“We Can’t Do That In The UK”: Scottish Dad Buys Six-Bedroom Mansion In Bulgaria For £3,000
Inflation has disrupted most of our lives, with some people ending up in more desperate situations than others.
While some struggle to make ends meet, others still allow themselves to dream of a better life, and even perhaps of purchasing their dream home one day.
Well, one dad, in particular, has decided he wouldn’t wait any longer for better days to come and has instead taken matters into his own hands, buying a huge house at a very low cost… in Bulgaria.
For the modest sum of £3,000, Rob Davies, from Scotland, has acquired a six-room house in Golyamo Krushevo Bulgaria after reportedly growing frustrated with not being able to buy a family home in his native UK.
What’s more surprising is how the 35-year-old even got such a bargain in the first place, as he bought the run-down mansion after coming across its picture on eBay.
Recently, a dad from Scotland purchased a property in Bulgaria after growing frustrated at the UK house prices
Image credits: Channel 4
The website is typically used to bet on some niche memorabilia, but can also be used to sell and simply buy various items from across the world.
As reported by Metro, Rob made the decision to purchase the Eastern European property, located 20 miles north of the Turkish border.
It was a “totally random” decision, Rob reportedly admitted, as he has been anticipating having half an acre of land to get busy with.
He said: “I’m always looking for properties on the market, to see if there are any bargains out there.
Rob Davies bargained the six-bedroom mansion only for £3,000
Image credits: Channel 4
“I was just doing a random search on eBay, just typing in properties to see what there is.
“And that’s how it came about.”
Rob’s new house is in fact not as new, as it is said to have been constructed over 100 years ago.
The mansion has seemingly been abandoned since the 1980s and will require a hefty list of refurbishments.
In fact, the idyllic-looking home is devoid of any fitted bathrooms and is missing a kitchen, windows, electricity as well and running water.
Located close to the Turkish border, the house has been abandoned since the 1980s
Image credits: Channel 4
Nevertheless, Rob is a stubborn man, and as such, he has been motivated to take up the challenge of renovating his future family home.
Rob acknowledged: “It’s a gamble, and I’ve had my highs and I’m having my lows.
“I’m missing my family, but I’m also on a high, really, because I’m achieving stuff.”
He continued: “I’m fixing the floors, I’m getting to see how they built the house when it was originally built, and I’m having a laugh along the way.”
The Scottish lad’s story was covered on Channel 4’s Help! We bought a Village, where he revealed that even the deposit was set at a reasonable price.
“I was just doing a random search on eBay,” Rob explained on how he came across the property
Image credits: Channel 4
“I sent them a message saying I was interested, I want it, I think we paid a £200 deposit, got the keys and the rest is history,” Rob explained.
He continued: “It was basically four walls with a roof, but, it was ours.
“It felt amazing to actually go, we want a property, we can’t do that in the UK.”
Rob isn’t the only foreigner to venture to the Eastern and Southern corners of the continent to acquire an affordable property.
In fact, it appears that this interest has sparked a whole new wave of business, with websites such as BulgarianProperties.com and PropertyUnder20k.com facilitating such activity.
The property doesn’t have any fitted bathrooms and is missing a kitchen, windows, electricity as well and running water
Image credits: Channel 4
According to BulgarianProperties.com, clients can buy “a rural property from as little as €1,000 (£867.24)”.
Moreover, the website suggests that “the economic crisis has affected the rural property prices and they are now offered with great discounts, so it is a very good time to buy.”
It is unclear whether Rob will move to Bulgaria with his family full-time, which undoubtedly will require a lot of integration, especially in terms of learning a new language, but he wouldn’t be the first British person to rise up to the challenge.
In July, DailyMail reported on a British family who had left the UK for Bulgaria after realizing they would never be able to buy a house there.
Lewis Vye and his wife, Jordan, both 31, reportedly saved £300,000 by getting a farm for just £7,000.
“It’s a gamble, and I’ve had my highs and I’m having my lows,” Rob admitted
Image credits: Channel 4
Image credits: Channel 4
They moved out of their former two-bed rental house in Bournemouth, Dorset, trading it for a three-bedroom house located in the Haskovo Province, Bulgaria, bringing their two children, Leo, 11, and Fae, two.
