Property Where to Buy Finding the Ideal Home to Buy
Finding the Ideal Home to Buy
From the minute you arrive in Greece to the moment when you are signing the deeds to your new property, it can all seem like such a whirlwind of events! It can be a time of pure excitement but at the same time a frightening prospect, especially if you are planning to move to Greece permanently.
Many property buyers tend to choose to go on a viewing trip and use a reputable estate agent to help them along the way. Viewing trips, even if dealt with professionally, can leave you drained, confused and exhausted.
This is because it is difficult to find your dream home in Greece when you are only shown a handful of properties out of the millions that are in Greece. When it comes down to it and you narrow down your choice of location, price and style of property, you are left with a considerably smaller choice. However this doesn't mean that you will not find you dream home, but it is worth considering a few points before you sign the property deeds to ensure that you're equally as happy in five years time as you are on the day of buying the property!
Location, Location, Location!
Yes, location is a major factor in determining whether or not you purchase the property that you have seen. One of the confusing things that estate agents fail to mention is that when they are driving you around on your viewing trip, they often take short cuts between the properties that you have seen and you can be mislead in to thinking that your property is nearer or further away from a busy town that you thought. Perhaps you are interested in buying a quiet, country retreat on the outskirts of a livelier town, it isn't impossible to find such a property, but do be careful! When you are travelling between properties, you may be taken to a country house that is a lot further away from a town that you first imagined.
Many estate agents and their drivers know of various quick routes between the properties that they show you and fail to mention that you are actually 30km away from a shop or town instead of the 10km that you thought and were lead to believe. This is a common misunderstanding that people face and is easy to make, as you are naturally unsure of the directions and routes in a new country and rely on your estate agents for advice. To avoid this problem, it is worth driving, yourself or getting a taxi from the nearby town to the property and time how long the journey takes. This can also happen in the opposite way, where you are a lot closer to noise and city life, but were actually hoping to live far away from it all.
Consider all Aspects of Life There
When choosing a property, wherever it is, it is a good idea to ask yourself questions about how your life would be there. What happens if you were to take ill and needed an ambulance? Can an ambulance get to you easily in all weather conditions? If the area suffers from drastic climate change, how will that affect your life there? If you are living in a rural area, is it going to be cost effective when you need to travel in to a busier area when you need to shop, get to work or visit a town?
Holiday home or permanent move?
Often, when people buy a property that they intend to use for either a holiday home or for permanent living, then most of the time the property is really only intended for one or the other. This can become a problem when you decide to leave Greece and use what was your permanent base as a holiday home, because you can be left with a lot of high maintenance on the property. If you have a garden or pool that needs tending to or you need to make regular repairs to your property, what will happen when you are not there? On the other hand, if you have decided to pack your bags and move to Greece permanently, using your holiday home as a permanent base, you can be left still with some awkward problems. The property or area may not be set up for permanent living, especially of the property is situated on holiday resort that is shut up for half of the year.
Remember this!
If you follow these key points when you are considering buying a property in Greece, then you are sure to be happy with your new home today, tomorrow and many years later!