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Relocating from Ireland. It all looks too good to be true!!

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RadioGAGA
  4/9/2018 05:56 EST

As title suggests, my wife and I are considering Bulgaria as an option for our retirement. It is a few years away yet but we are starting to assess our options now and Bulgaria looks a front runner along with one or two others like Portugal and India (as an extreme outside chance!!!)

We would be hoping to purchase a 2 or 3 bed townhouse style property near but not nessecarily in one of the main toursist centres. Our logic here being that it would be reasonably close to Airports for when our children or family come to visit or when we ourselves want to return to Ireland for a visit. Ideally something with a small garden/outdoor living area.

Our budget for this would be €85k-€100k. Would this be enough to get us the kind of home we would like?We would like to puchase it outright without a mortgage. I have been looking online but the prices for these kind of properties seems to very masively. I've also heard that prices online can be wildly exaggerated in both directions. And while online sources are good to a point there is nothing like real world advice from people who have done this before!

My second main query is in regard to cost of living. Our combined monthly pension would be in the region of €2600 after tax. Taking into account that we would like to save €200-€300 per month for 'rainy days' etc, what standard of living could we expect if we did not have to pay rent/mortgage??

Thanks to all who take the time to read this and thanks for any and all replies.

prmfencing
  4/9/2018 09:20 EST

Hi for that you can live like a king! no prob at all, but the living out here is not for everyone, have you been here? If not you need to come and see it.??

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RadioGAGA
  4/9/2018 11:10 EST

Thanks for you reply!

Good to hear our pensions, while not a lot here in Ireland will stretch a little further in Bulgaria.

With reference to the property question, do you think we would find the kind of home we are hoping for in the budget mentioned. We would be hoping to purchase something that was ready to move into rather than something that required 'doing up'.

We haven't been to Bulgaria before but we are planning to visit this winter for a 3 or 4 night stay in Sofia and next summer for a week or maybe two holiday.

prmfencing
  4/9/2018 11:29 EST

Not a good time to come? Do you like city life? You need to have more time here to see how things are? The summer are good but winter are like home, depends on what you looking for!

Unclebulgaria
  6/5/2018 03:48 EST

Hi ,
If you are looking for a house ready to move into try this number in the uk
00441287619031
ask for alan
Regards
John

MartyD
  6/29/2018 02:48 EST

You can find a very good place with no need of any refurbishment and then set a very good standard of living. I'd recommend Bourgas rather than Varna as the weather is better, prices are lower.

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coollaw3
  6/29/2018 12:54 EST

Any info pertinent to the health care in the Bourgas region and domestic insurance companies selling health insurance? The global companies are very expensive.

rollers
  6/30/2018 02:20 EST

How strange...we are thinking of going the other way,...BG to Ireland! On medical issues you need to understand things here are very different, for example one of our Brit friends had a stroke and went to hospital. BG hospitals provide clinical care but NOT food and personal care...you have to provide that yourself unless you are in a private hospital. We will never forget visiting a local friend who had just had a baby...we breezed in asking where the maternity ward was. No way! We were told to walk round the building and look at the new born through the window!!! Do you have any tips on buying / renting in Ireland?

htjannusch
  6/30/2018 13:29 EST

Hi "Rollers",

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with BG hospital service. I've stayed at the public hospital in Yambol several times and they have always served three meals a day. Of course you need to enjoy basic/simple Bulgarian food to eat it, so it has been helpful for my wife to bring some supplemental food and snacks that fit my western European/American palate. My experiences with local hospital service has been to make sure that I always have a bag packed ready to bring with me. I've had to bring my own toilet paper, soap and other normal toiletries, towels, pajamas, slippers, telephone, my normal daily medications (which you can generally not do in the USA), and a good book (unless you understand BG television). It has been a big change from what I'm used to at hospitals in the USA but that is part of the great adventure of being here. I've not yet had the opportunity to stay in a private hospital here, but my friends who have done so have had good experiences.

It is a coincidence that we too have been considering relocating to either Ireland or the Netherlands. It will be difficult to leave because we love our lives here in BG, and putting our home up for sale has been difficult in terms of emotions.

Good luck with your move.

rollers
  6/30/2018 14:00 EST

That experience was at the local hospital...my wife went to the Tokuda Hospital in Sofia and received service that the NHS could not compete with. We would recommend it 1000%!

sean7321
  10/12/2018 14:04 EST

I'm selling my fully renovated 4 bdr house, fully furnished ,turkish bath, outside Jacuzzi facing beautiful Mtn. views, home theater, 1100 meters above sea level in Turyan 10 km from Smolyan, asking 90 euros.

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sean7321
  10/12/2018 15:29 EST

It's true. If your interested go to google earth and find Tiryan near Smolyan. Go to street level and look around. If your still interested I'll send you some photos. Smolyan is the best area in Bulgaria. Honest, friendly people and no gypsies, less than 1%and they work and are ok.

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