email:
spitakiavrio@virgin.net

Probably the easiest way to buy your house in Greece is to use an estate agent in the local area. There are increasing numbers of real estate companies in Greece. If you choose to take this route, to avoid potential disaster make sure that the agent is professional and licensed. Ask to see proof. A genuine agent will not risk his/her reputation by refusing.

You will be offered a selection of property for renovation, new-build or even off-plan. The advantage is that you will see exactly what you are getting for your budget. You will also have some confidence that the agent cannot risk selling you land or property without a clean title.

The disadvantage is that you may get far less for your money, and probably have less control over your personal design, than if you purchase a plot of land and commission an architect. This way, you will have more control, at least at the time of purchase, over location, views, and the proximity of neighbours.

 If you have a local Greek speaking contact to search for you, you may find a plot via the 'grapevine'. This certainly worked well for us. You will see exactly what you are getting for your budget. If your land is acquired in this way, make sure that you have a good lawyer who will investigate the ownership, and ensure that there are no family members ready to pop out of the woodwork in Australia or the US at a later date with a claim on your property.

The availability of houses for sale is more limited than in the UK as Greek families tend to pass houses down to their children, so buying land is frequently the best option.

The rules governing building in Greece are complicated and, in the typical Greek way, may vary in different parts of the country. But if you choose to take this route, there is now a way of forecasting your final costs and avoiding exceeding your budget.

The book contains a wealth of detailed advice on all aspects of building in Greece, plus tips resulting from the authors' experience of building a house in Crete.

The book is supplied with a free CD containing a calculator in spreadsheet form using Microsoft Excel. This enables you to insert your personal costs, or estimated costs, and variables such as size of house, pool etc. The related costs of planning permissions, building work, supply of utilities are then calculated to give a 'bottom line' for your budget. It will enable you to decide whether the reality of a house in Greece is obtainable within your planned expenditure or alternatively, to tailor your house to fit.

The disk also contains a gallery of pictures showing the construction process, a list of contacts used by the authors during their own project, and as light relief, there is a gallery of pictures of the Greek Islands.