Not at all! English will be the official language of Coliving Semkovo. Learning some survival Bulgarian will help you get around the country, but it is not necessary for being part of the community.

The will be an annual co-op member meeting for voting on the following subjects:

• Chairman/Director
• Budget proposal for the following year 
• Any policies that might need revision

Votes will be decided by majority, with a quorum requirement. Some aspect might require a super majority.
Each member will get a vote. Aside from annual meetings, special meetings will also be called when necessary.

* Note: Although policies, budgets, contract information, etc will be fixed initially, every aspect of community governance is capable of being changed if a majority agrees to do so. This includes voting out Matthias as chairman. These changes will, however, require the consent of a critical mass of people.

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Members will receive quarterly updates, as well as an audited annual report. The community will use a digital platform as a means for member discussions and voting.

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(this was an option at the start of the project to get early supporters)

Let’s call this option the “Priority Backers”

• We have confirmed the general terms, so the project seems more likely to happen. But now we need to nail down all the details, get quotes for all renovation works, furniture etc. So putting down some money sends a strong message of early commitment to the project, much more than just filling out a form. This commitment is an important proof point to see how interested people really are in the project, and then raise the remaining funds to make it happen.
• Getting non-refundable deposits also makes planning easier and discussions about financing the development more credible. Of course some people that make the deposit might drop out of the project later, this is why we also collect interest from other people that we will offer apartments for sale after all priority backers had their pick.
• Collecting some money early will also help with early project costs like technical inspections, administrative fees, legal fees, marketing, option fees, geodesy/notary fees and much more that needs to happen before we can open up reservations.
• It won’t cover all the costs, but it will definitely be appreciated to have the community already involved in early stages of the business.

Being a “Priority Backer” will also come with special benefits for everyone who supported the project early:

1. Exclusive access to information and project updates before we share them with the public.
   Including access to the Backer Summit event in May.
2. An exclusive on-site viewing event of the inside of the property, including free  transportation from/to Sofia or Bansko on the day of the viewing. Lunch and drinks will be provided. This will be a big party on the location :-)Everyone else will get access to video tours for the first round of reservations so this will be a great opportunity to really get a feeling for the building and your dream unit.
3. An interactive online session with Matthias touring the building for everyone who can’t view it in person. Where you will be able to ask questions and direct Matthias filming areas that you are interested in.
4. Earlier access to apartment reservations  plus the backer fee will be credited towards the reservation fee. This will allow you to pick the best floorplans and get the lowest unit pricing before we open up reservations to everyone else.

We will have groups as follows. Each group will have access to reservations for one day before we move to the next group. Don’t worry, we will give you plenty of notice when reservations will open.

1) First 50 deposits, already all taken - €500 gives you €500 credit

2) Now: Next 50 deposits - €600 gives you a €500 credit

3) Last 50 deposits  - €700 gives you a €500 credit

4) Coworking Bansko Decade Members, unless priority backer

5) Multi-unit investors or VIP partners that would be beneficial to have in the group.

6) Everyone else will get the possibility to reserve a unit afterwards (if there are any units left at this point).

Later apartment reservations for non-priority backers might be priced higher to reflect the reduced level of risk as more people join the project. And the choice of floorplans will be reduced, if there are any floorplans left! So early commitment and risk taking is rewarded.

• Priority of apartment renovations will be one factor of how early someone commitment, assuming that we have to have some kind of scheduling for the required work. Another factor will be the location in the building to allow finishing complete floors. Units in Block A will be available first, Units in Block B afterwards.
• And the feeling that YOU helped to make the project happen!
• You will also get a T-Shirt to prove your involvement to future generations. :-)

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Matthias Zeitler is the founder of Coworking Bansko and the Bansko Nomad Festival. He is an entrepreneur with a unique background who has a vision of bringing people together in ideal settings. You can watch a short video by euronews about him and some of his achievements here.

