PROPERTY IN BULGARIA: OPPORTUNITY FOR SMART INVESTORS

Where to invest is a question that in the current months took a new shape. The situation looks unstable and the behaviour of international markets rarely can be described as inspiring optimism about the future.

But even in turbulent times there are solutions that have proven through the years and the constantly changing economic cycles as sensible, pragmatic and with good return. In Bulgaria, invariably, this is real estate and in 2020 the market is better for clients than usual.

What changed? The social isolation measures understandably caused a pause in the demand of property and withdrawal of buyers. After several years of stable increase of the prices on both the primary and the secondary market, owners and developers felt that if they wanted to attract prospective buyers, they needed to be flexible both in offering new ways of property inspection and in the prices and profits they want from a deal.

In a matter of days the market reinvented itself. Today, quality real estate brokers and developers offer to prospective clients 3D inspection, and much of the communication uses a variety of online channels. The prices asked can be more easily negotiated down. An additional fact should be considered, too: in 2020 and 2021 a number of new, quality projects will be finished, and many of them still have available property.

All of this explains why in the following months the real estate market in Bulgaria will be firmly on the buyers' side. For them the crisis will be an opportunity to choose from more and better quality properties at prices that were unthinkable before the spring of 2020.

In this situation will benefit the most investors who already have the whole or a significant amount of the asked price for a property.

Price, however, is not all – even when we talk about solid investment as buying a property. Quality is what moves today's real estate buyers. Luckily, development of current architecture and construction has reached a level where in Bulgaria are offered new projects that entirely meet the contemporary requirements for quality of inhabitation such as energy efficient construction. When the crisis is over, such properties will inevitably increase their price faster and with greater rates because of the opportunities they provide to inhabitants to live healthily, environmentally friendly and with lesser expenses.

Smart homes are the other hot trend on the real estate market that guarantees a property's increase of value with time. The best in this technology is that you can use it in an already built apartment, house or office.

The Bulgarian company Valkrea.House (www.valkrea.house) specialises in solutions for wireless smart home systems by established manufacturers of home automation. The company's professionals help you to choose the best way to transform your property into a smart home. The popular systems of Apple, Google and Amazon are targeted solely to the end consumer. If you opt for them, you need to buy and set up separately a number of compatible devices. Valkrea.House offers a more effective solution by offering as a service to install the integrated systems of ABB, Busch-Jaeger, Gira, Jung and Bosch. They are compatible with Apple, Google and Amazon, but are safer and better integrated in the property. These systems allow Valkrea.House to tailor optimised solutions to both individual clients who want a smart home with minimal intervention on the already finished interior design, as well as developers and architects who want to offer to their clients high quality of construction, innovation and high energy efficiency. Valkrea.House also works with these producers' designers lines for a bigger choice in creation of unique interiors. Aiming to cover more client inquiries and requirements, Valkrea.House also offers solutions from Homey, the absolute smart devices communication protocol integrator, and the Z-Wave system of Fibaro.

The most important rule in investment in property in 2020 is to work with developers, brokers, agencies, engineers, architects and providers with established reputation that has stood the test of time. The pandemic put pressure on the whole chain of construction and realisation of properties, and in such environment only specialists with experience and high ethical standards can thrive. Just like any other crisis before and after, this one will, too, clean the market from companies and brokers who are unable to offer quality service and products, a positive effect from which savvy investors should benefit from on time.