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When you have found some kind of common ground, you need to decide where you want to live.Resorts are great in the summer, but may be crowded with tourists. They may be completely closed in the winter, with nothing in the way of facilities or shops. In the mountains you will probably be a part of a friendly village community, but if the village is remote no-one may speak your language,so you will have to learn theirs quickly. Another option is to excel at mime, it worked for me till I learned the local dialect!It also made me a great many friends among the villagers, as they found it to be a hilarious form of entertainment during the winter months. Finally, take a REALISTIC look at your finances. It is easy to imagine that you have more money to spend on property in Paradise than you actually have. Costs of purchasing a house and costs of repairs can escalate dramatically without you being prepared for it. If you need to borrow money to fund your dream, be careful where you borrow the money from. Many mortgage companies will not lend money for property overseas.Always remember that if you borrow money to buy property, or to rebuild it, you have to PAY THE MONEY BACK! This may seem a silly statement, but it is one that should be at the forefront of your mind when you are making your plans. Do not count on letting out the property to tourists during the months you are not there.In the last two years there has been a decline in the tourism in most parts of Greece, particularly the islands, and income from letting property has declined with it.You must also have a license from the Greek Tourism Board to let out rooms legally,you must fulfil fire and safety regulations, and you must pay tax on this income. Authorities are having a clamp down on illegal lets, and fines are enormous! If you are planning to move permanantly to Greece, unless you have enough private income for you to live well on, you must consider employment in the place you are going to live.Unemployment rates in Greece in general are high, but on the islands they are even higher. Some islanders can find work only in the summer season, when tourists visit. This means they either have to save enough when they are working to live in the winter, or learn to survive on unemployment benefit during the winter months. This is ONLY paid if they have enough national insurance stamps credited to them over eighteen months. Working one summer season will not earn you enough to be paid benefits. If you are self employed here you are not entitled to benefits at all. Once you have
considered all these, and found the answers to a few more questions
of your own, it is time to consider finding a property to suit you (and
your family).First of all, do some homework. If you have internet access
at home,a notepad and lots of sharp pencils, Great! If you do not have
home access to the Net, go down to your local library. Internet access
is free at most of them. If you are not computer literate, take a friend
who is ( or even better, take your child with you!).Take along a good supply
of pens and paper to take a note of details , as the cost of printing a
sheet of paper is extortionate at some libraries, and very slow. Only print
out details if you are desperate to have a picture of the property from
the website.
Contact any or all of the real estate sites listed below and find out if the online property list is up to date. Some sites do not update their data very often,with the result that you may fly all the way to Corfu, only to find out that the property was sold five months ago, or even worse, has been demolished by the town hall workmen.Let them know if you are really interested, and leave your up to date contact details with them. Ask them to let you know when any suitable property comes up, and tell them EXACT details of what you require. This will make it easier for them, and narrow down the search so you do not spend months looking at unsuitable places. If you intend to book a holiday in order to spend time visiting likely properties, let the real estate agent know at least a couple of weeks in advance of you arriving. Tell them where you will be staying, and try to take a mobile phone with you that works overseas, so they can contact you if they need to.They will be able to arrange a series of viewings for you while you are in the country, and hopefully, will be able to find several properties in each area you are interested in. It may be worth considering buying a piece of suitable land, rather than a house that already exists.Check if planning permission is already in place.It is often automatic if the land is beside a main road, with all services (water, etc) nearby. If the land is within the town planning area you should be ok, but always check, and get it in writing.Prefabricated buildings are available in Greece now, they can be built by the manufacturers, or by yourself. If you plan to build any property yourself you must remember that you have to build to Greek and European building and safety regulations, and these are very different from UK regulations. All buildings must be built to withstand earthquakes, for example! When you find the property you want to buy, pay for a survey. This step is sometimes missed out in Greece, but some areas are prone to flooding, earth tremor damage,or sink holes (A large hole that suddenly opens in the earth when the limestone beneath is eroded away by water). Save yourself
a lot of future hassle by paying for a good survey. When you have found
a good lawyer (who speaks your language, as well as Greek) and a good accountant
(to sort out a tax number for you, and some financial details), you are
ready to make an offer.
Enjoy your little piece of Paradise, you've earned it.... Real Estate Agents In Corfu, Greece www.corfuproperties.gr
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