Dental Care

Last Tuesday Sally chipped a tooth, so the next day we made an appointment to see a dentist on Friday. The assistant, Petia, speaks quite good english, but the dentist Villi, does not. However there was no need to worry.
Petia is Veselina's boyfriend's mother, anyone who knows anything about me and my work should know by now how closely I work with Veselina. This is just another example of how she helps us in many ways.
Sally was well cared for, she had to go to the dental hospital for x-rays which cost us £4!!!
Today was a filling day, more expense, £7 including the pain killer!!
Next week Sally has to have a filling followed by a crown, this is going to cost another £65.
I spoke to my father who has just had a check up and a small filling in the UK, it cost him £72. Rip Off Britian.
So if anyone has any need for a good dentist please let me know, we know a very good one.

Company Set Up

Well this week has been a good week in Bulgaria. I have had some new clients over looking to buy a property ready to start a new life away from the "rat race". Nik and Joanna along with young Dan were looking for a property to renovate and place their style on it.
As your aware if you have read my blog, it is necessary to open a company with a company bank account to show you have funds to run a company. During the summer it was taking around 40 days to open a company and have it registered, then around September it was approx. 14 days.
This week, thanks to the lawyer I use, Mr. Kiril Anev, we managed to open a company in ONE day! This is truly amazing, and I thank Kiril for his help.
This means that we can close the deal and get the new title deeds to the property selected within a week.
Compare this to the way deals are done in the UK and let me know if you agree that this is a much simpler method of buying property.

Renovated Properties

I am always showing people around properties for sale which require renovation works. Some have the ability to see the potential of a place others need a littile help. When veiwing here the properties are not looking the same as you would expect in the UK.

However after some work they really do look great, make sure you have the work done right the first time and try not to cut those corners to save a few quid.

Here are some pictures of houses that have just been renovated, you will see for yourselves how good they look.

So do not be put off by those overgrown gardens or the poor decor inside.

Driving To Bulgaria.

Many people drive over to Bulgaria. There are great debates as to which is the best route to take, everyone has a reason for the way they choose.
I like to use the Channel Tunnel, it gives me a small break from driving and it is right on the doorstep of Cite Europe shopping centre. It means I can go and get some goodies for the drive. Then on through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia and into Bulgaria.
I choose Serbia because the roads are so much better, this means a faster time, but beware, as Serba is not in Europe you will need to have insurance to cover you for your use of their roads. You can buy it on the border, it is usually around £100 for a month, this is the least amount of time you can purchase. Also Serbia is the only place where we had to pay a road toll, it was only 15 Euros in total, but you must have this in cash.
I use a sat nav system to keep me on the right track, I purchased it before we drove over and is so easy to use. I would recomend getting one to everyone making this journey. It saves all those conversations about who told who to take which road, which turned out to be wrong!
Things to remember before setting off.
A green card is vital, this shows you have car insurance for Europe.
A first aid kit, fire extinguisher, GB sticker, red warning triangle for breakdowns, headlamp beam deflectors to send your headlamp beams in the opposite direction to the UK.
Always check your oil, water, spare tyre and make sure your car is serviced ready for the long drive.
Equally important to remember, this is not a race, take your time, four days is still a lot of driving if your only used to doing 10 -15 miles a day! 500 miles is hard work. Enjoy the trip, stop off often and drink a lot of fluids.
Make sure you passengers have something to do, the driver must concentrate all day, so cannot be concerned by passengers being bored etc.
I would do the trip again, but I love driving so it makes it easier for me. The lady I have just driven over, only drives short distances so knew her limitations. We got on really well and enjoyed the trip.
Currency is the last thing to think about. Take plenty of Euros and some Lev, all countries take the Euro, Serbia does, but not in the smaller villages, as your not in the country long it is not worth getting any Dinar.

Satillite Television

For those of you who still require the "fix" of UK television like myself, then I have news for you!
I have now found a company who can set up and install a satillite connection that will provide channels like, ITV, Channel 4, all the freeview channels and Sky Movies, Sports etc etc.
There is a one off cost for the dish, reciever and installation, then a monthly fee to get around 6,00 plus channels from all over the world.
Cost's depend on the package you require, you may even choose to go for just the freeview package and pay a one off fee.
If this sounds interesting to you then let em know and I will pass on contact details.

Heating

One thing that should be considered when buying in Bulgaria is how are you going to heat your new home?
Heating is not optional, the winters here can get as cold as minus 20 degrees, you need to be prepared. The cold weather usually starts around the end of October, chilly, rather than cold, but the heating maybe needed, until March.
The options are:-
1/ A wood burner (Kamina) heating hot water pumped around the house to radiators, this system can also be connected to a water boiler to heat your domestic water when your Kamina is burning.
2/ Air conditioner units in different rooms, these can be used in the winter to provide heat as well as in the summer for cool air. The only issue with this idea is that if there was a power cut in the cold winter, you could be very cold!
3/ A small wood burner in your lounge that just heats that room, then mobile gas heaters that can be moved around the house to where you need heat. Almost everyone here has these heaters, they can be used just for a small time in the chilly evening or morning to take the chill off of a room, it saves lighting the Kamina.
4/ An electric heating system providing heat to radiators. This is the most expensive system to have as electricity is not cheap. Oue house already had this system installed when we bought it, the bills in the early winter months were high, so we have had a Kamina installed as well.
So if you choose a wood burner how much will it cost to run? Wood is 55 - 60 Lev (£20 - £24)per cubic metre, a good guide is that you'll need between 10 and 15 cubic metres per year, depending on the weather, coal is a good idea to have in as well, this costs about 6 Lev (£2.40) for a 20 Kilo bag, a guide would be about 30 - 35 bags per year.
Instalation cost's.
1/ Kamina and radiators cost from around 7000 Lev (£2,800) depending on size of Kamina required and how many radiators needed.
2/ Air conditioners start at about 600 Lev (£440) each, then the instalation cost is about 50 Lev (320) each.
3/ I am sorry, but I do not know how much the electric system costs, I would not recommend this system due to the running costs.
I hope you find this artical useful when deciding on heating.

Financial Planning

When you are thinking of leaving the UK to live abroad, one of the subjects you need to address is your finances. Many people talk to their bank or to their building society. Others speak to their financial advisor. This makes perfect sense because it is important to have your financial affairs in order so that you your financial security is assured.
I work very closely with Jason Ritchie a partner of St James’s Place Wealth Management, one of the UK’s largest and most respected Wealth Management companies. Jason is able to provide specialist, bespoke financial advice to non UK Residents, taking into account tax and non residency issues. Jason is able to help individuals in deciding the best place to deposit their money. St. James’s Place has offices located across the whole of the UK and has a huge amount of experience in dealing with more complex financial situations. The company were awarded the Daily Telegraph Wealth Manager of the year award for 2007 and picked up the same award with the Financial Times and Investors Chronicle for 2008. This recognizes the quality of the brand you are able to take advice from.
Jason is able to advice on Pensions, Investments, Off Shore Investment Strategies and Inheritance Tax Planning. It is possible to meet with Jason either in the UK, or in Bulgaria, where he visits quarterly to visit his existing clients, which include myself.
Everyone, I believe has the right to good quality financial advice and to benefit from a long term trusted relationship with a highly qualified advisor which ensures that their financial position is kept under close scrutiny and constant review. Take the opportunity to speak to Jason, he can be contacted by telephone on (0044) (0) 7917808289/ (0044) (0) 1225860126 or email Jason.ritchie@sjpp.co.uk.
Please let him know that you found him via my blog site, this helps him in understanding how new clients have found him.