Professional Ethics and Quality of Brokerage Services in Real Estate Market in Bulgaria: Gap or Alignment with Client Expectations

Yavor Nikolov ()
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Yavor Nikolov: University of Economics – Varna

Stroitelno predpriemachestvo i nedvizhima sobstvenost = Construction Entrepreneurship and Real Property, 2026, issue 1, 172–183

Abstract: The article examines the relationship between professional ethics, perceived service quality and client expectations in real estate brokerage in Bulgaria. The title of the article defines a dual research perspective – on the one hand, the normative principles of professional ethics, and on the other – the actual perception of quality and its alignment with client expectations. The empirical basis includes a standardised survey of 439 clients of real estate agencies, conducted in 2024 – 2026, applying the adapted PropertyQual-Agency model. The results indicate that overall perceived quality is moderately high, but significant deficits have been identified in professional competence and post-sale support. More than half of respondents report ethical deficits in communication and information provision. Recommendations are formulated for enhancing transparency, professional training, internal control and consumer protection.

Keywords: Service quality; professional ethics; real estate; PropertyQual-Agency; SERVQUAL; client expectations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L84 M31 R31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrn:sjcerp:y:2026:i:1:p:172-183

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