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Coworking Bansko was built into a destination for digital nomads by him, located not far from Semkovo. It contains many of the same community values, activities work spaces that are envisioned for Coliving Semkovo, but does not offer living accommodations and it is also not community owned. So Coliving Semkovo will improve upon the Coworking Bansko experience.

The Bansko Nomad Festival is an annual event that brings together more than 500 digital nomads and remote workers for a week of networking and summer events in June/July. Matthias wants to build upon the success of the festival and also develop similiar event formats in Semkovo.

As mentioned before, Coworking Bansko is also a project founded by Matthias. He considered building a full-scale coliving space there, but it proved to be unrealistic. Having carefully considered all of the factors involved, Matthias learned valuable lessons through the Bansko experience:

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1. The long-term interests of the community and the business (i.e., the co-op structure for coliving) should be aligned.
2. What exactly people are buying into (an apartment, rather than simply a share of a business) should be clear from the beginning. It is also critical to secure early commitments by using a priority backer model. This will ensure the success of the project.
3. The cost of construction is lower and easier to define for buildings that need renovation than for full-scale projects starting from scratch.
4. Investors should be involved in the decision making process from the beginning, and there should be a clear separation between the initial development phase (which will be largely dependent upon Matthias’ expertise) and the coliving phase, in which the members will have equal input on decisions affecting the community.

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While Coliving Semkovo will not replace Coworking Bansko, it will serve as a different type of venue, separate but connected. There will be some overlap between the members/alumni of the two locations, but the goal for Coliving Semkovo is to have it be a shorter-term experience for people who come and go, as opposed to Bansko, where people live full-time.

Matthias’ goal is to gradually shift his attention to Semkovo, and allow Coworking Bansko to function independently, having laid the groundwork for sustainability.

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Bansko is becoming too expensive for this type of project. Real Estate prices have increased significantly to around €1000 per m2. This would mean about 5x the cost of Semkovo for a similar property. While there are many nomads and remote workers that pay €1500+ per month for coliving, I doubt that this would be a feasible number in Bansko - in addition there are more accommodation and community options available in Bansko that affect overall market pricing. Also, there are no suitable buildings available in Bansko and construction makes the project even more costly and risky.

There are also some other factors that influence community building. While Bansko has turned out a great place to build an ecosystem for nomads, the community is gradually getting weaker the larger the ecosystem grows. “Turning into Chiang Mai” is something that describes this.

Deep connections are only possible if people spend a lot of time with other people and a remote location like Semkovo, where everyone is part of the same community with a core group that owns this community together, will allow to grow this deep community connections.

Having a co-op will provide for an established legal structure that allows members to be involved equally. While DAOs mostly exist on the blockchain, the Bulgarian legal system allows for co-ops to own real estate and exist as businesses. Many aspects of life will be digitized to make the coliving experience easier for residents.

Matthias will develop the project and later transfer control to the Coliving Semkovo co-op once the units are sold and the coliving operations are set up. His real estate development company, Coliving Bansko EOOD, will operate with a typical industry profit margin of around 10%.

There will be a possibility for people to become involved by sharing equity during the first stage. The minimum capital requirement is €300,000. If not all of the units are sold then we would sell all remaining units to investors. The investors will be compensated for their risk with increased unit prices later on after the launch.

Renovation of common areas will begin once units are sold.
Upon completion of the sales, owners will each receive a share in the co-op for a nominal fee. 

The building will operate as a "closed complex” according to the condominium act of Bulgarian law, and the co-op will itself form the management structure. Apartment deeds will contain clauses related to payment enforcement. 

Initial formation documents will contain a three-year management contract, and will lay out the rules for owners. This will help to ensure a solid foundation for the complex. After the co-op is formed, members will have the opportunity to vote on budget and initial statute changes. Owners will have a choice whether or not they want to join the co-op.

Initially, the role of chairman of the co-op and managing director will be hybrid, but this will likely change as suitable candidates emerge.

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We will get some interior design suggestion for units as well as communal areas and also get inspired by great coliving and coworking design concepts from around the world.

