Other locations
As well as an attractive coastline, Bulgaria also has attractive cities, mountains and countryside. These destinations have more competition from other European countries. Nevertheless, the property boom has affected the whole of Bulgaria, and even the poorest investment a few years ago has returned a healthy profit. However things change, and we were interested in the best investment for the future. This page describes the alternatives we considered.Ski resorts
Bulgaria has a few ski resorts, but they are small compared with the average Austrian/Swiss or French resort, and not of interest to the regular skier. They are fine for beginners, and the best property investment has been in hotels providing accommodation for tour operators. However the construction of new pistes is well behind the construction of hotels and apartments, leading to overcrowding.Cities
The capital Sofia has seen the highest demand for property, with many multinationals arriving over the past few years. However construction has caught up with demand, and it is now more difficult to rent property. Plovdiv never really had a shortage of property (rental prices remain low), the construction boom was largely fuelled by foreign investment. There have also been huge price rises in the coastal towns of Varna and Bourgas. It looks like we have missed the boat for further investment in the cities.Countryside
The demand for property in the villages has come from individuals mainly from the UK. For years Bulgarians have been moving from the countryside to the cities. A few years ago, the first foreigners to buy property in the villages were met by disbelief, the locals could not believe that anyone would pay 'huge' amounts of money to buy a house in a 'lost' village. However as this phenomena become known, all the 'unsellable' property was sold, and prices rose - though they are still very cheap. The main problems with this type of property is the poor build quality, and maintenance issues if the house is left empty. There is no real rental market for village houses. This does not apply to villages near the cities, seaside, or ski resorts, which have seen significant price rises.Conclusion
We believe that there are investment in the cities, mountains and countryside which could provide a good return in the future, but they are becoming harder to find, and are more risky than an investment by the seaside.>>> Back to "Q & A"