After moving in June 2022, the couple admitted that their quality of life had improved as they earned more time to spend with their children and with each other.
Jordan said: ‘We were really struggling with the whole mortgage thing.
‘We had our son at 19 and moved into a flat that we couldn’t afford, it all started from there.
“It set our path for never being able to get a mortgage – it was a really big thing of owning our own home.
“Even with two wages, it wasn’t something that seemed achievable for us in the UK.
“It hasn’t been easy but there is such a great community here in Bulgaria.”
Rob’s story was covered in an episode of Channel 4’s ‘Help! We bought a Village’
Image credits: Channel 4
Despite Rob and the Vye family’s happy ending, buying such a cheap property can sometimes come at a greater cost.
If it looks too good to be true, occasionally it is because it is, in fact, too good to be true.
A handful of enthusiastic buyers have learned this the hard way.
Last year, a 58-year-old dad came out with his horrible experience acquiring a Bulgarian home.
The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, claimed he had lost thousands of pounds after buying a holiday home in Bulgaria which turned out to be a scam.
He alleged he had paid £7,000 for a three-bedroom home in Dolna Lipnitsa after finding it on eBay.
Throughout lockdown, the man disbursed £300 a month for the property and was sent a set of keys.
Upon finally arriving in Bulgaria with his wife and kids, he discovered it had been all a scam.
“It was basically four walls with a roof, but, it was ours,” Rob said
Image credits: Channel 4
Life in Rural Bulgaria website warned: “Bulgarian agents think that we are rich (although villagers may think that we are poor) so be careful when renovating as this could run into thousands.
“Always try to use recommendations and not the services provided by agents.”
Most people understood where Rob was coming from and applauded the man for his guts
As a bulgarian I can say this is not a good offer. It's basically in the middle of nowhere, close to the Turkey border (migrants in the forest and other possible issues). Probably 95% of the people there are speaking turkish and muslims. If you want to buy a decent house in big city in Bulgaria, the price goes about 2000 euros per square meter. In smaller town decent houses are still not that cheap - around 100 000 euros for 2 bedroom 1 bathroom house. Normally houses in my country are not taken care of, because people don't have money for that. Renovation and fixing regular issues are not priority for the bulgarian people. If someone is keeping their house in good condition all the time, the chances to sell it are small. So underlying issues, high labour cost for any construction/repair work and I'm not sure what is the law regarding foreigners owning part of the land here (I think it is illegal). I wish this guy happiness and health, it may be good thing for him.
He needs to be very careful. There is the potential to be ripped off by local builders when he renovates. I bought a property in Hungary which was nowhere near as cheap as this. I asked neighbour friend for help in finding a builder to fit a new roof. I heard from a mutual friend that this neighbour then approached a builder and suggested that he approach me with an inflated price and give my neighbour a cut.
I wonder if he's discovered yet that he can't be there for more than 90 days in a sixth month period.
I think there are ways round that by getting some kind of resident's permit. But it needs looking into.
Load More Replies... As a bulgarian I can say this is not a good offer. It's basically in the middle of nowhere, close to the Turkey border (migrants in the forest and other possible issues). Probably 95% of the people there are speaking turkish and muslims. If you want to buy a decent house in big city in Bulgaria, the price goes about 2000 euros per square meter. In smaller town decent houses are still not that cheap - around 100 000 euros for 2 bedroom 1 bathroom house. Normally houses in my country are not taken care of, because people don't have money for that. Renovation and fixing regular issues are not priority for the bulgarian people. If someone is keeping their house in good condition all the time, the chances to sell it are small. So underlying issues, high labour cost for any construction/repair work and I'm not sure what is the law regarding foreigners owning part of the land here (I think it is illegal). I wish this guy happiness and health, it may be good thing for him.
He needs to be very careful. There is the potential to be ripped off by local builders when he renovates. I bought a property in Hungary which was nowhere near as cheap as this. I asked neighbour friend for help in finding a builder to fit a new roof. I heard from a mutual friend that this neighbour then approached a builder and suggested that he approach me with an inflated price and give my neighbour a cut.
I wonder if he's discovered yet that he can't be there for more than 90 days in a sixth month period.
I think there are ways round that by getting some kind of resident's permit. But it needs looking into.
Load More Replies...
47
15