Solicitors....Please Help

[Jonsey6745]

HI all.

I am just about to pay my final installemnt on HFGC & I am just starting to think about Solicitors.

Obviously I signed a prelimanary agreement some time ago, but dont really know the next stages.

Do I need an English solicitor to go through the contract or do I just need a bulgarian solicitor to sign the notories on my behalf If I cant be there in person. I have spoiken with some UK based solicitors who want to charge £1000 for the service, but i believe this to be expensive.

Fort Noks are saying I can sign the notories in March/April, in person & thus will not need to pay a notrie for this service, or do i need one even though I will be able to sign in person...

Can anyone give me some advice on what they have done when purchasing

[BWFC]

jonsey6745 - i went over in october to sign the final contract it is more or less the same as the preliminary contract i read through it myself there is nothing in it you cannot understand. i did not use a solicitor because people told me you do not need one and it was all very simple fortnoks then take u down to the notary in nessebar council offices u have an interpreter what they provide you pay 40 levs then u go in and sign the notary fortnoks register it for you. fortnoks draft all the legal papers that is why u pay them a fee mine was £404. i think you have to do the notary in person i dont think you can send your solicitor in to do it for you. im glad i didnt waste a £1000 on one i know from buying a house in the UK they are a waste of time and cannot justify the money they charge. i hope this information helps you one way or the other.

[Jonsey6745]

BWFC, thankyou very much for you advice. I am glad we have this forum for information like this & stop people getting ripped off.

One more question, did you send the balance of your payment before you went to Bulgaria as this is what I am being asked.

Also, did anyone do your snagging list at teh apartment before you paid the balance.

[tomhez]

Hi jonsey6745,

I personally did not use a solicitor as we had heard from other owners how simple the process was. Fort Nok do take care of everything and explain the process step by step. If you agree with everything in the contract then it is a very easy process.
If anyone needs a snagging check on their apartment, we can provide this service. We will do an initial visit to your apartment and write a report on what we find and e-mail a copy to the owner. We can also complete follow up visits and again provide a writen report on the progress of the repairs. The cost for this service is £30 per visit. If anyone is interested in this service please feel free to e-mail or PM me.

Regards
Tom

[BWFC]

jonsey6745 - yes i made my final payment through my bank in the UK then i emailed aglaia at fortnoks and arranged a date to sign the final contract they have to book u in at the notary i also asked her what i would have to pay for all the legal work they were doin on my behalf so she sends you a breakdown of all the figures that is why i didnt use a solicitor. regarding snagging i was over at my apartment in july for 2 weeks i made a list out of what needed doin it was only bits and bats. even after you have signed and payed everything when u go over just check your apartment if anything needs doin they will sort it out for you but if you want it sorted now just contact a management company they will go in inspect everything and give fortnoks the list to do the jobs