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They're all dependable and honest, until they aren't! First of all, try not to call them "agents" or anything other than "brokers" - it'll help you to always remember that they are unregulated and unanswerable in Bulgaria.

You also have to beware of sellers who likewise aren't dependable and honest, and there's no shortage of lawyers here who aren't either. You can't always rely on notaries either, and any screw-ups they make are for you to pay to sort out. So never take anything at face value, it's just as easy to end up ripped off as a result of incompetence as malfeasance.

Pick your lawyer as carefully as you can: getting a lazy/incompetent/crooked one is easy but untold financial and legal damage can ensue. I don't know if "Rachel G" lurks on this forum under some nom de plume, but if she does, she has quite a talent to tell of being ripped for a hefty sum by a legal ne'er-do-well who she reported to the bar council here. He promptly sued her, essentially for hurt feelings, and the court awarded him another substantial sum in damages... Bulgarian courts are a law unto themselves, as well as living in another world!

You also need to bear in mind that if Johnny Foreigner (I'm allowed to say that because I am one...😎) "speaks English" that doesn't mean that he speaks it as well as you do, or that he uses words with the same meaning as you do. Keep your discussions simple and always confirm them via email, spelling out what you think you talked about and how you intend for things to proceed based on that. Ask the same question as often as you need, in order to be sure you understand what you're being told and to be sure you're both on the same page. Stuff can come out of the woodwork years later!

Also remember that your lawyer can be anywhere in Bulgaria, they don't have to be in the same town, or region. You can talk face to face on Viber, WhatsApp etc.

@duggy38

If you're buying, it's pretty straightforward: find a property you like, go to the notary and do the legal purchase (and pay the seller). You don't strictly need a solicitor/attorney, and most dodgy dealings occur because the buyer gives a POA (power of attorney) and/or actual money to an unscrupulous person/agent/friend/attorney.

If you prefer to pay a bit extra for an attorney to double-check everything, I'm happy to recommend mine (just IM me).

Unwary buyers do get pressured into making quick decisions on overpriced or otherwise unwise properties. Don't rush into a deal, and stay away from any high-pressure salespeople. Check the property/location being offered by comparing with the sites I mention.

Also, Google Street View doesn't go everywhere, but most villages have at least one or two roads covered so you can see what the village and countryside looks like, even if the specific house isn't visible. If no Street View (or from many years ago) that's less encouraging, as is a village full of tumble-downs (rather than nice renovations).

Bulgaria has a declining population and a migration to the cities (or abroad). This means lots of villages are declining or even dead. Abandoned villages often have cheap properties. Some villages (in scenic areas / close to large towns) remain popular and see many properties renovated (and prices are significanly higher).

Given the above, you can confidently buy via most of Bulgaria's plentiful agents/brokers who have loads of properties all over Bulgaria.

I'd start with the biggest sites: they're Imot (dot bg), suprimmo (dot net), Property (dot bg). They have a ton of listings, so gotta be worth checking them out. BulgarianProperties (dot com) are also large and reputable and specialize in expats, very easy to deal with, and they have an easily searchable website with properties of all types throughout Bulgaria. At the very least, it's great for research so you can see what your budget will get you in various areas.

Next I head to RIghtMove (dot co uk), the UK's top property portal, with a popular Overseas section. There are plenty of Bulgarian listings from many (smaller/regional) agents/brokers, and you can search by budget and area (e.g. Southern). Most of them are very obviously legit (rather than fly-by-night scam artists). Of particular note are BulgariaDirect and Mowlem/Emerge as they're the pay-monthly (a kind of owner-financing deal, over a few years, rather than a standard bank mortgage) specialists, which might be an interesting way to get more village house for your up-front budget.

Ebay doesn't have the property bargains of many years ago, but it might be worth a quick look just in case.

Buying costs (commission, notary, transfer taxes, etc.) should be around 10%. Once you own, utilities are cheaper than UK and property tax is MUCH cheaper than UK. Also note that UK (and all non-EU buyers) will have to buy a house (not a flat) via a Bulgarian company (instead of in their own name). A small extra cost/admin, but not a deal breaker.

