Bulgarian Property Market Insight

Written by Steve Avery


Continued from page 1

‘Don’t expect, though,repparttar ambience ofrepparttar 105730 south to become like that ofrepparttar 105731 north. When I discussedrepparttar 105732 subject withrepparttar 105733 Chairman ofrepparttar 105734 Bulgarian Foreign Investment Agency last year – an extremely intelligent and able young man, I must add – he told me in no uncertain terms that he did not wantrepparttar 105735 south to become likerepparttar 105736 north. His very words were: “We don’t want another Benidorm.” So, prospective property purchasers need to bear this in mind, and balance their desire for more capital growth, or their willingness to accept less, withrepparttar 105737 different rental market appeal ofrepparttar 105738 two regions, along with their own taste in holidays.

‘There is one highly significant factor, however, which very often goes unnoticed until it is too late; and it applies torepparttar 105739 whole coast. Most people don’t know that it freezes onrepparttar 105740 coast in winter. When they seerepparttar 105741 coastal resorts basking inrepparttar 105742 hot summer sunshine, it’s difficult to imagine snow onrepparttar 105743 ground. The entire coast simply shuts down inrepparttar 105744 winter, and nothing happens. It’s a dead as a doornail. Therefore, rental income can be fairly assured for 15 weeks, possibly 20, plus some odd bits inrepparttar 105745 shoulder seasons of April and October. The coast has a five-month season from May to September, compared to nine months inrepparttar 105746 ski areas. Those people buying only for rental income, therefore, would findrepparttar 105747 mountains far more lucrative.

‘Rents vary greatly, and depend on many factors, most of which should be obvious: location, size, view, amenities. The standard of finish andrepparttar 105748 condition ofrepparttar 105749 property can also determine your market quite radically. To appeal to west Europeans, and to commandrepparttar 105750 highest rents, your property must be well finished and appointed, and be in tip-top condition. If it is not, you still have a market for east Europeans, who tolerate less salubrious surroundings because they pay much less, usually about half ofrepparttar 105751 west European rates.

‘Generally, summer rental rates onrepparttar 105752 coast equate to winter rates inrepparttar 105753 ski resorts, both seasons being about five months. Remember that you also have about four months’ additional rent, though at lower rates, duringrepparttar 105754 summer inrepparttar 105755 mountains. These rates should increase gradually, asrepparttar 105756 Government programmes to makerepparttar 105757 ski towns more popular for summer holidays make their mark.

‘There are several Bulgarian agencies willing to manage your rental properties for you. Expect to pay about 20% ofrepparttar 105758 rent as a fee.”

What about properties inrepparttar 105759 countryside?

“Not a serious contender inrepparttar 105760 ROI stakes, I think. Not if you considerrepparttar 105761 effort involved. You can pick up property very cheaply indeed inrepparttar 105762 inland areas, away fromrepparttar 105763 resorts. Almost always it’ll need some kind of work; anything from a face-lift to demolition. There’s often no inner staircase torepparttar 105764 bedrooms, no bathroom, andrepparttar 105765 toilet is in a shed inrepparttar 105766 garden. This kind of property is great for buyers who want to get away from their homeland, and disappear inrepparttar 105767 beauty of nature permanently. As a business, it could appeal to self-builders or DIY enthusiasts, prepared to do it for fun, and accept a low return on their financial and physical investment. As for rental income, forget it!”

Andrepparttar 105768 cities?

“Again, there are differences, even between cities. The prime city is, of course, Sofia,repparttar 105769 capital. Buyrepparttar 105770 right apartment here, inrepparttar 105771 right area, and you can expect a guaranteed rental return of about 12% per annum. The flavour ofrepparttar 105772 month is gated communities, particularly inrepparttar 105773 south ofrepparttar 105774 city. The diplomatic residential district of Vitosha is one ofrepparttar 105775 best bets. There is a ready demand for luxury accommodation from diplomatic staff and executives seconded by foreign companies, usually on a long-term basis, and this demand should increase as 2007,repparttar 105776 year of Bulgaria’s accession torepparttar 105777 European Union, approaches. Although you should expect to pay high for such properties by Bulgarian standards, it’s still onlyrepparttar 105778 price of a tarted-up Victorian terraced flat in a UK provincial town.

‘There’s virtually no market for tourist rentals in Sofia, as it’s probablyrepparttar 105779 least interesting European capital city. It’s also very polluted, although they are trying to clean up their act, ready for EU entry in 2007.

‘Plovdiv,repparttar 105780 country’s second city, is much more pleasant. It has a quaint old town, as well as modern business districts. It therefore bridgesrepparttar 105781 gap between business and tourism, as far as rentals are concerned. Plovdiv is connected to Sofia by an excellent motorway, on which you can keeprepparttar 105782 pedal torepparttar 105783 metal, if you’re prepared to risk an on-the-spot fine of 50 Leva (about £18).

