Vitaliy Ivanovich Pepelyashkov
Managing Director of VOTCHINA · Lawyer by training, 6 years of practice in law enforcement · over 2,600 properties checked
Section: Safe Purchase · Reading time: ~14 minutes · up to date as of October 2026
In short
Buying property in Bulgaria without an agent is legal and sometimes sensible. But a sale has only two parties with opposite interests — the seller and the buyer — and the market is unregulated: anyone can call themselves an agent, listings are advertising, and the most expensive problems never show up in the photos.
Below we take an honest look at the seven most common arguments against using an agent, what your own time is worth, when you pay us (only at the notary) and when you really can buy on your own.
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Internationally, a real estate agent (broker, intermediary) is a professional who represents the interests of one party and takes the deal from the search to the keys. In the USA in 2025, 88% of buyers bought and 91% of sellers sold with an agent. In Bulgaria, by our own estimate from practice, only about 35–40% of residential deals go through an agent.
The reason is simple: Bulgaria has no separate law on real estate agents. There is no required training, no licence and no mandatory register — anyone can be an agent. Several bills have been submitted, the latest in 2025. None has been adopted. Opponents of a register, including the Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition, fear it would restrict competition and raise prices. Our experience points the other way: what costs buyers most is mistakes, not the qualification of the person beside them.
The lack of rules hurts the profession itself and public trust in it. We believe that an agent, like a notary or a lawyer, should have training, a qualification and a licence. Until there is a law, we work to our own standard, published in the VOTCHINA General Terms.
Two buyers, one apartment
Peter and Elena are both looking for a one-bedroom apartment in Varna on a similar budget. Both like the same listing in a gated complex. Peter decides to buy on his own. Elena goes to an agent. We will follow them through this article.
An example drawn from our practice. Names are fictional.
The only parties to a sale are the seller and the buyer. Their interests are opposite — and that is normal:
| The seller wants | The buyer wants |
|---|---|
| The highest possible price | The lowest possible price |
| Not to talk about the defects | To know every defect |
| Money fast and with no conditions | To pay after checks and with protection |
Everyone else only helps — each at their own stage and within their own limits. The bank is not a helper: it protects its loan.
| Who | When | What they do | What they don't do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notary | On the day of the sale | Checks identity and ownership and, electronically, the seller's debts to the state and municipality; appoints a translator for a foreign buyer | Does not choose the property, assess price or condition, or protect money paid weeks earlier |
| Lawyer | Once the property is chosen | Checks documents, drafts or reviews contracts, represents you in court | Does not search for properties, know the local market or negotiate the price |
| Agent | From the first call to the keys | Shortlisting, a professional eye at viewings, checks before any payment, negotiation, coordinating everyone else | Is not a party to the sale, does not replace the notary or the court |
| Valuer | When buying with a mortgage | Market valuation of the property for the bank | Does not negotiate or check legal status |
| Mortgage broker | Before the search | Pre-approval and offers from several banks | Does not check or choose the property |
When you buy alone, you face a seller who has known the property for years — and often the seller's agent too. The buyer's agent has one job: to protect your interests.
These are the objections we hear most often. Each has a grain of truth, so we give each an honest verdict.
Half true
True: the portals are open to everyone and a deal can be done without an agent. The cost is something else — your time. A listing is advertising: the photos are selected, the text is written to sell, and some listings are old or fake and exist only to make the phone ring. The mismatch only becomes clear at the viewing — after hours of travel and calls.
| Stage | On your own | With an agent |
|---|---|---|
| Listings | Hundreds, with duplicates and fakes | Checked to be current and genuine |
| Calls | Dozens of calls about the same thing | One conversation about your criteria |
| Viewings | Many, often wasted | Only properties that passed the shortlist |
The comparison our clients make most often: you could pull your own tooth, but you usually go to a dentist. The dentist studied for 5 years. We have been in this market for 15.
“How much of my time other agents wasted, showing me nothing like what I was looking for.”
Anna P., 2023 · Google review (translated from Russian)
Peter and Elena: in three weeks Peter makes over 40 calls and goes to 9 viewings — 5 of them of properties that do not match the listing. Elena has one meeting with her agent and 3 viewings.
False
The viewing is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the work happens before and after it, and the buyer never sees it:
The viewing
what you see
And at the viewing itself, the buyer and the agent look at different things:
| What you see | What the agent sees | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Fresh renovation | 15 cm walls with no insulation, traces of leaks, cracks under the paint |
| Floor and aspect | A nice view | North-facing, top floor under an uninsulated roof |
| Heating | There is air conditioning | What winter will cost you |
| Neighbourhood | A quiet street | An abandoned building site opposite, an approved block in front of the window, a bar on the ground floor |
| Convenience | Close to the sea | Parking, school, shops, transport |
| Your goal | A beautiful apartment | Weak as an investment: a low-liquidity area, hard to resell |
“They prepared the deal so that all we had to do was sign. They solved every problem themselves without bothering us.”
