Personal experience: buying a house with a plot in the complex holiday villas in Kassandra

Buyer: Irina
Region: Greece, Halkidiki, Kassandra
Object: a house of 100 sq.m. with a land plot of 1000 sq.m. in gated community
Transaction: Purchase in the primary market, summer 2010

To own a house by the sea is my old dream. My grandparents lived near to the sea, and I certainly spent their all my summer vacations. All these colors, the smells, the flavors, the view of the sea give me a sense of freedom and happiness from the childhood. My husband understands and supports me.

It was not just dreaming: I slowly surfed in Inet, checked ads on the websites of real estate. I try to choose between Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro. But somehow it did not: or the price was too high, or the houses were too far from the sea, or there was no plot of land for the house, a house with a garden in a foot distance from the sea was my main idea to find.

Then our daughter went to a kids camp in Greece, Halkidiki. We went to the hotel nearby for vacation not to leave her alone in a foreign country on the whole three weeks. And we occasionally found what we dreamed about: pine-trees, emerald sea, cozy houses by the sea, hidden in greenery and tranquility of the village. And colors, smells, tastes: everything were like in my childhood. So we fell in love.

We decided to by here. Immediately, as happens when it’s the fate, we found good realtors. The Friends of us advised us to consult Natasha Kovaleva and Angelos Kafetzopoulos, wife and husband, and they are absolutely met our expectations of what the realtors should be.

We emphasized our desires: a small holiday home, within walking distance from the sea, preferably with a plot of land, outside the noisy tourist destinations. We didn’t care about the view at that moment while now we know that the view from the house is perhaps the most important for holiday house. And we would like to buy in  Halkidiki in Sithonia.

The task, as it turned out, was not easy. The Seafront offers were expensive and exceed oout budget, the houses in Sitonia were very few and have a lot of disadvantages. But in Kassandra, on the first and mostly well known of the three "fingers" Halkidiki, in was also difficult to find first line offers with a reasonable budget.

Just Now we understand that it is not necessary to have the house so close to the sea. The car in Halkidiki is necessary anyway and it’s a bit silly to limit ourselves with just one beach near the house, while Greece has such a big choice of wonderful beaches. The beaches here are varied, to suit every taste and mood.

Omitting the fascinating process of searching, I have to say that finally our dream house was found. It was twelfth that we saw. Patient and attentive Angelos (this person has very suitable name) listen carefully to all our ideas, dreams and explanation and finally brought us into one of the most wonderful places on earth.

Things to consider when buying a house or villa in Greece:

• The quality of construction is very different. Decide for yourself what is more important for you: well made building or place where it is located. It is likely that there is something that combines both, but is not be cheap. For us It was important the place. The Quality of our house is average, but we are quite satisfied. We are not spending a lot of time inside.
• The view from the windows and from the terraces is very important! Just believe me, it's impossible to explain. The spacious terrace is also very desirable.
• Bargaining is appropriate and reasonable, but don’t wait for discounts of 50% or more  - it will not be. Prices that are given are very close to the final prices.
• It is not difficult to furnished and equip house. The peninsula has a huge amount of relevant stores. Furniture and decoration of the house is the local fetish – so you will find great variety of options. In Thessaloniki there is well known IKEA that has helped us very much in the first stage, until we found what we want. Also there are no problems with the construction and maintenance personnel, including the Russian speaking and English speaking. Realtors will also help you for sure. Ours are very helpful.
• Prices for all the services and expenses are much lower than in Moscow and in Europe. There is no need to overpay. Haggle. It is accepted. If the quality of work suits you, so just thank the employees and you will find a faithful and devoted friends.
• Prices for services and utilities are quite reasonable and comparable with other countries. Given the fact that we do not live here for all year-round, it turns out cheaply.

Finally I want to say that coming to Greece is great any time of the year. The beach season is not so long, from about the end of May to mid-October, but the nature of always great. The people are open and friendly. Some taverns and the shops are opened all year. Mild autumn, winter and picturesque spring are much comfortable for sightseeing and long walks.
Find me on facebook, write in a personal, and I'm happy to answer all your questions.

Irina Yaroslavskaia