The second largest Scandinavian media group, Alma Media, entered the Bulgarian market with the real estate online portal City24.bg. The website includes international destinations such as Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Russia and Croatia.
Construction at the resort complex Riverside Village in IrakliEmine, which sofiaecho reported on January 29 was under way despite the fact that the area was a Natura 2000 protected area, has been stopped by the regional inspectorate for environment protection and waters RIEPW in Bourgas.The tipoff for the illegal construction of investor Swiss Properties came from civil group Save Irakly, dir.bg said.
Colliers International Bulgaria opens White Fir Resort ski and spa apartment lodge today, January 25. Its the first suchlike apartment lodge in Europe to be managed by Colliers and the only development of this kind in Bulgaria to be run by an international property consultancy.White Fir Resort was developed by Londonbased MSI Developments. Colliers International Bulgaria is providing property management services, including the leasing of 135 one, two and three bedroom apartments.
Bulgarias National Statistics Institute NSI said that real estate prices in Bulgaria had, on average, risen by 28.9 per cent in 2007, compared to the year before.Price increases in 2007 ranged between 44.3 per cent in Turgovishte to 15.6 per cent in Yambol, the NSI said. Ranked by price increase, Sofia was fifth with 35.1 per cent, with Vidin 36.5 per cent, Silistra 38.7 per cent, Pernik 40 per cent, Rousse 140.9 per cent and Turgovishte ranking ahead of the capital city.
The sale and rental prices of municipal apartments should reach current market levels, according to stipulations contained in the new ordinance for municipal property transactions, debated by the Budget Committee with Sofia Municipality on January 22.Municipal housing units have so far rented for an average of 66 leva a month. After the agreed price rise this will rise to 110 leva.
Bansko Bells ski and golf residence in the Bulgarian mountain resort of Bansko is going to be turned into the first certified ecofriendly development in the area, the company announced in a media statement.We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the green engineering analysis, said Vasil Alexandrov, president of A amp;V Building, the land development company.In addition to all the energy saving features already incorporated into the building design we will be able to offer our customers better ways to dramatically reduce their heating bills during the winter season and to enjoy lowcost air conditioning during the summer months. With two signature golf courses at only 10 minutes shuttle bus ride we see the Bansko Bells developing as a yearround vacation destination.
In 2007, Sofia ranked sixth among the 20 most attractive expansion destinations for European retail chains in the next five years, consultancy company Cushman amp; Wakefield research showed.Sofia had moved two places up since 2006, when it ranked eighth, investor.bg said.Romanias capital ranks right after Sofia on a seventh position. In 2006, Bucharest was ninth.According to the research, the Central and Eastern European cities were the most preferred destinations for expansion of retail chains. Moscow ranked first, followed by St Petersburg, Prague, Bratislava and Ljubljana.
After the New Years celebrations, prices of a nights lodgings in the winter resorts decreased by 10 to 20 per cent compared to the end of 2007, Bulgarian Tourist Chamber said.The decrease is even larger if compared to prices around New Years Eve, the chamber told investor.bg.According to tourism branch data, Borovets was the most expensive resort for a vacation in the 20072008 season, followed by Bansko and Pamporovo. Vacation in the Chepelare resort was far less expensive.
House prices in Bulgaria registered the highest increase in the world in 2007, while those in the US were at a standstill and price growth in Europe slowed down, according to the Global Property Guide list.According to figures until the end of September 2007, Bulgarian house prices had risen by 30.6 per cent, BBC said.Second in the ranking was the Chinese city of Shanghai with house price increases of 27.9 per cent in the first 10 months of 2007.
A new winter complex will be officially opened in the Southern Bulgarian town of Samokov on January 12 2008.The complex, called Boricho, has been functioning since January 4, a Samokov municipality media statement said.Boricho had an opened chairlift and a skirun of one km, investor.bg said. The skirun was made on the former track to the ridge and was not very difficult.Two other ski tracks, a teahouse and a panoramarestaurant are to be built in the next phase of the project.