There is something very special happening in Europe (more precisely in Bulgaria) for digital nomads, remote workers, and entrepreneurs.
A bunch of them are on the way to transform a majestic 16,700m2 hotel into ‘Coliving Semkovo’, a unique adult-only coliving destination in a remote location based on community, collaboration, and cooperation.
The vision is to convert a 16,700 m2+ hotel building into 200 apartments and provide a unique community experience in a very remote setting in nature with huge common coliving areas. Coliving Semkovo will bring new life to this underused destination with a combination of work and leisure: winter sports, mountain biking, hiking, and many more outdoor activities in the majestic Rila mountains. The size of the property makes it a great fit for large scale events, large work groups and bootcamp programs.
A Community Owned Business
One of the most exciting aspects of the project is that it will be community-owned.
The apartments will be owned individually and all owners are also part of the co-op structure that manages the coliving business and develops the destination.
When the owners are not living in their apartments, they will be able to rent their units to digital nomads, remote teams, startups, tech incubators that can benefit from being in a location that combines unspoilt nature and a like-minded community with the facilities required to be successful in the future of remote work.
The coliving space will offer plenty of amenities and facilities like work & event areas including a communal kitchen, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a bar & cafe, cinema, private offices, art space, and more.
We will partner with service providers to offer activities like yoga, guided mountain tours, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as business support services like accounting and legal matters, insurance.
There are many unused buildings and old hotels all around Bulgaria in places that have fallen out of favor. The remote location with an old building makes the project financially viable to buy a big, otherwise unused property and turn it into one of the most exciting coliving spaces around the world.
Bulgaria has a very attractive tax system with only 10% income tax that attracts many EU citizens to move their residency and businesses there. The natural beauty, rich cultural history and low cost of living makes it a great place for digital nomads and remote workers.
Become part of Coliving Semkovo via the Crowdfounding Process
Matthias Zeitler, the initiator of this project, has built Coworking Bansko as a base for digital nomads in Bulgaria and has grown Bansko into the what many consider the capital of digital nomads in Europe. He is also the founder of Bansko Nomad Fest, one of the biggest events for digital nomads worldwide, attracting 500+ nomads from all over the world. Now he is leveraging all his experiences and connections from building the Bansko ecosystem to advance community building to the next level and create Coliving Semkovo.
In just under a month, the project gained the interest of more than 125 people that are considering buying an apartment and becoming part of the Coliving Semkovo opportunity. Many backers have already put down a deposit to move the project forward.
The price of the apartments starts from only 15,000 EUR for a studio which makes this a very affordable investment and a great way to shape the future of remote work.
How Much Will The Unit Cost?
How The Acquisiton Process Works
1. Commit with a non-refundable backer fee of 600€
To ensure the success of the project, the startup will work closely with engineers, architects, lawyers, and other experts to confirm all of the details and budgets. The project will be pitched also to potential buyers, much like a crowdfunding campaign, in order to generate enough interest and support to make the project a reality.
2. After 150 backers are found...
When at least 125 apartments will be reserved, process of signing sales contracts and putting payments into escrow will begin. This will enable them to move forward with splitting the units in the cadastre, obtaining individual meters for each unit, and completing all of the legal and administrative requirements for the sale.
3. Three Months Later
4. Renovation and furnishing
The co-op starts renovation and furnishing of the communal areas and also take care of the renovation and furnishing of owner units.
5. Three Months Later
Where is Semkovo?
Semkovo is located just a 20-minute drive from Belitza, a small town with a population of around 10,000, famous for its Bear Sanctuary.
It offers a range of amenities, including shops, restaurants, hotels, doctors, a train station, and a bus stop.
This makes it easy for residents of Coliving Semkovo to access the services and conveniences of a larger town, while still enjoying the benefits of living in a remote and beautiful location.
Other places are a short drive away:
- 40-50 minutes to Bansko (ski resort)
- 2:30 hours to Sofia (airport & capital)
- 3 hours to Plovdiv (2nd biggest city)
- 3 hours to Kavala (beach town in Greece)
As the roads are improved, these trips will become shorter in the future.
The coliving space will offer plenty of amenities and facilities like work & event areas including a communal kitchen, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a bar, cafe, cinema, private offices, art space, and more.
They plan to partner with service providers to offer activities like yoga, guided mountain tours, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as business support services like accounting, legal matters, and insurance.
There are many unused buildings and old hotels all around Bulgaria in places that have fallen out of favor. The remote location with an old building makes the project financially viable to buy a big, otherwise unused property and turn it into one of the most exciting coliving spaces around the world. Bulgaria has a very attractive tax system with only 10% income tax that attracts many EU citizens to move their residency and businesses there. The natural beauty, rich cultural history and low cost of living make it a great place for digital nomads and remote workers.
Matthias Zeitler, the initiator of this project, has built Coworking Bansko as a base for digital nomads in Bulgaria and has grown Bansko into what many consider the capital of digital nomads in Europe.
Coliving in Bulgaria - What Else is Going On?
Bulgaria is relatively a new player in the Coliving market. There are not many spaces at the moment but due to the affordable land price and stil low cost of labour, it’s becoming more popular for investors and nomads. Obviously, the cost of living is almost half when compared to Western Europe hence a good reason for nomads to stop there for a month or two.
Let’s have a look at the existing options for coliving in Bulgaria at the moment.
Work Nomads Lab is a very interesting Bulgarian concept. The company offers to host you in a very nice coliving space for about 660 EUR per month, but you will have to work for them for at least 6 months on worldwide projects from the Bulgaria.
The space offer all-inclusive, hassle-free housing with a range of amenities such as coworking areas, communal kitchens, bars, restaurants, rooftop gardens, laundry rooms, and much more. The spacious room come fully furnished, with private bathrooms, making them a comfortable home away from home.
The salary package includes a competitive market rate salary, a bonus up to 10% gross annual salary, private health insurance, monthly compensation for wifi & mobile, 20 days holidays up to 25 days for flexible hours working scheme.
This picturesque Balkan mountain village is surrounded by nature and wildlife. The proprietors are quite pleased of this coliving space in a natural setting and are eager to share it with others.
This project’s objective is to establish an inexpensive international nomadic community in nature, with a focus on yoga and holistic living.
The RisingSoul Yoga Retreat provides an ideal setting for our visitors to reconnect with nature and with themselves.
The BalkanNomads Coliving and Workcation facility, which provides extra lodging and huge meeting rooms, was recently added to the team’s options.
The lodging provides 25mb cabled WIFI and 4G Mobex systems, as well as indoor and outdoor workstations with shared printers, scanners, and copiers.
One interesting aspect of this company is that they are also collaborating with the local mayor to restore abandoned village homes and the coffee shop, therefore fostering an eco-conscious community of nomads who respect nature and social interaction.
The idea was inspired by the travels of digital nomads, freelancers, and yoga teachers.
Disclaimer
This information in this article is based solely on what the company has provided to our editorial team. This is not investment advice. Remote Tribe is not a financial adviser. You should consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation and/or investment advice to check how the website information relates to your unique circumstances.
Also, make sure to do your own research and duedilligence before investing in these types of projects.
