Bulgaria has seen a massive influx of overseas investment in recent years, the majority into the Black Sea Coast and a fair chunk also into the ski resorts. The foreign financial tsunami has been to such an extent that there are reports that suggest during the last year, one out of three properties sold in Bulgaria were purchased by foreigners. This may be exaggerated, but gives an idea of the flood of speculators.
Black sea properties and ski resort properties are fashionable and just like fashions may come and go. A wave of investment in another area can leave your pension purchase or guaranteed windfall looking a little flat all of a sudden. A capital city however is a different phenomenon. As the commercial centre of a country, money gravitates towards it; jobs, government, industry are always going to attract money.
As mentioned before, a tourist resort may come and go. Bansko is top of the pile now but a bit of cash, a couple of ski lifts and some three or four good ski runs later and all of a sudden Borovets is top dog. There is and only ever will be one capital. Real estate markets of course do apply to capital cities too and so does the boom and bust phenomenon. The difference is that a capital city is generally a real representative of the true marketplace. Tourist investment property markets are created by speculators and bargain hunters, capital city markets are made by businesses, investors and financial markets which are a little steadier to say the least.
Also, although if the above reports are right and 1 out of 3 investors are foreign, that still leaves 2 out of 3 as Bulgarian. These are the people investing the money, not only into tourism, but into homes in areas where they will live. As Sofia is home to 25% of the population of Bulgaria, this means that there is going to be continued growth in the capital. As the economy continues to boom and foreign investment continues to roll in, this so called centre of commerce is only going to attract more people wanting to take their slice of the pie whilst snapping up a property to live in while they do it and so the ball keeps rolling. It is fair to say that buying in a resort is investing with your heart; buying in the capital is investing with your head. From a pounds and pennies point of view, capital cities guarantee steady market growth. It might not be as sexy, but it is secure. You can drive to Bansko, Borovets or even the Greek coast and you can enjoy the skiing no matter which resort is flavour of the month with the best facilities or cheapest property prices. Both are good investments if you are shrewd, but it is a case of how much risk does the buyer want to be exposed to? Do you want a quick hit or steady growth? You decide it is your investment.
Tom Brailsford is the author and can provide you with additional information about investments in Bulgaria and its capital - Sofia. Additionally, more comprehensive information is available at Bulgaria real estates Sofia Property