We will aim for a similar modern design that people expect from a leading coliving space.

Coliving Semkovo is using a community ownership model because Matthias believes it will create a unique experience where every owner is motivated to contribute to the success of the project. With 200 owners promoting the project and wanting to rent out their apartments and grow the coliving business, it will be a strong form of word-of-mouth marketing. Owners will also be more motivated to run activities that they enjoy for the community, such as quiz nights, karaoke, group hiking, book clubs, cocktail nights, skill shares, and day trips, compared to just being customers of a coliving space. Additionally, being able to influence the high-level strategy and budget of the community business will engage owners more than being part of a community that is owned by a business that sees everyone as just customers.

The total project cost is going to be the price of the building, the cost of the project development including the legal process of splitting the units in the cadaster, installing individual water/electricity meters, the cost of the renovation of the common/coliving areas and the furnishing of the coliving areas.

We assume that the total budget for this is going to be about €4,000,000 - €5,000,000 excluding the renovation/furnishing of the insides of the apartments. It includes the renovation of the common areas and it also includes leg

So divided by 200 units this gets us to a price of about €20,000 - €25,000 per unit on average.

The units have different sizes and some are more attractive then others. Some have a small balcony, some have big windows, some have small windows under the roof. Some are in a better shape then others (like the bathrooms, the windows, the hallways etc.) which impact renovation effort and cost. And Block A will be available for occupancy before Block B.

We want to sell the smallest, least desirable studio starting from €15,000 unrenovated/unfurnished and then price the other units accordingly to ensure that we find buyers for all units at the various price levels required to hit the budget.
We estimate that the renovation and furnishing of the units will cost between €10,000 (smallest, simple) to €25,000 (biggest, more luxurious)

There are about 15-18 staff quarter units, that the co-op will keep as a reserve but that are also available as a risk buffer for the renovation budget.

This is the estimated pricing for phase 1 of the project (= for the first 100 backers / Block A).
Pricing afterwards will increase with market rates as the whole project becomes more attractive.
It is also possible that we do Block B through an investor who would buy all unsold units in July and then resell them later at a higher price once the building has been renovated and people can experience it.

Also earlier backers have priority reservation of specific units once they are available for sale, so if you are interested in the project then don't wait too long.

What we already did in the past:

• Technical and Legal Due Diligence, sharing lots of information including pictures/videos of the property. Online webinars and on-site visits to to present project.
• Pay for option to buy the building, expires July 2023
• Hire first staff for marketing and admin (project based)
• On-site viewing of the building for interested buyers,  offering specific apartments for sale and signing purchase commitments.

Where we are now (July 2023)

• Started the apartment selection (https://reservations.colivingsemkovo.com)
• Once we have sold about 90% of the units in Bock A:
  We will send out contracts and collect 10% refundable deposits for specific units.

If we have enough budget to start the project (est. end of July 2023)

• Split the units into individual deeds
• Create the co-op
• Move the deal forward and make notary appointments with future owners, start hiring staff for Coliving Semkovo
• Start planning for renovations of owner apartments, start planning renovation on common areas, split electric meters, …
• Renovation common areas starts, renovation of first units start
• Soft opening of Coliving Semkovo for owners and first external guests (influencers? groups?) with some floors and a few apartments fully ready while other areas are still being renovated.
• Most of the common areas are ready and we have renovated at least 75 units. Grand opening, maybe in combination with Bansko Nomad Fest 2024 to have a full house.
• Building is fully ready for the first winter season 2024, except for owner units that don't want to renovate them.

We aim for a soft opening in March 2024, however the actual timeline depends on many factors, so it will be accessible first for owners before we welcome the first guests.

Coworking Bansko is of course going to continue to operate in Bansko, but if you feel you want to move your base to Semkovo instead of Bansko then we will figure something out. Everyone who has bought apartments in Bansko up till last year should get everyone a nice profit if you want to sell it. Otherwise just keep the apartment in Bansko and get a second one in Semkovo. Then decide which one you want to rent out when you are not in the other place.

