As \\\"relatively successful\\\" real estate market in Bulgaria described the first quarter of 2010 of Bulgarian Properties agency. According to the company\\\'s average market activity is about 40 percent higher than the activity in the first quarter of 2009, which is considered the worst period for the property market in Bulgaria. Property sales in January and February remained at the level of the second half of 2009, but March has brought greater activity in the market and a record number of transactions since the beginning of the crisis and an increase of 50% over the average monthly level for last 10 months reported by the agency. Animation in March is aimed primarily at property in the country where places of March until the market was almost zero. The activity of urban real estate market in Sofia and Varna, unchanged from last half year and property prices based on transactions remained stable. Transactions continue to be concluded only with luxury estate or a very cheap property, as the basic requirement of the buyers are at bargain prices. The segment of urban properties in large cities and especially in Sofia reassurance monitor the market and overcoming the initial shock of the crisis, broker comment. In the first quarter of 2010 property prices in Sofia and Varna-based transactions concluded through the agency remained unchanged from the last quarter of 2009 In Sofia, the average price of apartments sold in the first quarter was ˆ 1,040 per sq.m., according to the agency. In January it was 980 euros in February - ˆ 1,220 (sold mostly luxury properties) and in March - 940 Euros. The market for residential properties in Sofia kept relatively stable over the past year, property prices have not fallen dramatically, and many buyers are still waiting for better prices, brokers noted. Since this volume of transactions on which to balance the market over the past year has been very little for capital, perhaps there will be a second cycle of falling prices of apartments in Sofia, especially those of poor location, poor environments , panel or major repairs, the company forecast. There is growth in transactions for sale in the capital since the beginning of the year with about 30% over the last quarter of 2009, but transactions are concluded on 30% lower prices. If at the end of last year outweigh the rents of luxury apartments with average rent price of 600-700 euros per month in 2010 it dominated in rentals of apartments 450 euros per month - 390 euros per month for January and 430 euros per month for February and 400 euros in March 2010, according to the data. Varna city property prices also remained stable, but interest in them is relatively weak. The average bid per square meter in Varna is about 900 euros, which makes property in the city more expensive than expected levels of market shoppers and urban properties in the seaside capital continues to have low activity. In Varna rentals declined by 30 percent in the prices of transactions compared to the first quarter of 2009 and decreased by 27% from last quarter of 2009 average price at which to place newly hired Relations apartment with one bedroom first quarter is 380 euros, to be dealing with extra long renegotiate the price, while in 2009 the average rental price was 540 euros according to the agency. Rental market tightened because landlords are often willing to devote their property and for a shorter period (1-3 months). Bulgarian and foreign clients within the country are already actively looking for houses for rent summer in Golden Sands and the top center of Varna. Reductions in bids Reductions in tender prices of properties are activated at the beginning of the year, most discounted property had during the period 20 January to 10 February. Their number exceeded the number of new bids, the agency published each week. Currently the number of bids a reduced price is about 60% of these new offers every week. The average drop in tender prices of properties in the country is 25 percent since the beginning of the crisis so far, for the last 2 months the average asking prices of properties have been revised downwards by 5%. In Sofia, the reduction in the offer prices of the apartments is 21.4 percent since the beginning of the crisis so far. Drop in tender prices of apartments in Sofia quarters to April 1, 2010: Banishora - 25% Downtown - 24% Pine - 25% Bojana - 17% Buxton - 23% Vitosha - 18% Hostile - 22% Geo Milev - 16.6% Vitosha - 18.5% Ivan Vazov - 15.4% East - 6% Sunrise - 17% Knyazhevo - 26% Downtown - 22.5% Monastery Meadows - 23% Mladost 1 - 25% Mladost 2 - 17% Mladost 4 - 20% Shooting - 15% Student City - 16% Center - 26% Refrigerator - 21.2% Yavorov - 8% The largest drop in tender prices of properties are in neighborhoods where prices were among the highest in the capital and where demand is greatest. In most neighborhoods decline is close to average, in neighborhoods such as \\\"Ivan Vazov\\\", \\\"East\\\" and \\\"Yavorov decline in bids is much lower than average levels of Sofia. Buyers Dominant buyers of real estate market this year are Bulgarians and Russians. While in January and Greek were active buyers in February and March they are not present in the property market in Bulgaria. Bulgarians are the buyers of 20% of the deals the agency. They mostly buy apartments in Sofia, Burgas, Varna, but also in Bansko and the village houses at bargain prices in the country. Russian customers constitute the largest share of foreign buyers for the first three months of 2010 - 20%. They mainly buy properties in ski and sea resorts. Britons this year were 15% of foreign buyers, their interest is focused mainly on rural properties at low prices. Other foreign buyers are from many different nationalities. This year the Bulgarian property market attended by representatives of many countries - both neighboring and distant from destinations such as Canada, Australia, USA and others.