Thinking Of Moving To The Greek Islands?: Thoughts On 10 Years Of Experience Overseas ~ by Janet Darbey

Thinking Of Moving To The Greek Islands?

Thoughts On 10 Years Of Experience Overseas

by Janet Darbey

Have you been visiting Corfu for years, feel sick of the rat race at home, and are contemplating buying your dream home in the sun? Do you revel in the warm spring sunshine, feel seduced by the laid back way of life and want to enjoy these pleasures for the rest of your life?

Before you track down all the local Real Estate agents and pay a fortune for an old building that you intend to restore into your dream home on Paradise island, stop and think twice. Make yourself a frothy coffee, or something stronger, pull up your favourite armchair, plump up the cushions,settle down comfortably, and think about the following questions.....

Why do you want to leave your current home and move overseas? Do you want to retire to a quieter, stress free way of living? Do you long for endless summer days when all you have to do is soak up the sun and a few afternoon cocktails? Have you always dreamt of living abroad, and have waited for the family to fly the nest before you have been able to consider it? Are the current levels of crime and taxation driving you to somewhere with a lower cost of living and a higher quality of life?

Every year, more and more people are moving to Corfu, bringing with them high expectations of what life will be like here, and high hopes of realising their dreams of living in paradise. Each year more and more people find that the reality of living here is very different from the dreams they experienced while sunbathing on the sun- soaked beach for two weeks every May.

If you are serious about moving to Greece, especially the Greek Islands, it is essential that you do lots of homework first. It will make the transition to living overseas so much easier for you, and allow you to settle in much easier than if you try to go against the local rules.

Think very carefully about the property you want, and the area you want to live in. You may already have an area in mind because it is a place you have visited on holiday, you like it there, and have made friends with a few of the locals.

If this is the case, and you are certain it is the area you want, it is important that you visit the area again and examine it carefully, but this time, try to view it with the eyes of a local, and not the eyes you use as a tourist. There is a huge difference in perspective!!

As a tourist you will probably have stayed in a resort, mostly catering for the needs of seasonal visitors. It may not be such a good choice to live in when the tourist season is over. Most resorts close completely in the winter months, and shops will all be closed, as well as restaurants and even health clinics. You may have to travel quite long distances to use shopping and banking facilities.

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Sometimes public transport is practically non existent in the winter months, so you may have to invest some of your savings to buy transport for yourself. Do you consider yourself a confident enough driver to learn to drive on the other side of the road, on slippery mountain roads or tiny winding country roads where animals wander freely?

When you visit the area ask the locals if they stay there in the winter.If most of them move to the mainland or other areas, ask them why.

They may say the area is damp and cold and that they move somewhere warmer, or they may inform you that they move to town because the resort is closed. All this is important information to you if you intend to stay in the winter months.

If the area is cold and damp then it is essential that you try to keep your house warm and dry. Most homes in Greece are not insulated, and many do not have central heating. If they do have heating, it is often an oil burner or wood burner installed in the living room.In the case of central heating, most is oil fired, the oil being delivered by local suppliers who are paid per litre when they come to fill your tank.

It tends to be warm and wet or cold and dry. You will have beautiful sunny days in the winter as well as day after day of tropical thunderstorms and torrential rain.

It is well worth buying a Dehumidifier in the UK and bringing it over with your other belongings. Only one thing is better than having a dehumidifier here, and that is having two!! It will! keep the house drier and warmer, and stop the bedding and clothing from feeling wet and suffering from black damp mould patches in the winter months.

If you are looking for property on the internet, you have little choice than to log on to real estate agents in the area who have a website with sales details on.

An alternative way of finding property is to advertise in local newspapers and shops, but even better is to ask locals if they know of any property for sale.

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Better still, make friends with the local priest, as he will probably know most of the families in an area, and if they have property for sale. Do not pay a deposit for a "friend" who works at the local bar in the resort you frequent, who will get you a "special" price from his friend. You have been warned.....

When you start to look at properties try to see them with a critical eye. Look for faults that you would not accept without question in the UK. Look for earthtremor cracks and rising damp. Inspect doors , windows and wood for dry rot. Make sure you understand if you have any land with the property, if neighbours have any access rights on pathways, and if you have anywhere to park your car.Many villages have no parking outside houses, only a small area for everyone to park in the village square. If this is the case, check if you are allowed to pull up to the house to unload shopping etc.

Check where the water supply is from and if it has been checked. Many houses have water supplied by wells and underwater springs. It is a bonus if the house is also on a mains supply, as you will still have water if your well runs dry in the summer. Taste the water and ask if it is fit to drink. If it is unfit you will have the added expense and trouble of fetching an adequate supply of bottled water from the supermarket every week.

Also, try to find out if there is a cess pit, and if it needs emptying, or if it is working normally. You will know if it is not working normally by the smell!Sometimes very old village houses have no cess pit, as they also have no bathroom and toilet, strange, but true!! In this case, make sure you have enough access for a bulldozer to build a new one for you.

Find out if there is already a working electricity supply. If there is and it is disconnected, you need to know why.You can inherit the past unpaid bills of the last owner if you are not careful, and have to pay them before you get a supply yourself. There are sometimes long delays in reconnecting or connecting power supplies, particularly in remote mountain villages.

Some properties may never have had electricity before. When you apply for an electricity connection in Greece, you will be given an official notice with a number on to display outside the house. This shows everyone that you have officially applied for the electricity to be connected, and also makes you liable to pay tax on the building. If there is no nearby electicity pole for you to be connected to you may be asked to pay for one. This also applies to telegraph poles for phone connections!

If you are buying property in Corfu it is essential that you find a good lawyer and accountant. You will need to get a tax number at your local tax office, even if you are retired, or are bringing money to pay for the property from outside Greece.You will be fined if you do not complete and return a tax return each year. If you are bringing money over, make sure you get a pink customs receipt for the money from the bank after the transfer. If you do not the tax office can assume that you have earned the money in Greece, and you may be in line for a huge tax bill that can amount to half the amount of the money used to buy the property!!Your lawyer is essential, as he will do the necessary ownership surveys on the land. Family disputes over ownership of land are common here, and you do not want to get mixed up in the middle of one!

While you are paying for experts, get a survey done on the property.In a land with red hot summers, earth tremors, and torrential rain in the winter it is essential that you are sure the building and the grounds are stable. If you intend to change or extend the property, make sure you will get planning permission before you buy the land.

It is also worth mentioning that you should check ownership of any olive trees that are on the land, as it is still possible to buy land and then find that the trees are not yours, but belong to someone else!!!

If you can follow these rules with care and attention, and are not the sort of person to be driven crazy by red tape and rude officials, then go ahead and find your dream home in the sun. I did, and ten years later I still think it is the best thing I have ever done.

If you need any more information, or you have found this interesting or informative, please feel free to contact me at jjdarbey@hotmail.com.

Thank you,and good luck with your search for Paradise!

To see more about renting a house on Corfu Click Here

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