In addition all individual decade members will get a special €1500 discount on the first apartment that they buy in Semkovo or a €2000 discount for partner members that buy an apartment together.The selection of floor plans for this special offer will be after everyone who paid a priority backer deposit, but before we open the reservations for everyone. The decade member discount will only apply during this special selection period but not later.

May, but not at this early stage. The current budget assumes that we find enough buyers through Matthias’s contacts and our own marketing efforts. If this sufficient then we will need to pay commissions to agents or other sources of buyers. This will increase the cost of the units, so we will build commissions into later stage pricing.

You will get a notary deed that confirms your apartment ownership. You can freely sell your apartment and do not need any approval from the other owners as long as all your fees are fully paid.

When you sell your apartment, you can either sell your co-op share to the new owner or the co-op will redeem it at nominal value. It will be up to the co-op to decide if owners from resales will get new shares at nominal value or if the only way to acquire shares will be from the previous owner. But that is a discussion for a much later time.

You cannot keep your co-op share after selling the apartment. As the destination develops and the coliving pricing increases we would expect that the apartment prices increase.

Bulgarian banks will normally not finance real estate purchases for foreigners. This includes foreign nationals that have a permanent Bulgarian residence. Foreign banks will normally not finance real estate in Bulgaria. Banks also generally avoid loans to entrepreneurs or freelancers, even if they can show a lot of income.

So most likely you will not be able to get financing unless you are a Bulgarian national with a stable salary from a reputable Bulgarian company that has been paid into your Bulgarian bank account for the last few year.

Yes, foreigners can buy apartments in Bulgaria.

Unfortunately getting residency in Bulgaria is getting difficult for non-EU citizens. It is not tied to ownership.

There is a trade representative visa option for people that have a company outside Bulgaria and then basically send themselves to represent the company in Bulgaria. It is not easy, nor fast, and requires a lawyer for the process.

There is some talk about a digital nomad visa for Bulgaria in the future, but the party that was advancing this is no longer in power. So it is unclear when/if this would be available. Bulgaria offers a 90 days visa free stay within a 180 day period for most foreigners. See https://visaguide.world/europe/bulgaria-visa/ for more info.

Taxation is a personal topic and depends on many factors, including where your tax residency is and if you own the unit as person or via a company, domestically or abroad. If there are double taxation treaties etc.

In Bulgaria you will have to pay 10% income tax on rentals at the source. The co-op will not distribute taxable dividends, but provide benefits (i.e. reduce the owners fee). We will aim to find the most tax efficient setup and simplify tax payment from rental income if you otherwise have no Bulgarian sourced income.Please talk to your accountant for your specific situation.

We will see what’s possible for grants, but expectations are rather low. There are some government backed loans available to improve the energy efficiency of the building, including installation of a heating system and solar panels.

We will aim to presell all 200 apartments before doing the deal. This would be ideal as this would limit the financing requirements.

However while there is strong interest in buying apartments it could take a very long time to presell them all and also it is easier for some people to buy into an existing project that has already started. So we would probably try to make the deal happen when a sufficient amount of units has been presold to assume that this project will be a success, like 70%+?

At this point we would need to come up with the money for the remaining units to make the deal happen and this is where financing is required. And there needs to be a risk buffer as some possible buyers might change their mind last minute. These unclaimed units would be sold at a higher price later to reflect the reduced level of risk and to pay for the financing, so this can be a good deal for whoever is providing the financing but it is also risky.

In addition it takes money to start the whole process and there are many costs that need to be covered before we can get payment for the apartments, not only marketing and general overheads but things like technical inspections, legal costs for contracts, notary fees and splitting building into individual properties…

Especially this splitting into individual units is a bit tricky as it is an expensive process that has to be completed before owners can buy their apartments.

So additional equity financing is desired for the initial real estate development stage, bridge financing during the deal stage and depending on presales number additional financing to keep unsold units until we can sell them. This also has an impact on the amount of available renovation budget for common areas etc.

