5 tips for buying your second home in the sun
There's a lot more to buying a second home in the sun than viewing a few likely properties and taking the plunge. Successful purchases require a great deal of research, several visits and a certain amount of soul searching. Here are five tips to help you get it right. 1. Start your search early If you are looking for a home in the Mediterranean, for example, it is a good idea to start your search early in the year, and if possible make your first viewing trip during the winter. Many properties used as second homes will be empty then, therefore access
A Buying Guide to Greece
If you’ve found a beautiful property to buy in Greece, the buying process itself is a well-trodden path. With good legal advice, it shouldn’t hold any surprises. Firstly, three basic formalities: — You need to register any funds with the Bank of Greece that you’re bringing into the country to make your purchase and gain their permission to proceed. You may also need to open a Greek bank account, for the funds that you transfer. — You will need a tax registry number from the Greek tax authorities ("AFM"). — If you’re a non-EU national, take the precaution of checking that you are allowed to buy
Greek Golden Visa 250.000€
Greek golden visa programme launched in 2013 and grants a five year residency visa in return for an investment in real estate. There is no minimum stay requirement and children up to the age of 21 are included in the family application. The visa is granted for five years and renewed every five years if the property investment is retained. It is not necessary to live in the country in order to retain and renew the investor visa. However, citizenship can only be granted after seven years of residency. The below video contains very useful information about the process of
Pitfalls of Buying Property in Greece
If you are looking for something to buy, the legislation is about the same as if you were looking to rent. However, there are a lot of details that you need to be aware of. By law, anyone of any nationality can buy property in Greece, providing it is not in any “sensitive” areas as the Greek Government refers to them. For EU citizens this does not apply but for the rest of the world, these areas are eastern Aegean, Dodecanese islands, northern Greece, Crete, Rhodes, and Dorian’s home in Athens. These restrictions are old and take it all with a