About us · Company history · based on the agency archive, our 2011 newspaper and exhibition diplomas · updated October 2026

In short

The story of the VOTCHINA real estate agency begins in Varna: founder Vitaliy Pepelyashkov has been a broker since 2010, and the agency was founded on 23 February 2011. Over 15 years we have done exhibitions in Moscow, St Petersburg and Kyiv, seminars in dozens of cities, "Buying Together" group tours and property management — leading to today's focus: houses and property on the Black Sea coast for buyers from Bulgaria, Germany, Scandinavia, Central and Western Europe and Israel.

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VOTCHINA timeline by year

2010

Vitaliy Pepelyashkov starts as a broker in Varna. In the very first months he works at property exhibitions in Moscow: 60–100 conversations a day at the stand.

2011

23 February: the agency is founded (first names — Russkaya Votchina and Svoya Votchina v Evrope). August: first office at 6 Panagyurishte St, Varna, our own website votchina.eu and a branded company car. September: an information centre in Odesa. October: the Bulgarian Property Salon in St Petersburg (Lenexpo) and the first issue of our newspaper — 28 pages. Representatives in Sunny Beach, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Novorossiysk. From the very first year — a written contract with the buyer and rental management of clients' properties. Our motto back then: “Many promise — few deliver.”

2012

February: Bulgarian Home, Moscow. September: Second Home, Moscow, stand No. 21 — the hit of the stand was the Home Sweet Home project in Sunny Beach. We present the MAXI project in Velingrad to corporate investors — a whole building of 50 furnished apartments, a €5.6 million project; in the neighbouring building we sell around 15 of 52 apartments individually. We set out the “Russkaya Votchina Standards” and give after-sales client service an official status. Partner of the Bessarabian KVN League in Odesa — the semi-final features the Trojan Horses team from the founder's home village, Novi Troyani, and we host the winners on holiday in Bulgaria.

2013

February: Bulgarian Home, Moscow, stand No. 33. A partner in Almaty and a representative office in Moscow. November: office in Chișinău.

2014

March: the Vira Ukraina exhibition in Odesa. 31 May: seminar in Chișinău (TRACOM conference hall). November: three exhibitions at the Odesa Sea Terminal. 2014–2015: seminars in Ukraine together with the developer of the Sweet Homes complexes — about 10 a year.

2015

Office in Kyiv, transfer services and online Bulgarian lessons for clients, a group tour in July. A partner in Russia and a partnership with Forsage-Tour in Odesa.

2016

5 years of the agency. Construction Forum 2016 — our own seminars with five Black Sea developers: 22 seminars in 21 cities in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus from 1 April to 2 November (Chișinău, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Izmail, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Gomel, Mogilev, Minsk, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi and more). Four “Buying Together” group tours from Odesa. April: Property Fair in Kyiv, stand No. 24, together with Green Life, BonMarche and Elektra Bulgaria. November: Moscow International Property Show. Our magazine “Digest of Bulgarian Property” — 60 pages. Our own office in Odesa; representatives in Chișinău, Kyiv, Almaty and Koblenz, a new partner in Kazakhstan.

2017

Another exhibition in Kyiv and the last year of the seminars (22 seminars each in 2016 and 2017). Property management grows — 25 apartments along the whole coast. A partner programme for agencies, “Earning Together”.

2018–2019

66 rooms at the Lighthouse hotel in Sveti Vlas leased and managed. Our last exhibition in Moscow.

2020–2021

March 2020: the state of emergency halts notary deals for weeks. The pandemic turned interest towards houses outside the city. 2021: new office at 24-B Knyaginya Maria Luiza Blvd and a new website.

2022

Office in Sunny Beach with Eduard Gorban and a team of three. Votchina Everstate Group EOOD also starts operating under the VOTCHINA brand. The number of clients from Germany grows significantly.

2023–2026

The team regularly attends professional training at ASK Urban Academy — property marketing, exclusive agreements and other topics; 4–5 courses with certificates so far.

2025

The Sunny Beach office closes; Eduard Gorban returns to Germany and remains our trusted partner there.

Today

An office in central Varna, a team of agents, written standards for our work and for document checks, regular training. In the houses segment we are one of the leading agencies in the region. Buyers from Bulgaria, Germany, Scandinavia, Central and Western Europe and Israel.

What has not changed since 2011

The market, our names and the countries of our clients have changed several times. “Only verified, only reliable — no short-term gain at the expense of reputation,” Vitaliy Pepelyashkov wrote in our magazine in 2012. Three rules have stayed the same from the first year to today.

A contract with the buyer

Since 2011 we have signed a written contract with the buyer. Today it is an agency agreement, and you see the draft before the viewing.

Checks before payment

"The reservation deposit should go to the seller only after the property has been checked" — we wrote in 2016 (translated from Russian). We do the same today.

With the client to the end

From the first year we have taken the buyer not just to the signature, but to registration of the property with the Registry Agency and the tax office.

Voices from those years

Excerpts from our publications of 2011–2016. The clients gave their consent to publication at the time.

“You trust him because you saw him defend the client's position in negotiations with the developer. And he keeps looking after the client after the deal.”