Tatyana V., 2022 · Google review (translated from Russian)
Peter and Elena: Peter sees a fresh renovation and a sea view. Elena's agent asks about the management company and requests the maintenance contract. It turns out the contract is registered with the Registry Agency.
Half true
The notary checks identity and ownership on the day of the sale and, under Art. 264 of the Tax and Social Insurance Procedure Code, electronically checks the seller's debts to the state and municipality. But the notary certifies a deal the parties have already agreed. The notary does not assess the price, condition, neighbourhood or management company and is not there when you pay money under the preliminary contract — the riskiest moment of the purchase.
Depends on the agent
The seller's agent does protect the seller's interests. If you call directly about their listing, nobody is protecting yours. That is why a buyer needs an agent of their own.
But the seller side of the market is unregulated too. Many owners list their property themselves, with a price based on gut feeling and no market analysis, and deals collapse at the offer stage. A familiar scenario: the buyer says “this is my apartment”, while the seller takes offence at the offer and raises the price. When we work with both sides, we say so openly and run the negotiation as a mediator: we take the emotion out, translate positions into the terms of the deal — price, timing, furniture, payment method — and put every agreement in writing. Your offer is in writing, through us, with a holding deposit.
The agency protected the interests of both sides — “completely objectively and impartially”.
Svilen R. · Google review (translated from Bulgarian)
Half true
A lawyer is strong on documents and indispensable in a complex case. But a lawyer comes in once the property has been chosen: they do not search, filter out overpriced listings, negotiate the price or coordinate the bank, valuer and notary. At VOTCHINA, contracts are prepared by the managing director, a lawyer by training, and in complex cases we work with a partner law firm.
If you are used to the UK system, where a solicitor handles conveyancing and searches, note that Bulgaria has no equivalent process built into every purchase. The checks before you pay money are up to you or your agent.
False
A buyer's agent negotiates with arguments, not requests: comparable sales, the property's defects, the bank's valuation, timing, furniture, repairs.
From our practice: a property listed at €650,000 — agreed at €550,000. The deal is on the home straight: we are preparing the notarial deed.
Peter and Elena: Peter pays the asking price — he does not know that similar apartments in the complex sold for 8% less. Elena gets a summary of actual sales.
Sometimes true
When everything is clean, buying without an agent can indeed be cheaper. The problem is that from the outside you cannot know whether it is clean. The checks, the contracts and the risks are all yours. If you are ready to reinvent the wheel — go ahead. Just count your hours. And if you think the fee is worth more than those hours, we would beg to differ.
From the first viewing to the notarial deed — just 6 days. “The main goal… is not the commission, but a satisfied client.”
Ivaylo K., 2025 · Google review (translated from Bulgarian)
Do the maths yourself. The hours are approximate, based on our practice for one residential purchase:
| What you do yourself | Hours |
|---|---|
| Searching and comparing listings | 15–25 |
| Calls with owners and agents | 8–12 |
| Viewings, including travel | 15–30 |
| Checks, certificates, public offices | 8–15 |
| Negotiation, contracts, notary | 5–10 |
| Utility accounts and re-registrations after the sale | 5–8 |
| Total | 56–100 hours |
Multiply by what your hour is worth and add the trips if you live in another city or abroad. Then compare with the fee — it is shown openly in the “turnkey” cost breakdown on the page of every property we list, together with taxes and notary fees. See it in our property catalogue.
When you buy off-plan, the developer sells not a finished home but a promise, and describes the building as they imagine it. Reality often differs from the plan: deadlines, materials, floor areas, common parts. The contract is a separate risk. Large developers have their own lawyers, and the preliminary contract — including long instalment plans — is written in the seller's favour. By signing it, the buyer can take on a burden for years.
| What the developer says | What we check |
|---|---|
| “We are experienced, it will be ready on time” | Their previous buildings, delays, court disputes, how they were put into use |
| “The documents are in order” | Building right, building permit, approved design and whether the unit matches it |
| “Pay now to lock in the price” | Payments tied to construction stages (Act 14, 15, 16), not to the calendar |
| “This is our standard contract” | Equal penalties for both sides, sanctions for delay, the right to change the design, who will manage the building and for what fee |
“The deal went through in a very organised, lawful and fast way.”
