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I've bought 2 properties of Bulgarian properties had no issues at all, i bought a house 20 years ago and an apartment 15 years ago. There not the cheapest but a professional company

Hope this helps

Sharon

@maureendevine

Like @sharonwhiteley69, I'm also a fan. I've purchased 3 properties from them with no issues at all, and I had no problem giving them a POA to sign on my behalf and get the utilities put in my name. Our 3 include our village house, our flat in Plovdiv, and our holiday studio in Bansko. They are in excellent areas and we're delighted with them. The regional offices are small satellite offices for a couple of agents to work out of, so there's not a lot going on there. They usually have people who speak a bit of English so it's fairly easy to go view properties and discuss them.

They have a lot of listings all over Bulgaria, and they stay active until you reserve a property. To do this you have to pay your reservation deposit (2k euros, I think), usually by card. So if you see something you like, you have to be comfortable with this immediate payment with minimal paperwork (simple reservation agreement). The formal transfer process probably takes 4-6 weeks, and they have a legal department in Sofia who can handle everything if you want them to.

If you want a bit of feedback, please feel free to send me a private message with the listing link for the property you like.

They don't really get many reviews on TrustPilot so it's not a very representative feedback. One review is about a different company, and some of the complaints are pretty general Bulgarian purchase issues, rather than the fault of an agent. I've dealt with their sales agents in Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Bansko and all were very helpful (the Bansko guy even went over to the studio and did a Whatsapp tour for me, so I didn't have to go over and look at it). I've also dealt several times with one of their sales managers who has always been straightforward and helpful. As mentioned, I've given them a POA a couple of times which allows them to go to the notary and complete the purchase on my behalf... but this also means I sent the company the full purchase price (and expenses) to their client account, and they made all the disbursements. You don't have to do this. You can appoint a separate attorney (extra cost, maybe 1k euros and up), and you can go in person to the notary and electricity company.

But, you know, they're agents, and they make commission when they sell a property. So I think estate agents and second-hand car dealers get a bad rep because of this. It's simply the nature of this kind of business that they're a bit pushy and want to get deals done... and probably get pretty ticked off if you drag them around the country viewing lots of properties without buying anything. :-) On the plus side, they have pretty good listings with a good description and plenty of photos (sometimes even 3D room views), so it's pretty easy to make a shortlist. For me (together with Google Maps/StreetView) it was enough for me to make a decision without viewing... but even so I'd still recommend an in-person viewing if you can, especially as it's not just about the property itself but the neighbours and the location/village.

Good luck with your purchase!

@gwynj

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply gwynj.

I don't take much notice of reviews normally as people normally have an axe to grind, it was more the lack of reviews after 20 years that threw me

I feel suitably reassured now so thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

Regards

Maureen

    @gwynj
Thank you so much for such a detailed reply gwynj.
I don't take much notice of reviews normally as people normally have an axe to grind, it was more the lack of reviews after 20 years that threw me
I feel suitably reassured now so thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
Regards
Maureen
   

    -@maureendevine

Well, they also trade as bulgarianproperties(dot)bg; if you use Google Maps, you can drill down to the various offices all over Bulgaria and get a feel for how they operate.  It's worth looking at as many of the ratings there as your patience permits, since they are all part of the same operation.  For example, their head office is in ulitsa Zlaten Rog, Sofia and has 35 reviews, with a rating of 2.9/5; the other Sofia office is rated at 4.5.

It's always worth looking at reviews; you're right that there are often people with an axe to grind, but on the other hand it's also easy for any company to produce glowing, but totally bogus, testimonials*. NEVER let your guard down: personal recommendations are always useful, but that person may simply have been lucky - and not just once but several times. You simply don't know what may be happening behind the scenes, at any given time, so don't let yourself get sucked in by anyone.  It's also worth noting that they clearly label their sales staff as "Brokers".

Full Disclosure:  would I use them to buy a property?  Yes, I would - but a couple of the brokers there are long-standing family friends, and I know for certain that they wouldn't let me get ripped off in any way.  As far as I know, they are a professional outfit with ethics to match.

*To the best of my knowledge and belief their testimonials on Google are totally genuine, but I have never questioned my friends about that topic.  I've never used them to buy a property, simply because the majority of their properties are either not in any area that interests me or out of my price range for the property on offer. They may be kosher, but they don't sell cheap property!

Hi all

does anyone know anything of blackseavillas.net? they have a property i am interested in and seem to be easy to deal with

Hi Ron! Our house is in the area they work in. I didn't buy with them, but a few forum members have, including one who bought in my village. But I don't know if those members are still active here. They certainly didn't report anything bad in their experiences, but I'm not sure either had been to see the houses they bought at the time they posted here. You may get a more useful response if you start a new thread and put Black Sea Villas in the title.

I would say, as with most village houses in Bulgaria for sale by anyone, not just Black Sea Villas, expect it to be in somewhat worse condition than the photos show.  Unless they state and clearly show that the house has been fully renovated, it's very likely you'll find a leaky roof, damaged ceilings, earth floors under carpets, limited plumbing, ancient windows, and overgrown gardens.

That's not to put you off, however! Our house has all of that, and after some shock at unexpected problems and a few tears the first day I spent there, I love it and we can't wait to be able to move. But it's wise to budget for renovations to cost more than you think.

Of course, property brokers should always be grateful to any self-declared experts who offer public-spirited but totally unsolicited opinions of properties that they haven't visited, based on photographs of unknown vintage and with no knowledge of the current state of the building. When someone qualified to determine whether a property is in the "right" location and offered at a price which is fitting to that location and the facilities it offers is kind enough to offer their respectful and most 'umble advice on if and how they should list it, one would certainly expect them to express due deference.

However, their role isn't to be be an arbiter of whether any given offering is a once in a lifetime opportunity or a potential death-trap, a bargain or a money-pit, in a good location or lost in the wilderness. They're property brokers and their role is to offer properties to anyone who is looking to buy one - every aspect of the suitability of any piece of real estate is the business of the potential purchaser, based on their individual requirements and intentions. What they aren't is babysitters or Cassandras, and it behoves potential purchasers to do their due diligence very seriously.

The Nanny State isn't a thing here in the Wild East and most people who come here looking for cheap properties need to realise that there can be a serious downside to making foolish or hasty decisions - there's no safety net for those who don't have the nous to protect themselves.

Good post. I would reiterate to the un educated ....... it is the Wild West out here .... where the big ones can very easily eat the little ones. There is good property and decent deals to be had .... but buyer beware ..... no one holding your hand.

LOL, great reply, @JimJ, to a post that appears to have been removed.

I looked online, but couldn't find the property the poster referred to so can't form any judgement about it, but it sounded fairly typical Bulgarian building to me.

We do need to be very much grown-ups when it comes to buying property in Bg. Sellers aren't going to necessarily point out all the issues with properties, indeed, any of the issues with the property. Standards may be different to Western European or British expectations.

We need to either check carefully before buying, or be willing to take the risk of finding our online bargain will cost us more than we expected in repairs. I suspect that's the case with most bargains, anyway, so going in with that expectation is a wise starting point.