Tamara Zlotnikova, Moscow — Doctor of Law, Professor, Honoured Ecologist of Russia · Russkaya Votchina newspaper No. 1, 2011 (translated from Russian)

“I told him: ‘Vitaliy, check this complex — it's beautiful and not expensive.’ And he answered: ‘Lyudmila Nikolaevna, it's beautiful only in the photos — around it there's bare steppe.’”

Lyudmila Kopylova, Yekaterinburg · Russkaya Votchina magazine, 2012/2013 season (translated from Russian)

“Our agency was created in spite of many circumstances: we started in spite of the world crisis, grew in spite of a shrinking market and stayed independent in spite of pressure from the big players in our industry.”

Svetlana Pepelyashkova, executive director · Digest of Bulgarian Property, 2016 (translated from Russian)

People in our history

  • Vitaliy Pepelyashkov — founder and managing director. A broker since 2010; in the seminar years he also headed the Sweet Homes department for regional development and cooperation for Ukraine and Moldova. More in a word from the managing director.
  • Svetlana Pepelyashkova — executive director from the founding until 2019; in 2017–2018 she also ran property management and the hotel in Sveti Vlas. “We built this business together, largely thanks to her enthusiasm,” says the founder. After the pandemic she chose her own path and today runs the Sweet Street patisserie, where we often welcome our clients.
  • Daniel Sterev — our representative in Sunny Beach back in 2011, today our transfer partner along the coast.
  • Eduard Gorban — ran our Sunny Beach office (2022–2025), today our trusted partner in Germany.
  • Forsage-Tour, Odesa — partner since 2015 for tickets and hotels.

See today's team and our partners on the page Our team.

Photo archive

VOTCHINA history — The shop window of our first office, 6 Panagyurishte St, Varna, 2011

The shop window of our first office, 6 Panagyurishte St, Varna, 2011

VOTCHINA history — Rental management flyer, 2011 (archive, not a current offer)

Rental management flyer, 2011 (archive, not a current offer)

VOTCHINA history — Cover of the brochure “Business in MAXI format”, Velingrad, 2012

Cover of the brochure “Business in MAXI format”, Velingrad, 2012

VOTCHINA history — Vitaliy Pepelyashkov at the seminar in Chișinău, 31 May 2014

Vitaliy Pepelyashkov at the seminar in Chișinău, 31 May 2014

VOTCHINA history — Construction Forum 2016 — one of the 22 seminars

Construction Forum 2016 — one of the 22 seminars

VOTCHINA history —

"Russkaya Votchina" newspaper No. 1, October 2011

VOTCHINA history — Our first own exhibition stand, 2011

Our first own exhibition stand, 2011

VOTCHINA history — The team at the stand, 2011

The team at the stand, 2011

VOTCHINA history — Gift certificate from the early years (archive, not a current offer)

Gift certificate from the early years (archive, not a current offer)

VOTCHINA history — Seminar on property in Bulgaria, 2016–2017

Seminar on property in Bulgaria, 2016–2017

VOTCHINA history —

"Buying Together" group tour, 2016

VOTCHINA history — Viewing a complex during a tour

Viewing a complex during a tour

VOTCHINA history —

"Digest of Bulgarian Property", 2016 season

VOTCHINA history — Our office in Sunny Beach, 2022–2025

Our office in Sunny Beach, 2022–2025

VOTCHINA history — The VOTCHINA team — training at ASK Urban Academy

The VOTCHINA team — training at ASK Urban Academy

VOTCHINA history — The VOTCHINA team — ASK Urban Academy certificates

The VOTCHINA team — ASK Urban Academy certificates

VOTCHINA history — The VOTCHINA team — ASK Urban Academy graduation

The VOTCHINA team — ASK Urban Academy graduation

See exhibition diplomas and training certificates on the page Exhibitions and diplomas.

Questions and answers

Since when has VOTCHINA been operating?

The agency was founded on 23 February 2011 in Varna. Its founder Vitaliy Pepelyashkov has worked as a broker since 2010.

Why do old materials say "Russkaya Votchina" and "Svoya Votchina v Evrope"?

These are the agency's first names. Today we work under the VOTCHINA brand, and since 2022 our second company, Votchina Everstate Group EOOD, also operates under it.

Do the terms from old advertising materials still apply?

No. The certificates, vouchers and tour terms of those years are part of history. Today's terms are in the General terms and conditions and in the contract you sign.

Where is your office today?

In Varna, 24-B Knyaginya Maria Luiza Blvd, 3rd floor, office 13. We have been here since 2021.

15 years of experience — at your service

Buying or selling property on the Black Sea coast? Message or call us — we will tell you honestly what is possible.

WhatsApp +359 876 111 535 office@votchina.eu

Sources: archive of the agency's old website (2011–2021), Russkaya Votchina newspaper No. 1 (October 2011), 2011 catalogue, Russkaya Votchina magazine (2012/2013 season), “Business in MAXI format” brochure (2012), “Digest of Bulgarian Property” (2016 season), exhibition diplomas, the founder's account. The advertising terms from the archive (tours, vouchers, certificates) are not a current offer.

More about us: A word from the managing director · Our team · Exhibitions and diplomas · Reviews