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Eco-friendly properties

Friday, Sep 26, 2008

With the Bulgarian skyline changing at a rapid rate, particularly on the Black Sea where more and more new build developments are springing up with alarming regularity, concern is growing about the increase in carbon emissions and the potential loss of Bulgaria’s cultural and natural heritage in favour of increased profitability. Such concerns have given rise to a new trend in residential construction, which provides environmentally-friendly homes for the “lifestyle” market. Today, more and more traditional home-builders are moving away from constructing urban and high-rise property in favour of more eco-friendly developments.
During the last five years the Bulgarian property boom has resulted in a construction frenzy with masses of resort-style property being built for those investors who wanted access to the ski slopes or coastal resorts at an affordable price. The Bulgarian real estate market now offers endless investment potential for those wishing to find a cheaper alternative to the crowded resort style properties.

A New Approach

Bulgaria’s picturesque natural environment comprising of lush green valleys, well stocked pine forests, mountain ranges and golden sandy beaches has proved an ideal choice for pensioners and relocating expats, but a different class of buyer is emerging in this ever-changing market - those environmentally conscious buyers in search of a healthy, rural lifestyle. Such buyers want to take advantage of Bulgaria’s low cost of living, perfect climate and its natural landscape and are turning to developers like Geishaview and Obelisk who specialise in environmentally friendly builds, to fulfil their dreams of a harmonious life away from the rat race they chose to leave behind. These construction companies are promoting spacious, well-constructed homes situated in parts of the country, which are still relatively unspoilt by over-construction, yet offer all of the facilities necessary for today’s lifestyle.

Country Properties with a Conscience

Geishaview have constructed traditionally styled homes using modern building techniques in a rural location with stunning, panoramic views of native woodland and organically matured meadows. Placing top priority on eco-friendly practices, which respect the harmony co-existing between man and nature, each property has been exclusively designed to unify and complement the natural environment; the architecture draws on that traditional to the area and uses natural products to enhance the construction.
The Geishaview complex provides rural idyll to those seeking a peaceful, stress free setting for either retirement, work or an alternative lifestyle and on top of this the development is likely to yield a good return on investment as prices in this sector of the housing market start to rise with increased demand.
Obelisk International has located their carbon-neutral development in the majestic Rila Mountains in south western Bulgaria. Their Seven Lakes development consists of alpine style homes located in seven secure, gated complexes on 50,000 sq. m of land. Particular care has been taken to ensure that each home is crafted with natural, local materials requiring minimal transportation. Another plus in this developer’s favour is their close co-operation with the Carbon Neutral Company to reduce harmful Co² omissions and with the World Wildlife Fund to observe their guidelines for combating climate change.

Investment Potential

As well as reducing the overall carbon footprint, projects like these are proving especially attractive to Bulgaria’s fast growing eco tourism sector. The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) lists Bulgaria as one of the world’s most appealing additions to the global tourist market and predicts increases to somewhere in excess of 20 million tourists annually by 2010. Tourism currently accounts for 16% of the country’s annual GDP and the Bulgarian government, whilst acknowledging this contribution to its economic growth has stated that it is keen to ensure that increased tourism does not come at the expense of the environment.
With the continued growth of the Bulgarian real estate business virtually guaranteed, more developers are likely to choose the carbon-neutral approach to construction in the near future.

Source: Quest Bulgaria Property Magazine