As most of the owners won’t get bank financing for their units, it would also be great to be able to arrange some private lending for some of the units.

We might arrange some financing for the co-op for investments into renewable energy (like solar panels) or energy efficiency (heat pump, insolation…) as there are beneficial government loan programs available.

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Here is an example calculation for the cashflow of a studio unit. Not considering periods where owners use the units themselves.Initially the occupancy rate will be low and we start with a low price point, see marked values in table below. So owners should expect to have a slightly negative cashflow (owners maintenance fee) or breakeven in the first year until we get higher utilization rates. But then it could become really interesting once we get to higher occupancy rates and are able to also raise coliving package prices due to becoming a more attractive destination with more people. Of course this depends heavily on our ability to make Coliving Semkovo an attractive destination for our target groups and promote it accordingly.(not financial advice, please make your own assumptions and do your own calculations.)

Owners will receive €200 per month for a studio, €400 per month for a large studio/1BR and €600 per month for a 2BR unit. Utility costs are reimbursed on top of the rent based on consumption. To make utility bills more predictable for guests we will charge the coliving guests a flat fee. We will have a booking system that will try to equalize utilization across units so that all owners will participate equally in the rental scheme. Owners that do their own promotion for their apartments will receive direct bookings of their apartment on top of the equalization scheme.

Yes, but the preference is to have a wider range of owners. So we will first do reservations of up to 2 units before opening it up for multi-unit investors.If you have a good concept that adds to what we are building and want to purchase multiple units/a whole floor to make it happen, then please get in touch with matthias@colivingbansko.com e.g. it would be great to have organizations own multiple units to run incubator or education programs. Also distributed companies that want to offer apartments to their employees would be a good fit.

The co-op needs to buy the whole building (Block A & C) as well as have the funds for renovation and conversion. Therefore the timeline and payment schedule is pretty tight:
The payment of the initial 10% will be due before July 20th (so a few days later than initially communicated) - we will refund it in case the project doesn't happen, but keep it if you change your mind after signing the contracts.

• The first installment, 50% of the unit price, will be due shortly after if we have met our targets. Expect July 30th. This pays to purchase the building and for the legal conversion process.
• The payment for the second instalment, 40% of the unit price, will be due in October when you receive your deed. This will pay for the renovation of common and coliving areas.

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(*)There will be notary and legal fees and property taxes due at signing, about 3-5% of the total notarized contract value  (without reservation fees or renovation/furniture fees). So e.g. for a studio expect about €500-€600 in fees/taxes. We will aim to optimize the legal structure for the sale to minimize costs, taxes and fees.

• The building has many areas that can be converted into storage. So while individual units do not have their own storage it will be possible to get storage at the building. The co-op will decide if this comes for free to owners or if there is a small charge for it depending on how much storage people really require.
• We intent to offer mailroom services so that owners can receive mail and shipments, even when they are not in Semkovo.

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Below is the typical net area of the different floorplans. Coliving Semkovo will probably keep most of the staff rooms for staff & volunteers or convert to budget accommodation. Or sell some as apartments even though they lack a view/balconies to increase the budget for common area upgrades.

Most units have their own small balcony or outdoor area.It might be possible to combine units if you want something bigger.

Some of the units have solid walls to separate rooms, others use wooden dividers. We will see where it makes sense to add dry-walls and where it makes more sense to keep the semi-open floorplans. Unit cost will be determined based on size, not on amount of walls.

For comparing pricing with other apartments elsewhere please consider that you are not only paying for the net m² of your unit but also that you also get a fraction of the ~8000m² common/communal areas that are about half of the total building size and a share of the coliving business. You will be able to rent our your apartments through the coliving and won’t need to worry about check-ins or how to organize maintenance when something breaks.

You can decide how you want to use / furnish your unit.To rent them out however it is best of most of the units have the same style, furniture and amenities as this will make it easier for guests to get a consistent experience.

