The number of property sales in Bulgaria has increased for a third consecutive quarter in comparison with last year – 54 997 sales in comparison to 46 968 sales in the same quarter of 2010. The total number of the property sales in 2011 so far is 157 273, while in the whole of 2010 they were 182 376.

The prices of apartments in Sofia have decreased by 1/3 since 2008 due to the recession. If four years ago a one-bedroom apartment in the Bulgarian capital could sell for 78 302 Euros on average, at the moment it sells for 54 073 Euros. Only in the last year the prices have dropped by 9,78% .

However, according to the Land Registry, the total number of the sales in the first half of 2011 was only 102 276, in comparison to 73 867 sales in the same period of the last year. This is an increase of 27,78%. Most of the sales, about 25%, have taken place in the biggest Bulgarian cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and Stara Zagora.

After the fall of the number of sales of properties and the price drop, the construction industry in Bulgaria and Romania has reached the bottom in the first half of 2009.  Most of the developers in both countries turned out to be unprepared for the shrinking of the local property market and the end of the constant influx of foreign investors of the last couple of years.  One of the major reasons for the sharply decreasing number of purchases is the limited access to mortgages which also caused the property prices to drop.  At the same time the number of the properties on offer continues to grow.  The shrinking of the property market has made many developers put on hold their new projects and drop the prices.  It is expected that the price drop in Sofia and Bucharest this year will be between 10% and 20%. At the end of 2008 the average property price in Sofia was 1250 Euros per sq m while in Bucharest it was 1800 Euros per sq m. The highest prices were in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana – 2800 Eurso per sq m.

The rents of apartments in Sofia and Istanbul are almost the same. An apartment of 75 sq m in Istanbul rents for 431 Euros per month, while the same apartment in Sofia rents for 400 Euros per month. Renting in Instanbul, however, is better because tenants pay for the living are, while in Bulgaria, they also pay for the common parts.

Purchase prices of properties in Sofia and in Istanbul are also similar. A 75 sq m apartment in Instanbul sells for about 80 000 Euros, while in Sofia it sells for 78 400 Euros. The prices of larger apartments in Sofia, however, are by 20 000 Euros more expensive in comparison with Istanbul. An apartment of 120 sq m in Sofia costs 158 000 Euros while in the Turkish megalopolis it costs 123 100 Euros. The reason for this is the increased demand for bigger apartments in Sofia.

The newest hit on the property market at the Black Sea is three properties for the price of two. The developers have been experiencing serious problems with finding buyers, so they came with this new offer. In the recent months they have been offering free air-conditioners or fitted kitchens but this did not help to activate the property market. Now, the prices of all properties are not fixed. Prospective buyers receive only description of the property they are interested in. Bargaining is the name of the game and once there is interest price start dropping by 200 or even 5000 Euros and some times they even reach a 50% decrease of the initial price.  Luxurious properties right by the sea in Nessebar are offered with a brand new Toyota Yaris as a bonus. However, 2000 Euros per sq.m. do not seem to justify such kind of bonus.

When prices are announced they are very reduced in comparison with last year. A studio apartment in Albena is offered for 18 000 Euros, while one-bedroom apartment facing the sea is for sale for only 10 000 Euros.

The most luxurious apartment is in an apartment complex in Tsarevo. It is offered for 5.5 million Euros off-plan as the complex will be completed in 2011. The buyer of this property will receive the most expensive car at the moment Bugatti Veyron as a bonus.

The new year is wonderful for the buyers of properties in Sofia. Those who have money and can negotiate are able to secure unexpected reductions and perks. Most of the sellers are immediately ready to reduce their price by 20% and at the moment there are no purchases without bargaining.

