Bulgarian property: number of sales slumps 22% over the summer
According to the Registry Agency, just over 45,000 properties were sold in the third quarter, well below previous years. Mortgages, however, continue to rise, and so do prices.
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Bulgaria's property market continues to cool. According to Registry Agency data reported by portal Economic.bg, 45,312 property sales were registered from July to September, down 22.1% from a year earlier (58,184). It is the third consecutive quarter of decline. In the first nine months of 2026, there were 129,431 sales, a drop of 18.8%.
Sales fell in all major cities: in Sofia, the third-quarter figure dropped 21.2% to 7,282, in Plovdiv 23.9% to 3,354 and in Varna 26.3% to 2,853. In Burgas, the decline was 14.3%, but sales there rose 12.6% compared with the spring. According to Economic.bg, brokers consider the comparison with 2025 less meaningful because of the enthusiasm surrounding euro adoption at the time.
Mortgages are bucking the trend: according to Profit.bg, 41,359 mortgages were registered through the end of September, 5.8% more than a year earlier, including refinancing. Housing is not getting cheaper as a result: according to Profit.bg, real estate expert Martin Srebrov says prices are still rising by about 15%.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.