More and more foreigners are buying property in Greece. Most people look for a ready made home, taking into consideration that this will save them a lot of time and hassle. The disadvantage of this is that, most of the time, people don’t find exactly what they are looking for, and at the end of the day they have to settle for the best of what they can find in the ready-made property market.
An interesting alternative to consider when thinking of buying property in Greece is the possibility of buying land and building a custom-made house. In such a case, the required steps would be the following:
The first issue to decide upon is which region to build the house in. Usually it is better to look into more than one alternative, since costs may vary significantly from island to island and from region to region. Another issue to consider is the exact location of the plot (by the beach, in a village, etc).
Bear in mind that many regions in Greece forbid construction on plots under a certain size. For example, if you are within the borders of a town or village, you cannot build on anything less than 200 square meters. If you are outside village or town borders, you need at least 4000 square meters.
Before spending any money to buy land, check with an engineer that you will be able to build your dream home on a particular plot. Furthermore, other restrictions may apply (archeological issues, natural resources etc), so it is always necessary to get advice from an engineer before going ahead with the purchase of a plot.
Once the plot is purchased, you can proceed with the issue of the town plan permit. The town plan permit includes a topographical design, an architectural design, a civil engineer’s design and a mechanical design. Once the plans are completed, you have to take into account that you will need about two months to get these plans approved by the state. This process is taken care of by your architects and engineers, and the physical presence of the owner is not necessary.
Construction can start immediately after the approval of the town plan permit. Various construction firms specialize in building homes for foreigners. This means that they are fluent in many languages and are able to keep the owners updated without asking them to be on site.
In most cases, construction updates are done through e-mails and pictures, and payments are made according to the construction stages. As far as the timetable is concerned, you need to consider that approximately 12-18 months are necessary for the completion of a house, depending always on the location, size and complexity of the project.
For further information you can contact: or visit www.elementstudio.gr Telephone: +302107211856