Finally, I recommend pushing the boat out as far as you can budget-wise. Get the best property in the best location as near to a large town/city as you can afford. You'll be here for years, so it doesn't pay to be a cheapskate. :-)

Good luck with the search!

Thanks for your in depth reply Gwyn, there’s a lot of good information I can take on board, I’m actually in Bulgaria at the minute holidaying, I intend to enjoy the rest of my holiday as I thought I should try before I buy, so it’s the first time I have been to Bulgaria and I’m quite happy with what I have seen so far, I am  leaning to a house in a village at the moment for obvious reasons, so I will finish my holiday and return again over the winter months as I think that is the best time to view when I can get a clear and down to earth picture of Bulgaria. Thanks again for all the advice

It's certainly true that you don't NEED a lawyer (just like you don't need one in the UK - but do you know enough about buying and selling property there to DIY the job?)  and, as with property brokers, don't call or think of them as solicitors - it can lull you into a false sense of security and an expectation of all sorts of safeguards that simply don't exist here. 

The notary's job is essentially to ensure that what you're signing is a valid property transaction and contract, he/she is NOT there to safeguard your interests; if you're signing a contract that disadvantages you in any way that's your business, not the notary's.  He/she will read out the contract, in Bulgarian and at machine-gun speed, and that means that you've heard, understood, and agreed to everything that's in it once you've signed it.

You hire a lawyer to ensure that the contract is fair - or puts you at an advantage - and there are no problems that can come back to bite you; you'd be amazed at the kind of nasties that can appear after you think you've bought a property here! The idea of a lawyer "double-checking" the contract presupposes that someone else has already thoroughly checked it; that someone should have been a person who can read and understand Bulgarian perfectly, and who has your interests at heart - but that contract comes straight from the seller... 

Hiring a reliable lawyer costs very little in the context of a property purchase, and I'd strongly suggest that it's pretty much indispensable. You'll certainly meet people who've decided to penny pinch and have survived to tell the tale, but conversely you'll meet others who wish they hadn't tried to be "clever" and save a few bob...😎

@duggy38

Good advice on both the positive and negative aspects from @JimJ and @gwynj!

Especially if looking at lower priced village properties, it's important to know that unrenovated village houses are likely to need a lot of work done, and possibly more than is obvious even when the house is viewed -- for example earth floors under lino, damaged walls hidden behind furniture. As we've found with our "bargain" house, renovation can work out quite spendy and time consuming! Possibly the best value village properties are already renovated houses being sold by expats.

Choosing a good village and having good neighbours makes a huge difference! Some rural villages are dying, practically deserted with minimal services. Some are in popular areas and booming, with prices to match. Some are unwelcoming to incomers or have crime problems. Some are happy to help incomers and have enough services to be decent places to live.

We bought our house unseen on the internet from a long-standing pay-monthly seller, not intending to live in it, simply to buy a property before the Brexit cut-off date to qualify for residency under the pre-Brexit rules (which for various reasons didn't happen). The seller was fine and I'd gladly recommend them, but online listings do tend to talk up the good points and downplay or downright ignore bad points about properties and locations. It's wise to try to see a house first to avoid unwelcome surprises! As it happens, despite all the issues with our house, we've fallen in love with the place and the village and intend to move there.

We were very blessed, our village is small and rural in an agricultural non-tourist region and doesn't look wonderful at first glance (and appears absolutely awful in winter when there's no greenery to disguise things!). It has shrunk dramatically since the fall of communism so has lots of abandoned decaying houses and closed-down businesses. Despite that, it's still alive and welcoming, and a nice place to live, with new businesses starting, old homes being renovated by locals and Bulgarians moving back from the cities. Best  and most important, we have wonderful neighbours. When you view a property, try to talk to the neighbours, too. Go in the village shop and acfe to get a feel for the place. The nicest house in a bad village will always be an unpleasant place to live. The worst house in a nice village can be renovated.