For rental units the suggestion is:

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We will split the renovation works into multiple stages and do one floor at a time. Owners that do not want to get their apartment renovated before opening will have the choice to select apartments on specific floors/blocks that are scheduled for later works. Overall the works should be renovation, not construction, which should cause less noise anyways.

Similar for common area renovation works we will do one area after each other, also considering that initially we will have probably only 50% occupancy and won’t need all areas yet.

About 25% of the total project cost, or ~€1m, is reserved for building renovations and for the initial setup of the coliving areas. The building has a lot of space, some of them being service areas, basements etc.S o we will do the renovation in stages with the initial focus on areas that we will actually use from the beginning. And then as the operations grow bring more areas online.

The renovation budget includes:

• Upgrade of the heating system for the coliving areas to biomass, heat pump and/or inverters
• Upgrade the hot water system for the apartments. Tankless boilers?
• Installation of about 150kW of green power, either solar, wind, or hydro plant - or combination - to cover base load of commercial energy needs
• Upgrading all lighting to LED (energy efficiency)
• Painting everything, including the roof, replacing floors where required
• Upgrading/replacing electric circuits and appliances
• Renovation of (some) staff apartments
• Renovation of (some) service areas
• Repair of old building tech (like ventilation, elevators, commercial washers/dryers, sauna, pool etc) - or replacement
• Landscaping outdoor areas
• Upcycling of furniture and equipment that is useful for the future
• ….

We will hire some permanent facility staff to already be part of the renovation and help with some aspects with the idea of giving them a permanent position to maintain the building after the initial renovation is done. There are some older guys in the area that have been involved with the building in the past and know it very well. And also use outside contractors for defined work packages to get the renovation done in a reasonable time frame.

The budget also includes the basis to run the building as a coliving space like:

• Furnishing all common areas for coliving purposes, including art and decoration
• Facilities like: communal kitchens, a gym, movie room, games room etc
• Some reserved budget for special interests and amenities - we will vote on which those are
• All kind of required tech (dishwashers, coffee machines, access control, network, building tech, tools, equipment, …)
• Budget to launch the coliving operations (staff, marketing, etc)
• ….

The list of works and purchases will be prioritized in a way to ensure that we can start operating the building. The owners will be able to express their interests to help with prioritization.At the moment it is not envisioned that the co-op needs to take any bank financing, however if the actual costs are higher, then it would be possible to e.g. finance the solar panels or heating system instead of paying them outright.

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We will commission a more detailed technical inspection but so far the building looks in good shape considering its age and that it hasn’t been used for the last 4 years. There are no visible damages like water or mold and all the windows have been upgraded to aluminum frames already. The roof is solid concrete. Generally high quality building materials have been used in construction and all walls are solid.

There are two blocks A & B that are in different conditions: Block A is in reasonably good shape and will be easier to renovate. It has newer style aluminum windows and has been operated as hotel until they closed 4 years ago. We would initially start operating with those units. Estimates are based on Block A apartments

‍Block B needs more work in the apartments and common areas. Replacement of windows, all door frames, removing old wall paper, plastering, replacing fixtures in bathroom etc. We would renovate this block AFTER opening. Pricing for the units would be lower, with low/no owners fees until completed and we would split renovation costs across all units as some of the units might need more work then others to get them to the same level.

The apartments all need new carpets and fresh paint, some will need plastering and/or refinishing wood surfaces. The bathrooms are dated, but luckily have neutral tile colors.The existing furniture is solid, but old. While some could be upcycled and maintain some retro chic, most should be replaced, especially to create a modern feeling in the apartments.

We would hire an interior designer to help with making the apartments and common areas great. To renovate a studio apartment (Block A) and getting it ready to rent out would probably cost about €5500 - €6000 (estimate). The renovation of apartments will already be managed by Coliving Semkovo, so the costs will be transparent and any economies of scale will benefit the co-op.Block B studio units will probably require €7500 - €8000, but will be priced lower than Block A apartments to make up for the difference.

Owners can also decide to buy unfurnished units and renovate them themself (within time limits to minimize impact on operations), furnish it differently or maybe even keep it in its unrenovated state until they plan to use or resell it.