Olga, purchase on a developer instalment plan, 2025 · Google review (translated from Russian)
More on this: buying off-plan, construction delays and warranty periods in new builds.
You pay only at the notary. Many agents ask for their fee when the preliminary contract is signed. We receive ours on the day of the sale, when you already own the property.
If the purchase price is paid in instalments over more than 3 months — half at the preliminary contract, half at the notary.
If the deal falls through because of the seller or the property, you owe us nothing.
Before the viewing you sign an agency agreement. You can review the draft in advance — we send it to you or you see it at our office. The terms are public in our General Terms.
| Included at no extra charge | What the fee does not buy |
|---|---|
| Shortlisting, viewings, checks before any payment, negotiation, contracts, notary | A guarantee of the market price years from now — no honest agent gives one |
| Interpreting at the notary by our own staff on deals we handle, when the notary allows it — you save €70–120 on a sworn translator | Representation in court — that is a lawyer's job |
| Market value of the package: over €1,000 on a standard agreement and over €3,000 on an exclusive one | State and notary fees, local tax, the bank's valuation — paid separately |
The full comparison of the standard and exclusive agreements is in How we buy with VOTCHINA.
If you found the property yourself, we agree the terms for checks and support individually — they depend on the location and the amount of work.
The most expensive problems are never in the listing. We cover each in a separate article:
“They helped sort out the land plot for the sale and prepare all the documents. Absolutely everything ‘turnkey’.”
Oleg R., 2025 · Google review (translated from Russian)
Not every deal needs an agent. Buying without one makes sense when:
Test: are you ready to buy on your own?
Count how many you can answer “yes” to:
7–8 “yes” — you can manage on your own; a second look at the property is still useful.
4–6 “yes” — the risk is real; at least do not skip the check before you pay.
0–3 “yes” — the deal is safer with an agent who protects your interests.
With us or with someone else — three questions quickly show whether anyone is really protecting your interests:
The honest answer is “for you” or “for both sides — as a mediator”. If the agent hesitates, they probably work only for the seller.
Look for a specific answer: ownership, encumbrances, legal use, management company, debts. “The property is clean” without a document is not an answer.
Ask for the agency agreement and the draft preliminary contract in advance. Check when your money is returned, when the fee is due and what happens if the bank refuses the mortgage.
Important: Bulgaria has no licence and no mandatory register for real estate agents. Check the agency itself: the company in the Commercial Register, how many years it has operated, whether it has a real office, whether it gives a written contract and whether it identifies you under the anti-money-laundering law.
Peter and Elena: the outcome
Peter buys the apartment at the asking price. After the notary he learns that the registered maintenance contract is now his obligation too — at whatever fee the company sets.
Elena turns that property down. Two weeks later she buys an apartment in the next block with no registered contract, at a price negotiated on actual sales, and pays the fee only at the notary.
An example drawn from our practice. Names are fictional.
“…correctly prepared all the documents for the deal without me having to be in Kavarna.”
Stoyan V., 2025 · Google review (translated from Bulgarian)
5.0 from 70 Google reviews — read them all
Check in 1 minute
Yes, the law does not require an agent. Then you are responsible for shortlisting, checking ownership and encumbrances, the management company, the contracts and negotiating with a seller whose interests are the opposite of yours.
It depends on the agency and the property. With us, the fee is shown in the “turnkey” cost breakdown on every property page and is written into the agreement before the viewing.
With us — on the day of the sale at the notary. If the price is paid in instalments over more than 3 months — half at the preliminary contract and half at the notary. If the deal falls through because of the seller or the property, you owe nothing.
Yes, if they say so openly and run the negotiation as a mediator: every offer in writing, every agreement recorded. If an agent will not say who they work for, assume they work for the seller.
No. As of October 2026 there is no law, licence or mandatory register for agents. Several bills have been submitted, but none has been adopted.
Your choice
Decided to buy on your own? Send us the property — we will tell you what we see. Want someone protecting your interests from the search to the keys? It starts with one conversation.
I'll try alone — look at the property I want an agent +359 876 111 535 office@votchina.euViber and Telegram on the same number.
Sources: National Association of Realtors, Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2025; Bulgarian Civil Procedure Code, Art. 582 (translator in notarial proceedings); Tax and Social Insurance Procedure Code, Art. 264; public information on the bills on real estate intermediation submitted in 2024–2025 and the opinions on them. The share of deals with an agent in Bulgaria is our own estimate from practice. The story of Peter and Elena is a composite example. This article is general information and does not replace legal advice. VOTCHINA's terms are set out in the agency agreement and the General Terms; in case of discrepancy, the signed agreement prevails.
