The Undiscovered North West of Bulgaria
Travelling north west from the capital city of Sofia on the well-maintained E79 highway, through mountains covered in lush pine and deciduous forests, passing the pretty town of Vratsa at the foot of a mountain and its boutique like shops and many cafes, restaurants and bars, also passing Varshets a small and beautiful spa town with the original spa baths still functioning during the warmer months, where one can take the waters or meander through the signposted forest walks just at the edge of the town, one eventually comes to the town of Montana, centre of the administrative region of the north west.
Montana is a pleasant European town with a long history, hospitable people, a clean environment and pleasant of places for relaxation or activities. Just a 1.5-hour drive from the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, you arrive at a wonderful place to live, work, and study with everything from arts and culture to shopping, sports, and health care. Montana's 4-season climate is just right for year-round recreation. Quality time can be spent in the numerous parks, the 4 nearby monasteries, and the open-air swimming pool on the Ogusta dam.
The Montana Municipality is located in the north-western part of Bulgaria along the Ogosta River, strategically nestled between the Stara Planina Mountain Range and the Danube River plains on a surface area of 676.11 km2. The region enjoys a pleasant climate, easy transportation access, and is suitable for development as an economic, transport, tourist and cultural centre. Montana Municipality is the administrative centre of the district and has a population of more than 60,000 residents with an average age of 34.7 years.
Machine building, tailoring, agriculture, food production and ceramics industries are well developed in the region. The region is ecologically sound with fertile land and has one of the largest reservoirs in Europe, providing for excellent opportunities for industrial, agricultural and recreational development.
Like anywhere in the world, a strategic location is useless without a fast and effective transportation system. Montana is equipped with excellent travel and transportation capabilities. The shortest way from Western Europe to the Southern part of Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East passes through the territory of Montana, which is situated on the European transport corridor No.7 and on the main highway E-79. The well-established road and railway systems provide easy access to the International Airport in Sofia as well as the Port of Lom, the second largest Bulgarian port on the Danube River. Montana's proximity to major European highways, river ports, an international airport and extensive railways provides an excellent opportunity for manufacturers and distributors wanting to locate in South-eastern Europe.
In this area you can find small country towns and many villages dotted throughout the countryside. Here the pace of life is tranquil and slow as it has always been. Villagers use horses or donkeys and carts to transport their crops and produce, many keep goats, cows, pigs or sheep and as you walk through the village you will often come across a flock of geese out for their daily constitutional, plus flocks of chickens and turkeys are regularly taken for a daily stroll. Produce is organic, animals are free range and due to the very fertile soil and ambient climate of the region all varieties of fruits are grown including peaches, strawberries, plums, apricots and vegetable and herb cultivation is widely varied producing anything from cabbages, corn on the cob or carrots to varieties of mint etc. At the same time many families now have a car or truck, internet access is slowly becoming more widespread and people are making a trip to Montana to shop one of the two large supermarkets there, visit the electrical goods stores or a large store supplying all manner of kitchen goods. Life is evolving, but slowly and villages vary from those which are still almost completely rural and dependant on their local shops and bazaars to those which are becoming more developed and the people more mobile.
In the towns one can find apartments or townhouses to buy, with no garden to worry about for those owning a holiday home, whereas in the villages the majority of houses are detached with a large plot of land from 1000 sq metres upwards, many outbuildings and quite often a second house which can be developed into accommodation for guests. Certainly it is usual to have plenty of space for a large barbeque sitting and eating area, a swimming pool, maybe a tennis court and space to grow whatever you wish. Most of the village properties will have a garden area dedicated to the growing of vines, as this is a large wine producing area, making perfect wines for home consumption.
A traditional way of life still flourishes in this area of Bulgaria, and having been so far largely undiscovered by foreign buyers who have been attracted to the coastal, golf and ski regions with their burgeoning apartment blocks and ex-pat communities.
Here we aim to offer a service to the more discerning buyer. Those who wish to live or holiday in an area peopled by residents who for the most part do not speak English, live in small tranquil villages with a few local shops for necessities and local men who seem to be able to repair anything that breaks. In this area you can travel around and discover the lovely monasteries, visit huge underground caves, climb the rocks at Belogradchik and explore the fortress built into the rock face, drive through beautiful mountains full of forests, steams and wildlife, or drive across the majestic plains covered in sunflowers and wheat in the summer.
If the idea of living a more relaxed lifestyle than it is possible to find in a busy bustling modern western country, with clean air to breathe and space to move and do your own thing then please contact us.
We will help you to find a property which matches your dream, in an area where the local people will welcome you with their kindness and generosity. We can also help with the renovation work as, although unlike some of the larger companies, we do not have a team of employed builders we have good contacts with reliable craftsmen and can help with the refurbishment and buying of such items as curtain poles, blinds etc without having to go somewhere to have them specially made. Having lived here now for 3 years I have discovered by trial and error that many things unknown to local Bulgarian builders do in fact exist and are obtainable here, but it is difficult to find if you don't speak the language or know where to look.
I can help with this service, find the correct colour paint of your choice, the right shower cabinet, cooker or anything else you may want to add to your dream home.
I am also now used to dealing with utility companies, which are quite different from those operating in the UK and require all sorts of documentation and explanation to get things exactly right. I can help with this also, install a security system if required, get the garden cleared and reorganised, make sure the fencing is intact and secure, plus anything else that may be required. I have a Bulgarian partner who is able to provide transport from the airport if you would like to be collected, give recommendations for good reasonably priced hotels and restaurants, assist with lawyers, notaries and opening a banking account as well as police registration.
We are a small company and have a small portfolio of houses, although if you have a particular village or area you would like to be located in, we are willing to go and see what is for sale in that area, send photos, descriptions and costs back to yourselves.
It is difficult to relocate to a different country unless either under the wing of a large established company, many of whom sadly have now lost their customer focus and are more financially driven. We have no desire to grow into a large company, we wish to remain smaller, more selective and able to give our clients the service they need, not waste time going to view houses which then turn out to have been sold or not have the keys available at the time of your visit. This will not happen with us. Any house you wish to view will have the keys available and will always be published on the internet with internal as well as external photographs, some information about the village and local amenities.
Give us a try, be selective and get away from the 'lemming' crowds, all rushing towards the same places. As the focus of developers is shifting now in some places towards the higher end of the market with gated estates, luxury apartments and the like, here in the north west you can still find a nice, reasonably priced property either to be fully renovated or in some cases ready to move into.
