs was a shell. I spent 25k euros on the downstairs for new electrics (cabling only, sockets not fitted), new plumbing (pipes only, bathrooms not fitted), new ducting and supports for AC units (but units not installed), new floors (concrete + water barrier + insulation), new walls, new UPVC windows, external insulation and rendering. But it's unfinished, I still need to tile the floors, plasterboard (and finish) the walls, put in 2 bathrooms, and finish all the lights and sockets. (To be fair, I had a gang of "gypsy" builders, and they worked solidly for nearly 5 months over a Pandemic summer.)

The interior work I have a pretty good comparison as I have 2 brand-new studios in Plovdiv (39 m2 including common areas) which were delivered (as most new apartments are) as "Bulgarian Standard". The work required was plastering + painting of all walls... tiling all floors... install bathroom... install fitted kitchen... install AC. Labour and material is coming in at over 20k euros each. About 500 euros / m2!

A lot of the cost is material and kitchen units and bathroom bits which would be the same in the village. Labour is big city prices, so should be less in a small village (maybe).

I would say that they are very tastefully finished, and quite contemporary. But I didn't do plasterboard ceilings and recessed lights, and I kept a very simple colour scheme (2 colours only). I didn't buy the absolute cheapest possible items, but I got almost everything from Praktiker, and I got stuff in their sales, or chose mid-range options.

Plus it took a year, and it was a right pain in the proverbial.

@sandrakassem2
Pretty sure that "Bill" is the big boss.
-@gwynj

No, Bill is an employee. I wondered if he and Damiano Baldi who owns BgDirect were the same person, just using an Anglicised name, but they aren't. I met Damiano when we went to the notary to finalise my first house. A nice guy with an Italian name, fluent Bulgarian, and excellent English with a strong Scottish accent as he went to uni there. I asked if he was Bill. His reply -"Moost definitely noot!" I guess he gets asked that a lot!

I don't sense anything dodgy about the company. They sell to the first to pay, and like all estate agents the descriptions focus on the positives and ignore the negatives, but they aren't scammers.

@janemulberry
My impression is that many have a very romantic idea of what a typical Bulgarian village house is like. And it's a bit of a reality check to start living there... after a more modern home in your own country.
-@gwynj

And your numbers are interesting and helpful tooas I'll need to get much of the same work done.

But no way did I have a romanticised view of village houses. I'd visited Bulgaria seven times and seen many village houses over ten years. I expected weird plumbing, minimal electrics, dirt floors under old cracked lino, straw clay on the wooden floors, and some wonky ceilings.

If I'm told a house has an inside bathroom and the place needs no immediate work doing, I don't expect to discover a month later that the toilet streams water all over the floor when it's flushed or that rain pours through the roof and down an interior wall, including into light switches and electric sockets! Or that the main bedroom is unusable because the ceiling over the bed is ready to collapse.

As my original intention was to use this house as a base while I worked on the older first house, and then sell it on as is once the first house was livable, it was something of a surprise!

Maybe meant to be, as despite my tears on the first night here when I saw the place needed so much more work than anticipated, I love the house. It has a far more convenient location than the shack, and I'm blessed with wonderful neighbours.

@janemulberry

I've read a few of their descriptions over the years and their idea of an "inside bathroom" is VERY different from what most of us would expect! :-)