Congratulations – A moment before signing the contract
I advise you to check the following details before signing the
purchase contract and transferring payment:
Know thy neighbours: what are the boundaries of your intended plot
made of? Road as a boundary? Consider traffic, architectural stability and risk
of future expropriation.
Traffic – is it a tiny road that leads
to an unimportant village? Or does this road connect two highly touristic towns
which will turn a seemingly quiet road into a source of incessant noise in the
high season? Note: the ‘high season’ in Greece can last a long time, in many
places starting already in May and until Septembe
Architectural
stability and extra costs – is your house going to be situated beneath a
road? Check if the road has proper foundations. I have personally known
a neighbour who has had the road above their plot collapse on their newly-built
home. I myself have had to invest in a supportive concrete wall for the road
above my house. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy this plot – but you should be
aware of the extra costs you may incur for supporting the road against
collapse.
Risk of future expropriation –
you may check this with your real estate agent or the seller, depending on how
reliable they are. Better yet, you should check this directly with the
municipality or let your Greek lawyer check this for you.
Olive grove as a boundary?
Very quiet. Activity only during harvest season. Does this kind of
silence suit you? The further away your plot is from a town, the greater the
chance for the presence of animals – including jackals, snakes and wasps.
Another plot with a building
permit as a boundary?
Check what type of building is
intended for this plot: is it just one house? Or perhaps several holiday residences
that may cause a lot of noise?
Right for easement of the neighbouring plot?
If this is the case, your (future) neighbor has the right to share
parts of your infrastructure. This may mean that you share one entry road for
both your properties or maybe share a parking space. Ask yourself if this
condition suits you.
Topography of the
plot
It’s important to understand the topography of your desired
plot, as it may influence your building costs.
Hillside plot on sloped land? You should take into account
extra costs for leveling the ground, additional foundation work (e.g. more
concrete, deeper excavations) and for landscaping against mudslides (e.g.
waterproofed and drained retaining walls).
Trees or an olive grove in your plot? You may need to move some
trees in order to free up space for the house. Consider extra costs for either
cutting them down or – preferably in my opinion – moving them to a new place
within your plot. Sometimes you can also arrange their sale.
Access by car – is the road leading to your
plot paved or unpaved? In winter, unpaved paths may turn very
muddy; will you still be able to access your plot with your type of vehicle?
Local
infrastructure
It’s best to know in advance what local infrastructure is – or is
not – going to be available at your future plot and to what extent. Everything
can be solved, but it may entail higher costs that you should be aware of in
advance. Think about:
Communication – will you be entitled to cable
internet (or a landline)? Is there cellular signal for your mobile phone?
Where I live, I have mobile signal only in one room - that’s okay
for my needs. As for internet, I have been informed that Cosmote (one of the
country’s biggest telecommunications companies) will not install cable internet
or even a landline of any kind at my house. Apparently, this is because my
house is more than 200 meters away from the center of the village [this is a
fairly new law, as a few neighbours who arrived the year before me did get
cable internet]. For me, the only solution was the much costlier satellite
internet.
Electricity – if you’ve settled for a
secluded plot far away from human habitation, bear in mind that installing
electrical cables over greater distances will entail significantly greater
costs accordingly.
Water – as is the case for electricity, so is the case for the water
pipes. You may need to identify the nearest junction box and consider extra
costs depending on the length of digging required for the new pipes to reach
your house.
