whiteoaks lodge
hi anyone no if whiteoaks lodge got act 16 yet

Not yet, but it should be soon! Don't worry - if you owe money to PDI, they'll let you know soon enough!

Yes i do but. have to pay by 15th November or loose all monies pay and apartment

Hi col 569, I sent you a PM - hope it helps!

Hi Corolla thanks for your pm very help full I have now joyed that site to, i should be completing on my apartment today ,im thinking of youing lets furnish bulgaria for the furniture pack has any one had problums with them thanks again col 569

"Lets Furnish Bulgaria" did a good job for us. One word of warning, if you get (the totally invisible) glass coffee table do not do what I did. We arrived at our apartment to stay in it for the first time at 3 a.m. While my wife was seeking the electric box to turn on the lights I managed to go ar*e over t*t by walking into the coffee table. First week in Bansko on crutches? Not 100% fun. Your man on the grassy knoll.

Hi col_569 - I'm not familiar with "Lets Furnish Bulgaria" so can't help out there. We're considering Ikea in Thassaloniki, if we decide to furnish/use the apartment. We went to Ikea in Dublin to check out their furniture range, etc. and could see it as a definite contender. Their furniture is suited to apartment life, reasonably priced and they have a good range on offer. If you're handy with DIY, it should be no problem. eg. we bought Billy bookcases on the weekend and even I could put them together and that's saying something! If you're going to furnish, make sure the apartment/complex is completely finished as there's workmen in/out of apartments, etc. and the last thing you want is anything to get damaged/stolen. We have also considered the possibility of changing the locks of our apartment if we furnish. Just a thought!

Make sure you know what "furnishings" you need. For example, our "furnishings" involved fitting a kitchen sink to bare pipes. Having a nice sofa but no bathroom fittings is not much fun. Your man on the grassy knoll.

Whiteoaks should have kitchens fitted so the furnishings required for your apartment should be limited to the items listed in a typical furniture pack. Bansko is a tourist town with lots of apartments, and lots of foreign owners, etc. Furniture stores in the area target these foreign investors and that's expected. Its a case of shopping around to ensure you get the furniture that meets your requirements and is value for money. If you're looking for convenience (and that's probably a priority for foreign owners) then Bansko stores are probably worth considering. However, if you have the time, it might be worthwhile to travel to Blageovgrad, etc. and check out stores further afield. There's lots of choice!

Hi to you all, this is my first post on this forum. I have read all of the posts relating to PDI and my concern is growing with each post. As the rest of you, we have paid our 1st and 2nd payment with no problem, but now PDI are pressing for the final payment. The pictures they have sent to us clearly show that our apartment is not finished. We are not going to pay this final figure until we know the apartment has been completed fully and that the complex is also finished. What on earth is the point of a nice apartment when you can only reach it by an all terrain vehicle? There is also the risk that if we pay this last installment, we risk losing the entire lot as it seems to me that PDI are in a very difficult situation. We all purchased 'off plan' and took a risk, as in all investments. No one knew the market would change so dramatically and that is the risk with any investment. It just seems such a shame that a company that seemed very professional and above board (and we checked them out before starting on this venture) now seem to be acting in a very defensive manner, when if they had maybe been a bit more open and honest, a long term strategy coul dhave been worked out for everyone's benefit. I would be interested in contacting fellow White Oaks 'owners' via PM to see how they intend to proceed.

Hi Miad, We have already paid the final amount and have our deeds - we felt it was the best way forward as we didn't want to risk losing the funds already paid. We were advised to do that, based on the preliminary contract, ie. we had to pay the final amount once Act 15 was issued. We were informed by our lawyer that its not unusual for final payment to be due on issuance of Act 15. If its any consolation to you, I think Act 16 will be issued sooner rather than later on Whiteoaks, and we have recently heard that there are a considerable number of workmen on site, keen to get the place completely finished - all good news! Some developments are already waiting years for Act 16 - at least there seems to be a real drive to get Act 16 on Whiteoaks. We visited the complex in August and it actually stands out as a very nice development. Another positive! We understand that work has recently been carried out on the road but I don't think its yet complete. This is not entirely within the control of Kerry Ski, or PDI (or Seattle Ski, or whatever name being used by one and the same company). The road provides access to several developments and its construction is the responsibility of the municipality. However, all developments who benefit from this road must contribute to the works and I suppose this involves much negotiation and legalities, etc, all of which slows down progress. PDI (or Kerry Ski or whatever) have made their payment, we understand there were some problems with funding, etc. and I suppose its difficult to get the local authorities to complete these projects, especially if there's a shortage of funds. The road in question lies between Bansko Royal Towers and the Guiness complex, if anyone wants to comment on its current condition! BTW, I'm just giving my understanding of things and I stand corrected - especially by those who are more familiar with how things work in Bansko! As I already mentioned, we were there in August, and even though the road was not complete, it was still accessible - a bit like driving onto a very large building site! Its funny but after a while, we got used to it and it didn't bother us at all. Saying that, I'd leave the stilettos at home - better to wear a good pair of trainers or hiking boots! In recent months we have found it really difficult to get any kind of response from PDI, especially since all operations have been transferred to Sofia. E-mails are ignored and we currently have stalemate due to non-communication from PDI. We are currently trying to negotiate a maintenance contract but there's no progress due to lack of communication. The ball is currently in their court and that's where we're at, at the moment. We've decided not to chase them any more because phonecalls to Sofia are just too expensive. If they want a contract - they'll have to start communicating! Its difficult to know how any of these 'off-plan' developments will eventually evolve - we hope we have a happy outcome - after all, we've invested so much time and money on this project, like so many others. We really enjoyed our visit to Bansko last summer and we hope that on our next visit we will get to stay in our apartment in Whiteoaks.

We are furnishing a few apartments in White Oaks and some of them come with kitchens if you have ordered them from the developer. Others like some of our clients have not and we are building their kitchens. The road is not finished going up to White Oaks however they have sorted out their own drive way and landscaping. The main road goes past the junction that would lead up to White Oaks.

White Oaks
Hello all fellow White Oaks buyers (gulp). Two years on and I have paid my final 40% payment (after a rather heavy letter from the developers)for a 1 bed appartment without visiting the site and trusting the PDI web site and newsletters. Have I been taking in by all the marketing hype or have I found a jewell in the Balkans? I am aware that the property price has sunk since I enbarked on this project but hey who isn't currently nursing a loss whether in property or in the stockmarket. I'm holding out that with ascension that and the end of the recession that property should start improving so got to keep the faith. Anyway, has anyone got some recent photos of the site and apartments and is anyone going to be using their appt from Dec 09 onwards? Regards

Hello to all As an update, we have a friend, who lives in Bansko (and speaks fluent Bulgarian) to pay a visit to White Oaks last week! This followed another phone call from our friends at PDI chasing final payment. He has confirmed the following... 'I went up to your block on Friday and even though the builders were pretty positive about how the rooms and stairs were coming along they said that the communal areas (bars. reception and all) were not going to be finished any time soon. The road is still very much a dirt track, sorry to be the bearer of bad news,' So although, we have been promised that the building would be finished by the end of Nov 09, another deadline is about to the passed. This whole episode has been a complete disaster we are willing to pay the balance but only when the building has been finished - which I do not think is asking too much, do you? I would be very interested if anyone else is refusing to pay until they see the buildingin a more complete state, please PM me if you want to talk about this privately.

Hi Stanford, Went to your new website . Looks nice , really nice. Unfortunately can't see Terms and conditions, owner, company operator, etc. mandatory UK requisites for it to be a genuine online store or business. Who's doing all this? Best, Jack