Buying a Home in Greece
Joanna Styles
Buying a Home in Greece is essential reading for anyone planning to buy property in Greece. It is packed with priceless information and insider tips to guide you through the Greek property maze, and save you time, trouble and money. Irrespective of whether you’re buying a family, holiday or retirement home, or a property purely as an investment, this guide will help ensure a smooth, problem-free transaction. Whether you want an apartment in Athens, a villa in Crete or a traditional rural ‘cottage’ in the Peloponnese, Buying a Home in Greece will help make your dreams come true. Don’t leave home without it!
Download the first 25 pages FREE now (including the Table of Contents), and see for yourself the wealth of priceless information this book contains! It's packed with comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate information, facts and figures, and 'insider’ tips, all written and presented in the ‘easy to read and understand’ style for which Survival Books are famous. Our books will save you weeks or months of research, answer hundreds of questions – including many you hadn’t even thought of – and help you avoid problems and save money!
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Extracts from the book…
Why Greece?
Greece – land of the Gods and the ancient cradle of modern civilisation – is a country rich in culture, history and tradition. The country evokes images of glorious summer sunshine and cobalt blue skies, endless white sandy beaches, picturesque whitewashed villages and deserted islands, sleepy harbours and colourful fishing boats, friendly people (the Greek work for ‘foreigner’ is the same as ‘guest’), and a simple, relaxed way of life. Greece is largely unspoilt with little industry and few high-rise buildings outside the major cities – the islands in particular have escaped the scourge of indiscriminate development common in many other Mediterranean countries. The country also enjoys one of the healthiest diets in Europe, consisting largely of fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oil and wine. Greece is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and a holiday paradise with more than 1,400 islands (relatively few of which are inhabited), over 15,000km (9,320mi) of coastline and some of the finest beaches in the world. It’s also one of Europe’s last ‘undiscovered’ paradises for holiday homeowners and retirees.
As a location for a holiday, retirement or permanent home, Greece
has much to offer, and in addition to a wide choice of properties and good value for money, it enjoys a mild climate with over 300 days of sunshine a year. There are many excellent reasons for buying a home in Greece, although it’s important not to be under any illusions about what you can expect from a home there. The first and most important question you need to ask yourself is exactly why you want to buy a home in Greece. For example, are you seeking a holiday or a retirement home? If you’re seeking a second home, will it be mainly used for short holidays, e.g. one or two weeks, or for lengthier stays? Do you plan to let it to offset the mortgage and running costs? If so, how important is the property income? Are you primarily looking for a sound investment or do you plan to work or start a business?
Often buyers have a variety of reasons for buying a home abroad; for example, many people buy a holiday home with a view to living abroad permanently or semi-permanently when they retire. If this is the case, there are many more factors to take into account than if you’re ‘simply’ buying a holiday home that you will occupy for just a few weeks a year, when it’s usually wiser not to buy at all! If, on the other hand, you plan to work or start a business in Greece, you will be faced with a completely different set of criteria.
Can you really afford to buy a home in Greece? What of the future? Is your income secure and protected against inflation and currency fluctuations? In the ’80s, many foreigners purchased holiday homes abroad by taking out second mortgages on their principal homes and stretching their financial resources to the limit. Not surprisingly, when the recession struck in the early ’90s many people lost their homes or were forced to sell at a loss when they were unable to keep up their mortgage payments. Buying a home abroad can be a good, long-term investment, although it’s possible to get your fingers burnt in the occasionally volatile property market in many countries, including Greece. For an overview of the cost of living and the cost of property in Greece see pages 25 and 23 respectively.
Prohibited & Restricted Goods
Certain goods are subject to special regulations, and in some cases their import and export is restricted or prohibited. This particularly applies to the following goods:
- Animal products and plants;
- Antiquities and archaelogical remains;
- Certain goods and technologies with a dual civil/military purpose;
- Computers and cameras;
- Firearms and ammunition;
- Medicines and medical products (except for prescribed drugs and
medicines);
- Wild fauna and flora and products derived from them;
- Works of art and collectibles.
If you’re unsure whether any goods you’re importing fall into the above categories, you should check with the local customs authority. You can currently import two cameras, a video camera and a laptop computer. These items may be recorded in your passport when you enter Greece and you must have them in your possession when you leave. Greek antiquities and archaeological remains are strictly protected by law and can only be exported with permission from the Archaeological Service in Athens (Hellenic Ministry of Culture, 20-22 Bouboulinas St, 1082 Athens, 2108-201 100, www.culture.gr).
Religious icons and other articles dating from before 1830 require an export certificate, which should be provided by the dealer or shop you bought them from. Note that the import of illegal drugs (even small amounts) into Greece is a serious offence and offenders are liable to fines of up €300,000 and a prison sentence of between ten years and life!
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Free PDF Sample
PRICE: £11.95
PUBLICATION: April 2005
EDITION: 3rd
PAGES: 336
BINDING: paperback
SIZE: A5 (210mm x 148mm)
COLOUR PHOTOS: 20
