After our realisation that it will be impossible to buy what we really wanted, we decided to move on to the ‘acceptable compromise’ solution.

And that was to search for a bigger flat while we grow up enough to afford a house and a garden. Of course, when I say bigger I meant something approximately 100 sq.m. living space.

Remember the difference between living space and space by paper, which include the common parts, problem from the previous post?

Yes, turned out quite tough to find for few reasons:

• first, because all flats are listed on the biggest square meterage, which is also the expected area on which the price is (allegedly) based.
  So you look at 100 sq.m. flats that look tiny and stuffy and turn out to be actually not more than 80 sq.m., of which maybe not more than 65 is an actual living space (excluding coridors, bathroom and terrace space).
• secondly, because due to the market specifics, there are really not so many big flats on the market. The majority of the properties are small by design with kitchen planned to be in the living room.
  This is what the market demands created few years ago – thousands of newly built blocks of flats with tiny boxes in there.
• thirdly, if you want slightly more spacious flat, you should look at the old (communist style) panel blocks, but that comes with the added feature of getting to hear almost everything your neighbour does (including in the bathroom).. yes in the bedroom too..
  Since we are currently living in similar place, Philip said he would rather avoid it for our next home, so we stroke those off the list.
• finally, but very important to mention, the building boom in Bulgaria from before the world crisis left an enormous amount of all those properties unfinished. You have to be very careful what you are buying. In order to be legal (and safe) for habitation the building needs Act 16, which is a document that officially validates the completion of the building. Without it the property is not legal, technically is not even a property.
  You’d be surprised how many of those are on the market, waiting for their naive new owners.

Flat after flat, box after box… neither is even close to OK.

Going through the listings was a daily task now, and not a happy one, since we were only looking for a compromise.

I would always spend some time to make a quick search on the house properties, driving myself crazy about prices – are these people crazy?

But one day, I found an ad for a property part of a closed complex of 5 row houses, approximately 180 sq.m., almost no common parts and well planned space. It was like a 3-4 bedroom flat stacked on 5 levels. Very intrigued, I called the agent to enquire about it.

The announced price was €128 000, and according to the agent the owner is very open to flexible payment schemes. Of course as the images on the ad suggested, the property was not yet complete, but we decided we want to see it anyway.

It was very close to where we live, have a beautiful view towards German and the mountain, and yes… it was at quite rough stage. I think they said they only put the roof on, but estimated it will be completed by May 2011 (this event happened in January 2011). The owner showed us around and reiterated that stage payments are acceptable solution.

We were very excited after the viewing. We went back home and reviewed our finances, came up with bargaining plan and went ahead to place an offer.

I didn’t sleep very well that weekend (the viewing was on Friday) – is it possible to have your dream property on this price?

The bargaining was done and we ended up negotiating a price that was €9 000 less than the original offer, with stage payments and with an option to reduce the price in case of faster payments.

It was time for the lawyer to come in.