Reasonable savings
However, if the choice of finishing materials by the developer affects the price, it is insignificant. Vladislav Kharitonov, director of the Moscow representative office of Bulgarian Property Advisors, rightly notes that if you buy a house at a price of 700 euros per 1 sq. m, then you can only count on very inexpensive finishes, and the materials and fittings used will most likely be economy class. The expert gives an example of two complexes that are almost next to each other. In one, 1 sq. m costs 900 euros, in the other – 1200, while the quality of finishes and materials is higher in a cheaper complex, and the difference between the complexes is that the building with more expensive housing is 50 m closer to the sea.
Igor Kukui notes that the vast majority of companies use high-quality finishing materials. Only a developer who does not value his reputation and who, having built a building and sold off the facilities, does not plan to deal with issues related to its operation in the future can afford to use bad materials. "Like some other large developers, it makes no sense for us to use cheap materials, make low–quality finishes, since after the delivery we ourselves will have to fix everything," the expert adds, referring to the necessary repairs of the apartments and the building as a whole. "When buying a property, the ideal option is when the seller, the builder and the operating company are one firm."
More than just a fence
Despite the fact that the readiness of the apartments already provides for standard repairs, Yulia Titova notes that, if desired, the customer can re-decorate the entire apartment, even with marble. Moreover, this material is relatively cheap in Bulgaria, besides, such repairs will not bring any additional problems to the homeowner: all work can be performed by teams of workers from the developer company itself. Usually such repairs are done in winter, when the complexes are empty, so there is no question of noise restrictions during work.
Standard repairs, according to Vladislav Kharitonov, differ in complexes at summer, sea, and winter ski resorts. In the residences in the mountains, central heating and batteries can be additionally installed, but if the client wants to spend the evenings in front of the fireplace, he should specify this point in advance. If there is a chimney in the house, the cost of installing a fireplace starts from 300 euros.
A more serious issue is redevelopment. It is possible at the early stages of construction, if it does not affect the structural features of the building, Yulia Titova notes. At the same time, minor redevelopment will not entail additional costs for the owner of the facility. If the customer wants all stages of reworking and the work of the team to be under the special control of the manager, this, according to Vladislav Kharitonov, will cost 200-300 euros.
"If we talk about our company, then at the construction stage, we make redevelopment for customers for free," adds Igor Kukui. – At the same time, we take care of the costs of approving the project documentation. However, as a rule, clients are satisfied with the projects proposed by our architects – these options are quite convenient, the housing is comfortable and reasonably planned specifically for the owners' rest."
Thus, redevelopment at the construction stage is a fairly simple and familiar process for Bulgaria, but after the delivery of the object to the commission, it is no longer the developer, but the client who is engaged in both changing the layout and equipment, and obtaining permits for this. At the same time, certain rules should be taken into account: for example, the alteration of housing in seaside resorts cannot be carried out during the summer season, in the mountains – during the winter. It is also worth remembering that construction is not carried out in frosty weather in Bulgaria – materials and technologies do not allow this.
The owner should also pay attention to possible restrictions regarding the appearance of the building, which are imposed by the owners of the residential settlement. For example, a tenant may not be allowed to glaze or install a barbecue on his large balcony. In general, as a rule, balconies in Bulgaria are not glazed, but linen awnings are installed, the color of which is also negotiated, because the appearance of the entire building depends on it. In some complexes, the conditions under which flowers can be planted on balconies are also stipulated, and even the rules regarding drying laundry: it cannot be hung above the balcony fence. All these rules must be spelled out in detail in the contract.
By purchasing a separate house, the buyer can carry out any internal redevelopment. Additional changes are freely carried out on the site – for example, the installation of a standard swimming pool, including tiling and landscaping, will cost from 3,000 euros. As for external changes, if we are talking about a village of country houses, there may be some restrictions, for example, on the height of the fence.
The price of comfort
"If the developer offers the furnishing of an apartment, then most likely good–quality furniture without frills will be installed," continues Vladislav Kharitonov. You can order furniture and electrical appliances from catalogs, but it will cost 20% more than buying them yourself. The cost of furnishing one-room apartments without frills will be about 2000 euros, a set of kitchen furniture can cost 400 euros. Sometimes it has to be ordered in advance, and it is delivered within 45 days. "One of our clients furnished his two–room apartment for 14,000 euros, but at the same time he ordered everything from the catalog, including the plasma panel," the analyst shares. The cutlery should be taken care of by the owners themselves. It's a good idea to think about a small set of the most necessary tools in everyday life.
"Full furniture is often offered as an option, which includes not only the furniture itself, but also all accessories, including bed linen and dishes," adds Yulia Titova. Clients, especially if they are going to live in this facility themselves, and not rent it out, complement the interior with some details, personal belongings. As for the equipment, equipment of Bosch and Siemens level is installed in the Bulgarian apartments.
"Our company offers three furniture options, which differ in price and materials,– says Igor Kukui. – To equip a studio, it is enough to choose a complete package that allows you to fully prepare apartments for living, at a price from 3,500 to 7,000 euros." The standard set includes, in addition to the usual furniture for the bedroom, kitchen and living room, a refrigerator, an oven with an oven, an extractor hood, a microwave oven, a Crown TV.
"In the Paradise Dreams and Magic Dreams complexes, studio equipment will cost 5,000 euros, for one–bedroom apartments – 7,000 euros, with two bedrooms – 9,000 euros," Yulia Titova quotes the figures. "Aheloy Palace has options for standard, for 6,000 euros, and luxury, for 8000 euros for studio apartments, 8000 and 10,000 euros for one–bedroom apartments, 10,000 and 12,000 euros for two–bedroom apartments."
Repair at a distance
It should be borne in mind that the developer provides the client with only those finishes, furniture and equipment that are specified in the contract. Therefore, when signing it, you need to specify all the details and necessary changes. It happens that the developer's manager forgets to specify the air conditioner in the contract, but installs it, which is certainly nice. But this is rather an exception to the rule. In general, when drafting a contract, developer companies are guided by Bulgarian legislation and try to clarify all the details in advance.
If the new owner starts an independent repair, he needs to clearly understand what he wants to get as a result, and convey this understanding to the contractor or manager, who can offer cooperation with several companies and teams of workers. The price depends on the amount of work, and you can get an idea of the quality of the final result by reviewing previous completed projects. Some clients prefer to hire a designer or send an architect to the facility. Remote repairs will cost a little more expensive, as you will have to pay for the services of a manager who monitors the progress of work and sends reports and photos of the premises to the client.
In addition to the repair room, there are other services ready to make life easier for property owners: for 15-20 euros they will do the cleaning: throw out the garbage, wipe the dust, wash the windows. In addition to standard services that regularly mow lawns, keep clean, and maintain swimming pools, there are companies in Bulgaria offering special types of services. They can meet a client at the airport, prepare a house or apartment for the summer season, make minor household repairs, take care of an empty house in winter, turn on the air conditioner to avoid increasedhumidity, etc. Such services cost the owner 4-5 euros per 1 sq. m. m of housing per year.