FEATURE ARTICLE: buying a zelnik property - jeanette's story

Having just returned from our second trip to Beli Iskar this year, I felt compelled to share our experience.  After a short (cheap) flight over with EasyJet, we collected our car. I highly recommend autojet-bg.com, they are a really friendly firm who were quick, efficient, helpful and the car was in good condition, as a bonus they also offer Zelnik customers 10% discount on their advertised prices.  We jumped in the car and headed to Beli Iskar expecting it to be an 'interesting' journey with many wrong turns, however, it couldn't have been easier, as one of the Zelnik guys had emailed instructions (thanks Neil) and we had a smooth drive straight to Chalet Iskar, which took just under an hour. 
 
Although we were warned, before our first visit, that the apartments were not finished (the build was not due to be completed until May 08) we were lucky enough to stay in our apartment. As we arrived there were workmen everywhere cleaning and tidying the corridors etc.  The chalet had temporary heating and lighting in the stairways, and a few mounds of building materials could be seen, but the builders had made it safe to come and go. Once we opened the door to our apartment, we were instantly hit by the lovely heat that was being generated by our wood burner, and the apartment, even in its near completed stage, was stunning.  Ok, so we didn't have all of our furniture pack, but the Zelnik team had put in everything we needed, as a temporary measure, although the inflatable sofas were an ‘interesting’ feature. However, we had most of our other items, including the stunning oak dining table and chairs, coffee table and all the bedroom furniture. We had ordered the ‘luxury pack’ and we were able to see the standard of the furniture; all I can say is wow! It’s fantastic, really good quality, clearly made to a very high standard and definitely money well spent. 
 
Inside the apartment, apart from some minor cosmetics where the building had been drying out (I think that is the correct term), the standard of finish was excellent. We think that the architect and the Zelnik team have really thought about our needs, they couldn't have designed a better layout to suit our family (there are five of us). The apartment felt spacious, the use of windows made it feel really light and we have the most stunning views.  We spent a really comfortable week there and we were expecting to eat out in Samokov or Borovets, as we knew the apartment wasn't completed, but it turned out that we spent most of our nights in. All the electrical appliances were working, so we were able to cook and then we could put the little one to bed and chill out; it was a real luxury to have a long hot bath after a day on the mountain. We had a fantastic week, the slopes were great, the kids had lessons and it all ran really smoothly.

"Thanks Zelnik... I still can't believe we own such a stunning apartment in such a beautiful place in the world..."
 
Our second trip was even better, in just 10 days the build had moved on so quickly, the stairways were almost completed, with lighting and hand rails.  There wasn't much change in our apartment, although we did have our leather sofa bed and chairs, again lovely good quality stuff and really comfy.  During this trip the slopes were limited, as there had just been a warm spell, so some were closed waiting for another snowfall (that happened later in the week), this meant we were in the apartment for longer and traveled around the local area.  However, we weren't fazed, as the apartment was so nice to be in and the local area is so beautiful.  If we had a question regarding fixtures and fittings in the apartment we just spoke to the foreman and by the end of the day it was sorted. The builders were great and they tried really hard to talk to us, unfortunately our knowledge of the Bulgarian language let us down. They worked very hard from what we could see, they didn't intrude, were careful not to disturb us in anyway, unless absolutely necessary and on some days they even put a fire on for us before we returned home.
 

The Zelnik team were excellent, one of them was at the apartment to greet us and if we wanted any info they were on the phone and sorting it for us straight away. If we needed anything doing in the apartment they would turn up within the hour and translate our requirements to the foremen. I am so glad that we put our trust in Zelnik and chose to buy from them, we couldn't have received better service. We have been involved through every stage of the build and the advice and information has always been sound and accurate.  They have gone out of their way to ensure we are all happy and that the build is being completed to an exceptionally high standard, I think they have done a brilliant job and should be proud of their company; we would recommend Zelnik again and again.

Jeanette W, Rutland

Channel 4's "A place in the sun" names Bulgaria as a property hotspot

Just recently, the popular Channel 4 property programme “A Place In The Sun – Property Hotspots” focused on which of the eastern European countries would be the best place to maximise your investment into bricks and mortar. It came as no surprise that once again Bulgaria was listed as one of the best places to capitalise on your return.

“Depending on the area, you can pick up a habitable property at a bargain price of £20,000,” says Xavier Wiggins, managing director of newskys.com. “There are many hot spots where Britons can look into such as the popular Black Sea coast in towns such as Varna and Sunny Beach, or for keen skiers mountain towns such as Borovets have a lot of potential, offering quaint ski chalets.”

A little over three hours flying time from UK airports, Bulgaria’s mountain resorts have become increasingly popular in the last few years and look set to become ever more so with low cost airlines such as EasyJet opening up new routes into Sofia.

“The Bulgarian market has been performing very well recently and I thoroughly expect this to continue,” says David Cox of Property Frontiers. “I believe that the stable political environment and broad popularity of the region make it a very safe bet and one of the more secure investment opportunities in Eastern Europe.”

“The best investment opportunities in the country at the moment include Borovets in the mountains, Sunny Beach, Varna and Bourgas on the Black Sea coast,” says Cox. “Beyond the tourist resorts, I am confident that the capital, Sofia, presents a great opportunity. Properties are very undervalued and the city is developing rapidly as a commercial centre, meaning both capital appreciation and rental yields (through year round tenants) should be very strong in future.”