Real Estate Information

Luxury Real Estate Information


Rancho Palos Verdes, California Homes
Palos Verdes, California Homes
South Bay, California Homes
Luxury Mexican Beachfront Homes

Featured Properties


Oceanfront Estate Near Trump National

Related Information


Loan Information
Real Estate Information
Mortgage Refinance Information

Property for Sale in Bulgaria - Emerging Property Markets 1


The latest investment property headline is this: Popular and well trodden markets such as France and Spain are out, Bansko is in.

Where?

Bansko, Bulgaria. Fast becoming one of Europe's hottest ski resorts and showing no signs of slowing down for beginners, Bansko is where the smart money is being invested. From as little as £30,000 you can own a 1 bedroom apartment in the heart of Bulgaria's trendiest ski resort, at the base of the imposing Pirin Mountain range. It sounds impressive but is it just a flash in the pan or a serious investment opportunity promising high rental yields and real capital growth?

The skiing is first class, that much is not in doubt. The high peaks offer powder white snow for up to 5 months of the year and the summer season continues for another 2, providing a wonderful holiday home for ski enthusiasts and great returns for buy-to-let investors. Plenty of money has been pumped into facilities and the ski school ensures that beginners and experts alike are catered for. There are plans to double the length of the runs at Bansko over the next 10 years so whilst this is a relatively new ski resort; it is certainly a progressive and well maintained one.

A very old town full of character, situated just 150km south of Sofia, Bansko is about 2 hours from the nearest Bulgarian airport. It lies at the base of Vihren, the highest mountain in the Pirin range at almost 3000m. Bansko is interestingly placed geographically, close to the border with Greece and Macedonia and there is the planned Greek-Thessalonic Highway that will connect Bansko to Greece by road. It is said that on a fine day you can see all the way to the Aegean from the Pirin Mountains. In theory, when you finish skiing in Bansko in April you could drive to Greece for a dip in the Aegean.

The cobbled streets of the town itself are clean and well lit. Amongst the obligatory 'après ski' styled bars and night-clubs are the mehanas, underground taverns offering local cuisine and live music. Currently the town is representative of a building site with scaffolding and cement mixers a plenty. Looking beyond the production equipment, one can quite quickly see that the ends will justify the means. Bansko has clearly been the subject of considerable investment into an improved infrastructure. Certainly more so than competing, better known towns such as Borovets or Pamporovo.

Non-skiers are catered for with beautiful walks, historic Roman ruins, volcanic mineral spring water public baths, equestrian activities and plans for at least one 18 hole golf course. The environment itself is protected by UNESCO and is Bulgaria's largest national park, ensuring that overdevelopment should not rear its ugly head, or at least, limit it's impact.

So what do you really need to know?

There have been a few negative stories floating around in the press and on TV, but as with all things most of these issues could have been easily curtailed with a little good advice and lots of homework. It is important to remember that you are dealing with an emerging market; by it's very nature not as predictable as the currently stagnating Costa-del-everyman. Having said this it seems that these warning signs pertain to properties on the Black Sea Coast rather than ski resorts. The ski season in Bansko is considerably longer than the coastal season and the mayor of Bansko is attempting to restrict Bansko to just 8000 beds, ensuring that the region does not become overdeveloped and saturated.

Regardless of what you chose to do, it is very important to seek independent legal advice. No matter how seductive the sales patter, you need to know that planning permission has been granted, the land title ratified, and that there is no outstanding mortgage on the land and so on.

Always be wary of developers who want you to agree to a different price on the notary deed. This can adversely affect your capital gains tax when you come to sell.

Always enquire about added costs such as maintenance charges you might be expected to pay above and beyond the purchase price and be aware that not all agents provide refundable deposits.

So is Bansko a good bet for the future?

Yes. A long ski season is great for buy-to-let investors and it is already a proven, popular destination for skiers. Lots of money is being spent on improving infrastructures and facilities and with accession into the EU for Bulgaria in 2007, significant capital growth can be expected. One of the most important factors will be access, and with several budget airlines currently looking to add Bulgaria to their list of destinations - Bansko should enjoy a huge increase in demand.

If you're reading this then you're already using the internet to research Bulgarian property investment issues. Another great way to figure out what's going on is to seek the opinions of those who have already bought: Check out www.talkbasko.com

Emerging property markets are exciting and potentially very profitable. Just go in with your eyes open and armed with as much independent information as you can.

