About Bulgaria

Many people are now looking at Bulgaria as a place to buy properties for investment or as holiday homes. There are many properties for sale in the Country and in the beach areas of Bulgaria.

Aquarius Properties Abroad now list a huge range of Bulgarian properties for sale, (apartments, duplex, villas, houses, commercials, etc).

Although quite a small country, Bulgaria has a whole range of attractions within its borders. Mountain ranges with skiing in winter and nature walks in summer, to the 220 miles of beach fringed coastline, known as the "Black Sea Riviera".

Geography:

Situated in southeastern Europe, Bulgaria occupies the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. To the North, via the Danube River, it borders on Romania, to the West – on Serbia and Montenegro and on the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. To the South its neighbours are Greece and Turkey. To the East Bulgaria touches the Black Sea, which links it also to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. The Black Sea borderline is 378 km (240 miles) long. The country’s total territory is 111 000 sq. km (43 000 sq. miles).

Demographics

Population (July 2001 est.): 7,707,495.
Growth rate (July 2001 est.): -1.14%.
Ethnic groups (1998): Bulgarian 83%, Turkish 8.5%, Roma 2.6%, and others.
Religions (1998): Bulgarian Orthodox 83.5%, Muslim 13%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, others.
Language: Bulgarian (official).
Health: Life expectancy (2001 est.) - male: 67.72 years; female: 74.89 years.

The Bulgarian climate suits those who prefer their summers hot but not stiflingly so, with temperatures around 30 degrees centigrade along the coast. Reasonable, in Bulgaria, rainfall gives the countryside a pleasant lush greenness, with a huge range of plants and thick forests. Where flower covered meadows may be just past memories in much of Western Europe, here in Bulgaria they still exist, to delight the senses. Ideal growing conditions produce excellent quality foods, often organic, and good quality Bulgarian wine.

The predominant climate in Bulgaria is moderate and transitional continental. (2,000 to 2,400 hours of sunlight per year). Four seasons. Dry and hot summer. Average temperature (April - September): + 23 °C. Cold winter with snowfalls, average temperature: 0 °C. The average yearly temperature is 10.5 °C. A Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild, humid winters, prevails in the valley of the southwestern Rhodope Mountains. The northern limits of the climatic zone is the Balkan Range

The average January temperature in Sofia ranges between -4° and 2°. The July temperature ranges between 16° and 27° C. Along the Black Sea, the average January temperature ranges between -1° and 6° C and the July temperature ranges between 19° and 30° C. The soft transitional Mediterranean climate and the fertile soils are very suitable for growing the century-famed Bulgarian attar-yielding rose – a valuable raw material for perfumery, medical products, food and wine, and tobacco industries

Low Cost of Living

The high taxes and production costs in EU countries can make holidays and second homes there an expensive experience. Bulgaria by contrast is low cost, remarkably so. The local currency, the Lev, is pegged to the Euro and does not reflect its true intrinsic value. In other words, it's not as highly valued as it should. This helps Bulgarian exports and foreigners who wish to invest in Bulgaria. The country seems determined to join the EU in 2007, so this window of opportunity is limited.

As for the Bulgarian housing market, a lot of property can be bought for not much money. Over the past year prices have risen sharply, particularly in the main coastal areas, but there is still a long way to go to reach "European levels". Of course, many will equate low prices with high risk. It's normal to have anxiety about the unknown or unusual. The reality, however, should reassure. Bulgarians have always valued private property, as shown by their very high levels (equal to UK) of home ownership, even during Communist times. Their experience of those difficult years now motivates them to modernise and reach out to opportunity. It's a generally friendly country, with a long history of dealing with conflict that makes them tolerant and easy going. Tourism is recognised by the government as a key industry for them and foreign investment is welcomed.

The Black Sea Coast

Bulgaria's coastline is one of the last warm European coastlines yet to be developed. Only about 3 1/2 hours flying time from UK, it is an alternative to the Mediterranean. It is attracting the lion's share of property investment, from hotel building to the purchase of private villas and apartments.

Find out more about Bulgaria Property at Wikipedia

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