Meeting Georgi in Elhovo
Since the last trip to Bulgaria did not result in any hits, it seemed at the same time that the broker Joe gave up on us. He stopped responding completely, although he promised to check new homes. Finding a place is not easy, it has to feel right when you first make a choice. But it seems that some brokers give up on you if you don’t choose one of the objects they show you right away. The same thing happened in Italy, with a Norwegian broker in addition. Strange that they can survive when brokers stop responding to their customers.
But we don’t give up. This time I search the web again, and come across this website https://bulgarianpropertiesforsale.com/. Here I find some interesting objects and contact the broker from the website. And at the end of March 2023, we will receive an answer from Sylvia. They would very much like to show us around several objects. So we jump on a flight to Bulgaria again on 2 April 2023. This time to Sofia with LOT, since Norwegian no longer operates flights to Burgas at Easter. So it will be a longer drive east towards Burgas and the Black Sea. The weather is bad and it will be an arduous journey with rain and snow on the motorway and no street lights.
The trip therefore takes far too long and we just have to book into a hotel in Plovdiv, and let them know that we will be a day late. But we eventually arrive at the hotel Syvia has already booked for us in Elhovo. There we meet Georgi, who is her husband, who drives us around to several screenings in and around Elhovo. He spends three days showing us around the south-eastern part of Bulgaria.
When we get to Svetlina we find what we are looking for, but the price is a bit higher since this borders the Burgas region and is only a 30 minute drive to the city of Burgas. We spend a few days in the apartment in Byala to evaluate the offer, and after some negotiations back and forth, we decide to go for this place. We have bought a new place in Bulgaria. Not quite as planned, but this time there are 2 houses on the plot that can be moved into, and a far better starting point for restoration than in Solnik. The climate is better here too, with warmer weather and more sunny days. Svetlina means light in Bulgarian, so that says it all.
From now on, it will appear that the process is accelerating. Georgi runs a construction company and can assist with restoration and construction, and it couldn’t be a better fit. Some restoration is needed.