Welsh family wants to be a free mortgage for £8,000 without even watching – in Bulgaria
A Welsh family spent £8,000 on an abandoned house in Bulgaria without watching in person in search of a “free mortgage”.
Maxwell, 38, and Leah Jones, 29, said their dream is to be self-sufficient and not want to spend 25 years paying off their mortgage in the UK.
The couple bought their three-bedroom home in Popovo, Bulgaria in January 2025, which is relatively bargaining, with a market value of about £300,000 compared to similar properties in their hometown of Wales.
Joiner and Landscaper Maxwell and Leah, who work in health and social care, will fly out in May and will move to the end of the year.
They say that if you are living on a “strict budget” it will only cost them four £300 a month in Bulgaria, while only £680 in the “comfortable month”.
This is compared to the current monthly rent of £680, up to £200 per week food stores and £250 per month for electric and gas.
They estimate that they will cost them £15,000 to £200,000 to make the home scratch.
Maxwell said: “It’s like it looks like it’s online.
Welsh couple Maxwell and Leah Jones and their two children – Lorenzo and Indy
The couple in Prestatyn, Wales
The couple decided to pay an unsecured loan in Bulgaria’s £8,000 home
The couple bought the barn at the Popovo property in Bulgaria for £8,000
‘Now we have no mortgage. There are a lot to do – it’s a shell, but we have to face the challenges. ”
Maxwell and Leah love to live “alternatively” and are already homeschooling, with their two children – Lorenzo, two, Indy, nine years old.
They eat organically and even make their own toothpaste.
They have always dreamed of a self-sufficient life and are beginning to realize that this doesn’t work in the UK.
Maxwell and Leah started looking at Bulgarian properties after they started doing the same on social media before Christmas 2024.
Maxwell said: “We were going to buy a house in the UK, but it was hard to put all of that money into practice and it was still paying it back for 25 years.
“We looked at the prices in Bulgaria and it became unwise.”
They found the property they liked online and made a quote – paying for it in January 2025.
The interior of the Bulgarian house that the couple didn’t even watch
Maxwell and Leah love to live “alternatively”, already homeschooled, their two kids and making their own toothpaste
The house has a shabby barn on the property, from which Maxwell hopes to stream DJ suits live
Bathroom for £8,000 home in Popovo, Bulgaria
The house has three bedrooms and a barn – Maxwell hopes he can work on live DJ’s suit.
He will fly out in two months, reconnect the house, and then his family will join by the end of the year.
They don’t have a set budget or schedule to refurbish and there is no pressure to look like a “display room”.
“We want to try to get rid of the idea that it has to be a pleasant home,” Leah said.
Maxwell added: “If the kids provide help with painting and have some strokes on the baseboard – it doesn’t matter.
“It will be an ongoing project – it may take years.”
The couple also plans to change the garden so they can grow their own fruits and vegetables and keep their animals.
They say that living costs in Bulgaria are “much cheaper” and that the weather and pace of life have attracted them into the country.
Maxwell admits that the house is a “progressive property” that may take years to complete
Mark will reconnect the house before his family joins the end of this year
A room in the property, a small sink is the only fixture or furniture picture
The couple bought the property in an effort to seek an unsecured loan. Picture: Overgrown gardens of the property
Maxwell said: “Our neighbor said he paid £15 to £20 a month for electric.
“We pay around £3,000 for electrical and gas in the UK every year. The council tax is only £25.
“We estimate that Bulgaria’s budget of about £300 to £400 per month may receive a fee of about £300 to £400.
“Our rental fees – £680 – will be everything you need for a comfortable month in Bulgaria.”
Maxwell said they were lucky enough to work remotely – because he just launched a brand of health supplements, which helped them get a visa.
“It’s scary to stand out from the norm, and it can be beneficial,” Maxwell said.
“In Bulgaria, the kids play all day.
In this country, kids are struggling to find the next toy or app – this is the hit rate of dopamine.
“We want to keep a creative space among the kids.”