James Wittering is the marketing manager for Exclusive Properties International who help their clients to build investment property portfolios from all corners of the globe. They also have property for sale in Bulgaria.


MORE RESOURCES:

Press-Enterprise

REAL ESTATE: California receives up to $18 billion in multistate settlement
Press-Enterprise
“It is a good first step but only a step toward the solutions we need,†said Kevin Stein, associate director of the California Reinvestment Coalition, a real estate consumer advocacy group. In California, the banks have guaranteed more than $12 billion ...
Will bank settlement help Florida's real estate market?Palm Beach Post (blog)
$25B settlement reached over foreclosure abusesSacramento Bee
States, banks reach foreclosure-abuse settlementAlbany Times Union
LoanSafe -KTAR.com
all 2,823 news articles »


Fort Worth Star Telegram

Evangelical real estate developer brought Santorum to North Texas
Fort Worth Star Telegram
If Rick Santorum eventually wins Texas Republicans over, one of Texas' leading real estate developers should share credit. Last month, Jeff Blackard of the McKinney-based Blackard Group went undercover in South Carolina as a walk-in Santorum volunteer.
Donald Trump: Rick Santorum 'Wants To Be President? Give Me A Break' (VIDEO)Huffington Post

all 563 news articles »


Bloomberg

Shrinking the foreclosed real estate glut
Boston Globe
But it isn't going to fix the nation's residential real estate mess. That mess - millions of homeowners underwater on their mortgages, a stagnant residential sales market that lacks buyers and a clog of foreclosed property - can't be cleaned up with ...
REAL ESTATE: Refinancing program expands for Fannie/Freddie borrowersPress-Enterprise
Online Offers for HomePath Properties Expanded by Fannie MaeLoanSafe
Fannie Mae Expands Online Offers for HomePath® PropertiesSYS-CON Media (press release)

all 161 news articles »


The Free Lance-Star

Vakos Real Estate opened this week in the Southpoint II shopping center.
The Free Lance-Star
BY BILL FREEHLING BY BILL FREEHLING One of the Fredericksburg area's oldest and most prominent development firms has started a full-service real estate brokerage arm. Vakos Real Estate opened this week in a 5200-square-foot space next to a Tropical ...
Who's who at new Vakos Real Estate firmFredericksburg.com (blog)

all 4 news articles »


Real Estate Agent Highlights New Technologies by Bicycling 700 Miles to Mid ...
MarketWatch (press release)
His route takes him across the breadth of four states and through 12 overnight stops, ending on stage before an expected 4000 attendees of the Coldwell Banker Real Estate's International Business Conference. Dyer aims to use a 150-year-old ...

and more »


DOJ: Three NorCal Real Estate Investors Agree to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging ...
San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
Three Northern California real estate investors have agreed to plead guilty today for their roles in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice (DOJ) ...
Three to plead guilty in foreclosure auction fraudSan Jose Mercury News

all 6 news articles »


Real-Estate Crash Aids the Green Movement
Wall Street Journal
By LAURA KUSISTO The real-estate crash left pockets of the region's rural areas littered with the remnants of would-be golf courses, shopping centers and luxury subdivisions that never got off the ground. But the market swoon has yielded an unexpected ...



ETF Trends

Top 10 Global Real Estate ETFs
TheStreet.com
By Dave Fry 02/09/12 - 03:03 PM EST There is currently an expanding list of nearly a dozen ETFs oriented to primarily to global REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) with more on the way no doubt. In the following analysis we stick with our top ten ...
Investments for Income-LoversMotley Fool

all 24 news articles »


CBRE Clarion Global Real Estate Income Fund (NYSE: IGR) Declares Monthly ...
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
PHILADELPHIA--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--The Board of Trustees of the CBRE Clarion Global Real Estate Income Fund (NYSE: IGR) (the “Fundâ€) declared a monthly distribution of $0.045 per share for the month of February 2012. The following dates apply: ...

and more »


South Bay commercial real estate market heats up
San Jose Mercury News
Silicon Valley developers are racing to erect office and R&D buildings to meet a fresh surge of expansions by tech companies that's turning the region into a commercial real estate boomtown. Last year, the South Bay added about 26000 employees, ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006 TIGER MEDIA