To rent out a unit via the coliving scheme, the minimum requirement is to have an Inverter AC and the compatible smartlock, however it is desirable if all rentable apartments have the same furniture, design, and amenities.

Larger unit (Block A) renovations and furnishing are higher, estimate €7500 for a 1BR and €10000 for a 2BR. For owners that want to use the units for themselves the furniture quality level will determine costs.

Is there more technical information about the building?

Yes, please check Old Building Information with a general description of the building from 2003.We will also commission a technical inspection to find out what the current state is, what needs to be fixed and replaced to have a better estimate about renovation costs.

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Here is a list of 20 “must-visit” coliving spaces and the cheapest private room option in each for a one month stay for one person. (pricing as of Oct 10th). Not all these prices are comparable as they are in very different locations, but the trend is clear: people pay for coliving and Coliving Semkovo would be a clear low-cost price leader initially and then we have enough room to grow to a more premium pricing while the destination develops.

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• We will organize shared transfers to/from Sofia on selected days.About €20 per person in a minibus if we combine transfers,but people might have to stay a night in Sofia on arrival/departure days.Driving time: 2:45h
• There is a public bus to Belitza. We can organize pickup from there for about €10Driving time incl. transfers about 3:30h
• People can of course rent cars at Sofia airport and drive themselves. Driving time: 2:45h
• And we will organize ride shares among our community. We might even keep some of our own rental cars in Sofia that people can pickup/drop there.

We will make Coliving Semkovo an attractive destination year-round. In periods where outdoor activities are less exciting we will focus on doing events and attract organizations that want to do events. This can be workations, team building, bootcamps, language camps, coding schools or similar type of activities that need accommodation and event space. We will aim for events that are in line with our core community, so a medical conference for dentists might not be the right fit - unless they bring lots of money :-)

We are building an distraction-free adult-only coliving space, so children under 18 years are not allowed on the premises - and we might put a restrictive covenants into the deed to also make this binding for individual apartments not only the coliving areas.

The owners might change this policy later with a vote in the co-op, but generally this is not a place with the needs of kids in mind. While we develop Semkovo as a destination it might be possible that in the more distant future there are other owners or guests that create another coliving space for families close by, but do not count on it please. There might be much better places for kids than Semkovo.

Owners can keep small pets (cats, dogs, goldfish…) in their apartments. Pets will not be allowed in the coliving areas, but each block has a direct entrance that can be used to get pets in/out of the building.

Pets that cause issues with other guests or owners, like frequent noise or smell issues, will be asked to leave the property. Also aggressive pets will be banned on the first offense. Owners will be responsible for damages that their pets cause to the building or landscaping. The specific way how these conflicts will be mediated will be describe in the co-op rules, but expect that we will make these rules binding via restrictive covenants.

Owners will be able to decide if their units should be rented out as pet-friendly - and if there is an additional charge for pets to cover possible damages to their apartment.

As we are in a rural area and have a lot of space there, it is feasible to build an animal shelter / small stable nearby where pets can live outdoors together.

The plan is that owners put Inverter ACs into all apartments and we will use either inverter AC or heat pumps for the communal coliving areas.

One of the most cost effective form of heating at the moment unless we install a much bigger 300KW+ geothermal heat pump for the whole building. The building is built with solid walls and we should be able to keep utilities for apartments at about €50 per unit per month on average. This cost will be collected as part of the coliving bookings from external guests. Owners will pay their own consumption while the unit is not rented out.

Another great source for heating is a large wood chip burner / biomass system. It requires wood chips to operate, but those are 50-70% cheaper than wood pellets and easily available in areas with an active forestry management - like Semkovo :-)

We also aim to put a large solar installation on the roof to cover at least a part of the electricity usage for the coliving areas. Current ROI on solar with commercial electricity rates is about 2-3 years, so this is a sensible investment and will also provide more value to the owners.

