Bulgaria- Sofia

i am thinking of buying property in sofia, bulgaria! im a bit confused as to which area i should buy in, some-one told be before that the area nearest the mountains is where all the new development is going, is this correct?? any information on this would be very helpful. Also could anyone tell me exactly how far the slopes are from there, thanks

Sofia appears to be situated in the valley between 2 mt ranges

http://maps.google.com/maphp?ie=UTF8&t=h&om=0&z=11&ll=42.697577,23.36998&spn=0.351233,0.63858

Just as a general observation I would imagine anything near the mts and outside the ring road would be pretty hard to rent. There appears mile upon mile of space near the northern range within the ring road, hopelessly far from the city centre unfortunately. Seems to be a prime site to sell to Paddys.

thanks, i ment where in sofia!! when i was looking it up i noticed that ring road alright, any chance you know the names of any good areas to buy in?? Im kinda wary of bulgaria but i reckon sofia is the best bet??

If you are 'kinda wary' of Bulgaria then for crying out loud why would you invest there? Herd mentality too often pervades amateur investors thinking.

Look elsewhere where yo will feel comfortable investing. France, Spain, Hungary?

Go away and research investment in Bulgaria, then come back and tell us all you were about to buy an investment property there, did your research, and saved yourself a fortune.

Sofia is a nice investment, especially if you pick up a good spot. There are a number of new callcentres being located there with an increasing number of foreigners moving in to work (language specialists) so like in Bratislava the housing market is benefitting. Sofia stands at a very good location in the Balkan region, not quite as good as Belgrade, but it's a stopping off point along the super route north and not as isolated as neighbours. While I'd curl my gums at the polluted Black Sea coast (except possibly Sochi) and the Bulgarian patch in particular, Sofia is a sound investment if you buy and rent right. An example is from my uncle who was driving through there with me, liked it, looked around and bought a 2 bed 62m2 apartment for €67,000 (fees etc included) near Joliot Curie St. and since 2005 has been bringing in €500 per month rent from (at 1st) Slovenes, Dutch, Bulgarian and now Serbian. If you've been there, liked the place, then have a look around.

Would agree that Sofia is a good place as any to buy. Area near mountain is popular with Bulgarians as a 'villa' zone and nice and close to ski slopes of Vitosha mountain but most development going on nearer city centre and industrial centres. Apartments can still be bought for around 45,000E upwards. I do not personally deal with Sofia but have a friend who sells there if you are interested. But do go and see the place before buying. Sofia is not for everyone. Very busy, noisy, congested....but I guess that goes for most cities.

Rachel

A huge amount of empty and unsold apartments in Sofia, so in effect they should be almost giving them away, but they are not.

Best investments in Sofia would not be in the residential sectors, more opportunities in sites and good commercial. However there are stories of mafia involvement in some commercial areas that would mean that you need to be careful and sure of what you are buying. With good local knowledge that you are sure you can trust, there are bargains to be had, but a lot of rubbish as well unfortunately.

Sofia has prospects, but it is not a place for the faint hearted!