In the websites of the real estate agents who sell property in Bulgaria you will read that they'll provide you with legal service. What they actually mean is that you'll pay so that your lawyer is in their pocket. (see RECOMMENDATION MASKS AN ILLEGAL PRACTICE)

The agent wants the selling to be done the easiest way possible. What this means is that negotiations are rushed at the expense of documentation (see STANDARD CONTRACTS) and securities are not existent. It's easier to conclude a preliminary contract not insisting on securities for the buyer. It is faster to sign it if the interests of the buyer are not that well protected. The fastest way to conclude a contract would be for the buyer's attorney to sign whatever the developer offers as wording of a contract. After all, the lawyer does not get paid less for negotiating less. And he'll be better liked by the estate agent if he signs quicker because this way the agent gets paid quicker: “Let's not think of what-ifs!” This way the developer is selling faster, the agent is paid sooner, the lawyer is working less. Let's not forget that in addition to this the lawyer will have more clients because having clients depends on the agent's recommendations, not on lawyer's good performance. Thus the worse the agent's lawyer serves you, the more clients he has!

Everyone gains, but the buyer. However the buyer is the only participant who is not interested in what's going on. Why? He leaves the legal matters to the agent. So in fact it is the agent who evaluates the lawyer's work. “After all – the buyer thinks - that's why I pay the agent – not to be bored with the details!” The more he pays the agent, the more he expects to be saved the thinking. The more he is saved the thinking, the less his interested is protected. Hence the paradox: the more a buyer pays the agent, the worse protection he gets.

There are several examples of how this system works given in this site. After reading these most of the people ask: “is it like this in Bulgaria only?” I very much doubt it because most of the agents here also have their business in Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Rumania