It might also be possible to install a hydro power plant in a nearby stream which would provide a more consistent power source than solar.

We will also upgrade the building infrastructure to include more “smart” automation as well as install energy consuming lighting and other systems to optimize costs.

So while heating a huge property like this without breaking the bank is a challenge, the scale of the building will help us to find an economical solution and use technology that is way more advanced than when the building was originally built. There is a **rumor** that there is hot thermal water under the property. We will explore this further and if we can actually access this as a source of heating then the whole cost structure for the building would improve significantly as it would reduce heating cost probably by 70% or more. Our current calculations do not depend on this as it might turn out to be one of the many wishful thinking distractions that we often hear around Bulgaria.  Do not base your investment decision on this rumor!

All owners will get a specific booking URL to share for their specific apartment, so when you promote it people will book your place when it is available. If it is not available then of course other units will be proposed.

If you want to provide your apartment to a friend or family member for free, then they can pay the coliving fee of €150 per month directly and can choose if they want to use the cleaning service or not. You can decide to cover or charge utilities. We will support these free bookings in the booking system. And you will also be able to set a higher rental rate in the booking system, e.g. if you furnish your apartment to a much higher level. The other fees will increase prorated for apartments with higher base rents.

It will not be possible for non-guests to get access to areas in the central block of the property. So basically everyone will need to be either an owner or pay the coliving fee.

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For a studio the standard monthly fee is expected to be €499(*) initially, this includes roughly:

1. - Rent to owner €200
2. - Coliving fee €150
3. - Cleaning fee €20
4. - Utilities €50 (flat fee, average)
5. - VAT, tourist taxes, misc. €79

(*) if unit/renovation costs are higher then also the initial package cost will increase to maintain the same return for owners.

Shorter term rentals (weekend, event, week) will be priced proportionally higher. When the business grows and the destination becomes more attractive we might be able to raise prices accordingly. Aiming for a coliving package of €600 - €750 for a studio within 3 years is not out of the question looking at coliving properties around the world. The owners rent will increase proportional when we realize higher prices. If we decide to run promotions, then the owners rent will decrease proportionally for participating owners. Initially we expect about 40-50% occupancy, but aim to raise this as we gain more momentum.

The initial budget will be set at a level to maintain the building, build a future repair fund, and operate the coliving regardless of any external coliving guests. And with a risk buffer as initially there are probably more repairs and we don’t know yet how much everything is going to cost.The estimate for the first year is €800 for a studio (1 pax), €1650 for a one-bedroom (2 pax), €2400 for a two-bedroom (3 pax) which includes the coliving access for 1 owner.

Guests will pay for the coliving membership which brings in additional revenue to the business and allows to offer more services and amenities.

The owner’s fee will decrease based on the commercial development of the business as well as how the owners decide to distribute or reinvest profits from the coliving operations.

The prediction is that the owner’s fee will decrease to €0 with a 40-50% utilization and the current coliving pricing for owners that rent out their units. However once utilization grows it should be possible to increase pricing which will generate a higher cashflow for the business and reduced owner fees for everyone.

• MONEY :-) and COMMUNITY
• Attracting people to Coliving Semkovo, which is located in a remote area with limited amenities, can be achieved by offering affordable real estate ownership opportunities starting at €15,000 in a coliving space that will be owned by apartment owners together. Many nomads are interested in owning affordable real estate as a base, even if they travel most of the time, and this location is perfect for it. The community-owned business structure makes it even more attractive.
• The project will start with a community of owners who will use their apartments at least sometimes and will promote the destination to their friends, benefiting from the coliving business and, if their apartments are rented out. The low cost of real estate will also allow us to offer very attractive pricing on coliving packages, which will attract the first guests, especially as we will have a large community from the beginning and many people are looking for that community experience. Even though it is remote, we will be able to offer amazing facilities for our community, surpassing many other coliving options around the world and setting a new standard.
• For some target audiences, the remoteness also means less distraction and more focus, which can be an attractive value proposition.
• → find out Why people are excited about this project

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