‘Veliko Tarnovo is probably Bulgaria’s most touristic city, with its citadel and mediaeval ramparts. Most people who buy property here do so to make it their main home. The city itself is beautiful, and it has everything a townie needs. Drive a short distance, and you’re in some wonderful countryside. You couldn’t really make a good living from rentals, but it’srepparttar 105784 perfect place to retire to.

‘There’s one more thing which is important enough to mention: Mineral baths. These exist all over Bulgaria,repparttar 105785 most significant being at Narechen, south of Plovdiv, and Momin Prohod, near Kostenets. Scientific studies rank Bulgaria amongrepparttar 105786 foremost in Europe for hydrothermal, bioclimatic and mud treatments, sea cures and other health resources. Bulgaria is a world leader with its exceptional diversity of medicinal herbs andrepparttar 105787 excellent curative properties of its apian products. Any property near a spa should attract a premium to its sales or rental value.”

Full details aboutrepparttar 105788 ‘Super Borovets’ project, price madness in Bansko, golf developments in Bulgaria, and new apartments in Bansko and Borovets can be seen atrepparttar 105789 BulgariaProperties.net Ltd web site www.BulgariaProperties.net. Or you can e-mail advice@BulgariaProperties.net, or callrepparttar 105790 company at +44 (0)871 226 2296 to order a free 28-page hand-out, or just for a chat, if you prefer. They always have time for you.

This article is the copyright of Steve Avery, of BulgariaProperties.net Ltd. All rights reserved.


Personal Training: Name One Good Reason Someone Should Hire You

Written by Aaron Potts


Continued from page 1

Education. Although education is certainly no substitute for experience, in a health profession such as personal training, you won't get far withoutrepparttar knowledge to get your job done properly. This can include your basic certification, your Continuing Education Credits, and any applicable college or trade school classes you take during your career.

Niche. Having a niche market is probablyrepparttar 105729 most effective way to stand out fromrepparttar 105730 crowd! If you are a trainer who "trains everyone", how can you possibly be very good at training a particular group of people? How can you claim to berepparttar 105731 best trainer in town for athletes if you only train one athlete, and your other clients include a housewife, a corporate CEO, a teenager, a police officer, a kindergarten teacher, an elderly couple, and a swimsuit model? Specialize in ONE group of people, and not only will it build your credibility, but you can charge more for your sessions, since you are specialized in training that particular niche.

Value. Another basic tenet of business success, yet one that trainers often overlook. When all is said and done, what does your client get for signing on with you? Just training sessions? All trainers are doing that! What ELSE are they getting for their money? If you have to think about it, then you might need to build some more value into your business model!

Facility. If you work at or own a fitness facility or training studio, what makes your facility stand out from other facilities in town? Do you have more equipment? Do you offer more unique training programs? Does your facility have child care? A locker room? Private training areas? Think about why someone would walk into your door instead ofrepparttar 105732 gym acrossrepparttar 105733 street.

Hours. Whether you work in a facility or do home training, what are your hours? Are you willing to train someone at 5:00am? What about 9:00pm? Today's world is full of incredibly busy people! If you try to stick to "banker's hours", you will have a hard time succeeding as a personal trainer.

As you can see, there are many ways that you can make your service or your facility a better option for your potential clients rather than them hiring one of your competitors. You should takerepparttar 105734 time to brainstorm even more ideas than those covered above, as that is a short list at best. There are many other ways that you can make your businessrepparttar 105735 best option for your target market!

Once you have a few ideas in mind, chooserepparttar 105736 one thing that you feel truly makes your business "unique". What is that one single product, service, or business practice that hasrepparttar 105737 power to yank your potential customers away from your competition?

Once you haverepparttar 105738 answer to that, promote that idea in everything that you do! Don't promoterepparttar 105739 fact that you are a trainer. Promoterepparttar 105740 fact that you arerepparttar 105741 best trainer for your target market because of your Unique Selling Proposition.

Make your business unique in some special way, promote that idea, and your business will grow in leaps and bounds. As you get more successful, you will come up with even more ways that your business isrepparttar 105742 best option for your target audience.

You will get more and more clients and those clients will be happy, healthy, and spreadingrepparttar 105743 word about your great services. That, ladies and gentleman, is what we call a Win/Win situation!

Aaron Potts is the author and creator of The Ultimate Complete Personal Training Business Kit, a quick-start kit and business guide for new as well as seasoned fitness professionals. Find out more about Aaron's programs at http://www.completepersonaltrainingbusiness.com or his personal training site at http://www.aaronspersonaltraining.com


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