The Advantages and Disadvantages of Buying a Home in Bulgaria

If you are looking into moving abroad to live in Bulgaria and would like to buy a home instead of renting out a place to live you should weigh the various advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a home before you take that leap. There are definitely certain advantages and certain disadvantages to being a homeowner in Bulgaria. However, most expatriates find that the advantages of being a home in Bulgaria carry more weight than the disadvantages.

Bulgaria is known for its mild climate which it enjoys most of the year. The summers in Bulgaria are hot on the coast and snowy in the mountain regions. Because of this favorable climate Bulgaria is being sought out more and more as a tourist destination. There has also been a recent influx of airline carriers making flights to and from Bulgaria.

Bulgaria remains a relatively low key and largely unknown country. This fact entices people that like to discover what the country has to offer. Bulgaria offers many cultural and leisure activities as well as great scenery and rustic villages.

Bulgarians are generally a friendly bunch of people. In fact most people you meet in Bulgaria will go out of their way to help you, which makes for great neighbors.

Living in Bulgaria you will notice that the cost of living is relatively cheap, especially compared to western Europe and the United States. Expat retirees that purchase a home in Bulgaria and live off of a pension are able to live quite well.

If you buy a home in a more tourist area of Bulgaria you may be able to make some extra money by renting all or part of it out to tourists. There is a growing demand for rental accommodations in the resort areas of Bulgaria.

A major disadvantage to buying a home and living in Bulgaria is the communication barrier if you do not speak Bulgarian or read the Cyrillic alphabet. There are also some restrictions on land ownership for foreigners. You may also notice a lack of available flights out of the country in the off season as well as overcrowding during high tourist season. Depending on what region you buy a home in you may also have to deal with poor roads and infrastructure.

If you are looking into buying along the coast you may want to think twice if you are concerned about pollution. Bourgas has a large commercial port as well as an oil refinery. And Varna features what is left of the shipbuilding industry as well as being a large port with a naval base.