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Case Study: “I’ve bought a rural property that needs doing up”

A Place in the Sun Magazine, January 2010

A case study published in the A Place in the Sun Magazine: Recently retired (but still making violin and bow cases), Richard Pickles, from Leeds, completed on a village house in Bulgaria at the end of last year.

“My property is a two-storey villa located in a small village in the rural outskirts of Sofia, approximately 25 minutes’ drive from the city centre and about 45 kilometres from the airport.

“It is situated on a 1,015-squaremetre plot of land, which is currently overgrown but at one time was planted with fruit trees.

“Inside, the property has no amenities whatsoever, except for mains electricity. So currently it is undergoing a complete refurbishment, both inside and out. That includes the installation of a kitchen, bathrooms and so on, as well as outside installation and rendering.

“The property consists of four bedrooms – two with terraces, two shower rooms, a living/dining room leading to a large terrace, and a two-roomed basement below.

“The property cost GBP 13,741, including all legal costs and expenses, and the sale was completed in November 2009. I bought through a company called Bulgarian Properties, who I first heard of through A Place in the Sun magazine. I then looked on their website for suitable properties within my price bracket – the one I eventually bought stood out immediately so I arranged a viewing.

“After viewing the property, which I liked immediately, and obtaining a good quote from a very professional builder that came recommended, I decided to go ahead and buy it.

“In total the whole buying process took about two and a half months, and I was helped extensively throughout the whole buying process by Bulgarian Properties.

“I bought the property as an investment and with a view to letting it. It’s large enough for families and has year-round appeal – the area offers skiing in the winter, and walking, drawing and painting holidays in the summer. I intend to visit the property as often as I can.

“Although I had never visited Bulgaria before or heard much about it, I was instantly struck but the friendliness of the people, the climate and the culture. The property is within easy reach of the bustling capital yet is set in a quiet village surrounded by hills and mountains.

“In future I would like to be able to set up a company that specialises in liaising with British people wanting to buy in Bulgaria.”

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Read the A Place in the Sun article about the property market in Bulgaria

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