Fri, Feb 10 2012
Britons were warned to be careful when buying property in Bulgaria, because it could turn out that they are buying in resorts established illegally.
Low prices and nice climate made Bulgaria one of the most popular destinations for British property investors, but the homes bought in the coastal resort of Golden Pearl may end up demolished, Daily Mail said.
The resort was built in Strandzha preserve, which provoked the discontent of environmentalists. The World Wide Fund (WWF) asked officials to revoke planning permission because such violated European Union environmental rules.
WWF had informed the European Commission on the case, Daily Mail said.
The fund said that other similar establishments could `face the bulldozers.' New complexes in Black Sea resorts and Bansko winter resort may turn out to be illegal, the report said.
Property in Bulgaria costs about 40 000 to 50 000 British pounds. In the UK a house costs as much as 200 000 pounds.
Average market prices of homes in Sofia fell by one per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010, according to the Raiffeisen Real Estate Index, as quoted by Klasa daily.
Proportionately, the number of transactions in leva increased as people reacted to speculation that the euro would disappear.
Nearly all banks are ready to finance between 80 per cent and 90 per cent of the price of a home, provided it is a good building in a large city, Bulgarian daily says.
Property prices in Bulgaria were five to 10 per cent lower in 2011 than in 2010, while initial estimates for this year are that they will remain largely unchanged, with transactions remaining at ‘crisis levels’.
Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia ranks 17th, report says, quoting Global Property Guide.