Personal experience: buying old house for re-construction with land plot in Halkidiki

Buyer: a family from Moscow
Region: Greece, Halkidiki neighborhood of Gerakini
Object: a house of 150 square meters. m. with land of 4500m2
Price: € 270000
The deal: buying in the secondary market, summer 2011

покупка дома на халкидиках

Desire. Motives.

Before we purchased a home in Halkidiki, we have never been in Greece. But once, on the Real Estate exhibition we were called out by old friend my husband - Natalia Kovaleva. We got talking. It turned out she has Real Estate Agency in Greece. Natasha invited us to come and see Greece. We agreed. And this decision changed our lives.

Visiting Halkidiki for once, I fell in love forever. There's an amazing, incredibly beautiful nature. There is not so many people in Greece during season like  in France or Italy, where is no place to park the car and all the beaches are overcrowded ... But here, in Halkidiki you can always find a small empty bay. Well, the price, of course was the second reason ... In Greece, the prices are much lower than in France and Italy. We, for example, bought a beautiful house old house near the sea with a large garden of 4500m2 for just € 270 thousand ... In Italy and France for the same money you can find just a small apartment. We are very emotional people and buying a home in Halkidiki was an impulsive decision. But in the end we were very satisfied.

Search. Select. Decision

It was not at all easy to find our dream home. First, we checked a lot of offers on the newly-built houses market, but none of the buildings we were not ideal for us. First of all, they did not have big gardens, but we for sure would like to have it. Secondly, the quality of construction of many houses did not meet our expectations. Third, the layout and location of these objects seemed to us uncomfortable. For example, in the primary market there were a lot of connected (detached) houses ... But to live there you have to be ready to live with neighbors, but we wanted our private space. In the end, we realized that we needed to see old, nice houses with a big garden, located near the sea and in good transport accessibility to the airport. We must pay tribute to our agent. Previously the agency was not engaged with the secondary market, but especially for us, they quickly found a suitable option. As soon as we saw the house, the son said, "Mom, this is our place." I was extremely impressed with ancient olive grove planted around the mansion.

This area cannot be called a super prestigious. The local beauty is simple and natural. Generally, in Greece there are different types of real estate. You can find a rural house, located in solitude away from civilization, as if as you can purchase a luxury villa in the fashionable resort of Sany with developed infrastructure. The main thing is to decide what you are looking for... As for the deal itself, it was quick and seamlessly. All legal issues were held by experts of real estate agency. Plus we did not get permission to buy a house from Ministry of Defense of Greece. When we made the deal, this requirement had been already canceled, while earlier the process of buying property in Greece can extend over six-nine months due to this permission.

Repair. Construction. Recreation

In my opinion, It’s better to buy the house on the secondary market here. In this segment you can find some very interesting offers for the very suitable price: the old, but the quality buildings are often cheaper than undeveloped land. For example, for a house, which is about 20 years with big garden with grown up trees and palms we paid € 270 thousand, while our friends were offered to buy land for construction for € 400 thousand. The old house is always the option to be restored with your own taste, and the result will be better than in the new building. We did repair slowly, a year we spent to complete our beautiful garden, but now all around are envy with us)). We are good friends with our neighbors. Generally Greeks are very open and helpful people: they are always happy to help, give and advice.

As for recreation and holidays in Greece; of course Halkidiki is not the French Riviera. Here, everything is easier and simpler here. I guess no one would dress in outfits from famous fashion brands to go to a nearby tavern. Although, there are huge opportunities for recreation and life. Just imagine: you wake up early in the morning, take a husband, a son, a dog and go for a walk along the endless beach. You can go for a long time: here we have 11-km beach, and around is just the sea, the sun, the mountains, the olive trees ... and no noisy tourist that will spoil this impression.

Local restaurants have very quality, simple and good eco food: it is not as sophisticated as in France, but very tasty, cooked from the freshest ingredients. Well, you can always get in the car and go travel around Greece and Europe - the roads here are comfortable, ferry boats network is very developed, air flights from Thessaloniki can allow you to travel cheaply to any country in Europe, let say for the weekend. But the main thing for us is that this country has a soul. It is simple, clean and free. And it is impossible not to feel this.

Have a look:
Greece regions:
Customer Reviews:
Image: Celebrating a Successful Real Estate Deal in Greece
Purchasing Villa in Halkidiki, Greece and Applying for a Residence Permit – Golden Visa in Greece

This summer, June 23, Emil, a citizen of North Macedonia, contacted us with the goal of purchasing a nice villa in Greece and applying for a Golden Visa. The client was interested in Greece from the point of view of a summer holiday for the whole family and for obtaining a residence permit - Golden Visa in this country...

View more »
Embracing Comfort – A Homeowner's Testimonial in Greece
Simultaneous Purchase and Sale of a Villa in Greece with Payment in Rubles on the Territory of the Russian Federation

Our ex-client Boris asked the possibility to sell his house in Greece with being paid in Russia (in euros or rubles). Due to political situation its impossible now to transfer money from Greek bank account to Russia...

View more »
Visual: Luxury Villa Living in Greece
Purchasing a Large 6-Bedroom Villa with a Pool and Seaside Plot in Halkidiki

Artur from Kosovo contacted us with the goal of purchasing real estate in Greece and applying for a Golden Visa for himself and his three adult children. Initially the clients had two scenarios: buy 3 apartments or townhouses by the sea for each of the children or buy one large family villa by the sea for the whole large and friendly family...

View more »
Graphics: Investor's Guide to Greek Real Estate – Illustrated Steps and Testimonials
Real Estate Investments for Long-Term Rental in Thessaloniki with a 20% Yield Right from the Start of the Purchase

In January 2023, we with our trusted client from Moldova Igor, agreed the plan for the investment in Greece for the year. We have been working with Igor for 6 years. All started with a holiday house purchasing...

View more »
Photo: Family-Friendly Property in Greece – Shared Experiences and Recommendations
Reselling a Luxury Villa with 4 Bedrooms, a Pool, and a Cozy Garden on the First Line of the Sea in Halkidiki

Our client from Ukraine, Konstantin, decided to sell his summer villa in Halkidiki, due to moving with his family in another country for permanent residence. A few years ago, he bought a plot with an unfinished building, on the first sealine in Halkidiki...

View more »
buy a townhouse in the suburb of Thessaloniki
Buying a townhouse in the suburb of Thessaloniki

For us the choice of Greece was the saturation solution. My husband and I have been there a few times on vacation, we liked it. Of course, we were attracted by the fact that it is a European Union country...

View more »
Personal experience: of apartments in Greece on the island of Thassos
Personal experience: the purchase of apartments in Greece on the island of Thassos

Why Greece? Greece is my true love, which transmits to my husband, too, as love of an adopted child. My husband and I love Greece for identity, for the climate, for the environment. And even those moments that distinguish the Greeks from other Europeans and are not in a good way - we accept either. This happens only on mutual love!...

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

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...

View more »
Personal experience: a house in Greece on the island of Thassos
Personal experience: the purchase of a house in Greece on the island of Thassos

Our youngest son was born week and was ill for a long; due to doctor's advice, we tried to spent as much time as possible at sea, in a place with clean air and water and good climate, different from the central part of our country. So there was our first experience with Greece...

View more »
Favorits ()
Clear
Search:
clear
clear
clear