Where are you originally from?
Born in Ireland, raised in France, Guiness and wine the best of both worlds.
In a nutshell, I am half Irish, half French, and half Bulgarian. 

What is your prior business background or education?
I obtained my Baccalaureat in Bordeaux in the south of France before completing a Bachelor of Business Studies in Sligo Ireland which in some way led me to set up my first Estate agency at the age of 25 in Varna Bulgaria.

What type of real estate or area of Sofia is your specialty?
I guess I have been working quite a lot with clients looking for good investments in the center of Sofia, apartments to rent out, refurbish with a view to resell as well as for living.
My clients also brought me to concentrate on the housing market at Vitoshas footstep as well as in Lozenets and Iztok.

How long have you been working in the Sofia real estate industry?
For as long as I have been living in Sofia. I arrived in march of 2013 from Varna and started working as sales manager in a real estate company before setting up First Estates on the 17^th of March 2014.

What in your opinion is the most exciting thing about real estate in Sofia?
It is still one of the lowest if not the lowest market for a capital city within the European Union.
The property market in Sofia offers so many possibilities of growth and still has a very reasonable entry ticket.
Bulgaria entering the ERM 2 or waiting room for the eurozone is also a very positive event as of the last 5 countries to have done so 4 of which were eastern European countries as well as Malta, the minimum growth established on the property markets of the capital city of these 5 countries was a minimum of 15% over 2 years and a maximum of 30% which should indicate a certain optimism for Sofia 

What is the best piece of advice you can give to clients?
Take the time to sit down with your property consultant before starting to make viewings, determine the exact parameters of your search, get mortgage approval if needed, and then start viewing properties. 
Taking the time to prepare yourself and give the right information to your consultant will allow you to save a lot of time and avoid frustrating moments.

Recommend a restaurant to our readers.
It’s more of an Irish Bistrot if I may call it like that: Tom’s Place on Sheynovo street.
It’s a place to go when you want to feel among friends and have a good time. Best pint of Guinness in town and Tom is always welcoming!