It is increasingly common to get into conversation with a taxi driver in London and find he knows one who has just bought in Bulgaria or is about to retire there. More and more people are choosing to retire abroad and many of them are choosing Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian education system offers a reasonable education from infant school onwards, with a very high rate of entry to university. The big drawback, however, is the language. A child from Britain entering the local school system would struggle to keep up initially.
The idea of owning a vineyard is a dream for many people, and one that is quite possible in Bulgaria. Small plots for home produce and commercial vineyards are both attracting investors. There are now one or two agents specialising in such properties, and many rural properties come complete with a small vineyard.
Bulgaria is traditionally an agricultural country, and farming is still a major employer – 24 per cent of the workforce is employed in farming. Land has always been an emotive subject in the country where so much of it was taken from private owners after 1945.The government has now returned thousands of acres of land to former owners or their descendants.
Self-employment covers anything from writing to farming. If you plan to be self-employed you will have to ask yourself many of the same questions as someone who is looking for work. Owing to the low cost of living, many people find Bulgaria a perfect place to spend some time and relax, or to work on a dream project.
Most foreigners buying a house will also register a company, since, as already stated, foreigners cannot yet own land outright but must do so through a ocally registered company.The lawyer dealing with your purchase will normally organise this foryou. When registering the company there is an opportunity to list which activities the company will undertake. Use this opportunity to register any activities you might consider for your own business.
In 1946, with Bulgaria under Communist rule, King Simeon II was forced into exile at the age of nine. When Communism collapsed across Europe in 1989, Bulgaria became a democracy and in 2001 the former king returned and became prime minister under his own political party, ‘The Movement for King Simeon II’. He set up […]
Wise property-buyers seek to understand the story of the area they invest in. There are many good guides to Bulgarian history, some of which are listed under ‘Further Reading’, p.216. But why is history important to property-buyers?
Apart from increasing the enjoyment of a place, history can help explain why Bulgarian property is such a good investment today and help in deciding where in the country to buy.
In common with most countries, Bulgaria and the Bulgarians can only really be understood when something is known of the country’s history.The Ottoman Empire, which included southeast Europe from the 14th to the 19th centuries, inevitably created a sense of being outside Europe, which remains to this day. Like the British, the Bulgarians refer to […]
France and Spain, traditional favourites for British property-buyers, are losing out to a handful of emerging markets such as Bulgaria, Dubai and Cape Verde, a survey shows.The annual global property hotspot report recently released by currency specialists HiFX (2007) puts the shift partly down to a new spirit of adventurousness in British buyers.The emerging markets […]