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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.
He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.
In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.
Global Real Estate Project
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Paraguay: The Sleeping BeautyThe name Paraguay is still linked to one of the most authoritarian and brutal regimes of the 20th century. In the past Paraguay was known as a police state par excellence, with countless arbitrary arrests and tortures. Years after this ended, many foreigners still prefer to avoid this country. Expatriate web-sites are full of unpleasant words about Paraguay: rising crime rates, poor infrastructure, corrupt government officials, etc. Unfortunately all this seems to be true. Only rarely we will find some nice comments about the life there, mostly about the picturesque nature. As we learn more about Paraguay, we will see a country that could become more attractive for those who look for a quiet and affordable life. The combination of poor infrastructures, corrupt officials and high crime rates are sufficient to erase the benefits that come from cheaper real estate and the magnificent nature. Like so many countries in the world Paraguay, its government and people, has made it unattractive for foreign investors to invest and settle down. The result is that there are few foreigners and most of those are Peace Corp volunteers, missionaries, schoolteachers and temporary business expatriates. Many of them live in or just outside the capital city of Asunción, which is the only place in the country where they can have access to some good medical facilities. Given the poor road conditions (95% of the roads are unpaved) and the lack of good communications around the country, Asunción remains perhaps the only place to offer some living standard close to those the foreigners are accustomed to. Around Asunción 2BR houses with backyards can be found for $25,000-$30,000. The large mansions easily surpass $100,000. Be careful: one property can have 2 or more different price tags. For temporary expatriates the long-term house rentals start at $150-200 per month. The average salary in the country is $150-200 but a fulltime housemaid can be hired for $100. The life in Paraguay in general is cheaper than in the United States but some imported goods and some essential services like communications and the Internet can be more expensive than in North America. Compared to some other countries in the region, Paraguay is more expensive than Bolivia but cheaper than Argentina or Uruguay.
 The national palace in Asunción
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See also the directory of companies providing real estate services in, and general real estate information of Paraguay.
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