According to estate agents, in the last year virtually in all parts of Sofia the prices of properties have dropped. The most stable market is in the southern districts of the city where the demand is generally higher and in the last months prices have dropped by merely 5 to 15%. At the moment the prices there vary from 1050 to 1250 Euros per square metre. In the central parts of the city, the decrease is insignificant and the highest price is 2000 Euros per square metre. There are no more offers in the range 3000 to 6000 Euros. The most significant drop of prices is in the northern and western parts of the city where the decrease have reached 20%. New properties in Nadezhda and Levski are offered for 700 Euros per square metre while exactly a year ago they were offered at 900 Euros per square metre.

Because of the lack of demand in the last year the prices of rural properties fell dramatically. Plots of land around Sofia have decreased in price by 50%. The trend at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast is exactly the same. In the last 12 months  mainly Bulgarians bought properties near to the big cities according to Dobromir Ganev, executive director of Foros Estate agents. The main reason for this is the world financial crisis and  prospective buyers have become more cautious, especially when applying for mortgages.

A regulated plot of land of 1020 sq m situated between Sofia and Pernik has decreased by 50%  in price and it is now on offer for 12 000 levs (apprx 6 000 Euros). An old two-storey house in a village with a garden of about 1500 sq m can be purchased for 6-7 000 levs (apprx. 3 000 Euros). In the past the prices of rural properties in the area of Bansko, Sunny Beach and Burgas have been artificially increased but now they have fallen dramatically. The purchases of property for investment have almost stopped and most people buy for their own needs.

The financial crisis have affected the sales of land for the construction of industrial developments. All investors have experienced difficulties in financing and several projects in Varna and Sofia have stopped.

The sharpest fall of the prices according to analysts and advisors are in holiday properties. Due to over supply in Bansko only the prices have fallen by 48%. The number of one-bedroom apartments on offer is astonishing and prices range from 780 to 2015 Euros per sq m.

With the approach of the autumn property prices in Sofia keep decreasing, regardless of their location – from the low budget areas of Liulin and Tolstoy right to the elite Lozenets. Only in a week, the lowest price of apartments in Liulin has decreased by 10%  from 60 000 Euros to 54 000 Euros for a living area of 70 square metres. The current price per square metre is 771 Euros.

Off-plan buildings with gas central heating and luxury common parts in Ovcha Kupel are now selling for 800 Euros per square metre, a decrease of 50 Euros per square metres in comparison with the second half of August 2008.

The situation in Lozenets is not different. Luxury offices were selling in the summer at 3000 Euros per square metre, while now their price has dropped to 2500 Euros per square metre.

The price slump has been pushed by the low demand, the increasing supply of newly built properties and the high interest. While last year a property was sold within two months after being offered on the market, now it takes much longer. The developers who offer off-plan properties for sale are threatened by bankruptcy as they can not repay their mortgages.

The sales of properties in Bulgaria have decreased for the first time in the last few years, according to the Land Registry. From January to June 2008 there have been 134 891 sales while for the same period of the last year their number was 136 457. The decrease is just by 1.1% but it is a fact. Since 2003 the number of the sales has been increasing by about 20% per annum and this has lead to a constant increase in the prices of properties. At the moment, the buyers are still active in Sofia, Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv and Pleven. The number of sales in these cities has increased, though insufficiently. However, in many regional centres like Shumen, Sliven, Smolyan, Pazardjik, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa and Gabrovo the sales have decreased, and in Ruse and Razgrad this decrease has exceeded 10%. Last year Ruse was the leader in the property price increase which reached 41% but the high prices have put off many prospective buyers.

On the Black Sea coast it seems that the buyers’ activity has moved south. The Land Registry in Nessebar which covers Sunny Beach, St. Vlas, and Ravda reported a decrease of 12.5% for the first half of this year. At the same time the sales in Tsarevo have increased by 50%.

The interest in agricultural land has not diminished at all, according to the activity of the most developed market of agricultural land in the country, which is in the area of Dobrich, Lom and Montana.

Despite this, Bulgaria is still in the first place in the world for the increase of property prices from June 2007 to June 2008. According to Knight Frank the prices of properties in Bulgaria have increased on average by 32.3%.