IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

When building your own home or having an old house restored you should be aware of the following:

1. Costs may vary. Make sure that you have considered ALL eventualities and that you retain tight control over the purse strings.

2. It may take longer than anticipated. Things do change, but if you have important deadlines to meet, you must ensure that everyone is made aware of these at the outset and that they are adhered to. This is not easy in Greece!

3. Red Tape can be a nightmare and we would strongly advise you to get professional help with this side of things.

4. A plot of land must be clear of forestry and not be classed as 'forestry land'. It must also be large enough to build the type and size of house you require.

5. ALWAYS get confirmation in writing that the land is 'clear' and can be built on, and that there is legal access to it.

6. Don’t forget that you will need to arrange for the installation of utilities such as water and electricity.

7. If offered a combined package from a builder for land and then the building work, you must insist on separate contracts for each and obtain the title deeds for the land before signing the building contract.

8. Make sure you have legal advisers who are capable of providing the assistance you need, who preferably speak English and who understand the way you think as well as the Greek builders, renovators or current owners.

9. For investment purposes you need to consider new properties or building your own villa. If you are carrying out a restoration, you need to ensure that it meets the requirements of the investment market. We can help you appraise these issues.

10. When buying an old property, it is worth arranging for a structural survey before you enter into any contract in order to identify any faults etc.

11. Be aware of the problems you can face in obtaining planning permission when restoring an old property.

12. If you aren't able to be on the spot during the building or restoration work, you should give serious consideration to appointing a project manager to ensure the work gets done to the agreed standard and within the agreed timescale.
 

These are just a few of the important issues of which you need to be aware. There are naturally many more and we will do our best to help you deal with them.

ALWAYS REMEMBER:

1. You must take LEGAL ADVICE. We can let you have details of a number of lawyers from whom to choose.

2. EMPLOY PROFESSIONALS. We can put you in touch with architects, engineers and builders both on Paxos and on Corfu.