Author: Giorgos Kasotakis

3 USEFUL TIPS FOR PLOT BUYERS

So, you have decided you want to build your new home under the Greek sun and you have found the plot you believe fits to your needs and preferences. Here are 3 things TO-DO before your final choice:

1)Ask for the plot’s build-ability

Not all the plots are able to be built. If you found the property via a professional Real Estate agent, it is possible that he has already done his research regarding the ability of the plot to build and generally the building rights of it, according to a survey the seller provided to him when he decided to put it in the market. Although a survey from an engineer gives the picture of the building rights of the plot, it is a MUST to have the approvals from the public offices, depending on the location of the plot. Archaeology, Forestry, Agricultural office, local Municipality, are offices that is required to provide to the plot owner a certificate in order to proceed to a building permit by the local building office. Usually, an engineer will do his survey and then apply to the public offices, for the certificates.

2)Check the costs for the public utilities connection

When building a new home, the final step is to connect the building with the public utility networks. Electricity, Sewage, Phone and water supply, are the basic utilities that every house needs, although depending on the location of the building, it is an expense that is covered by the owner. The expenses most of the times rise when there are no other already built plots, so the networks will have to be extended to the location of the plot. If the plot is located close to an already inhabited area, these costs will most probably not be significant.

3)Ask your builder

If you haven’t yet found the company that you want to undertake the building process of your new home, you should make your research and meet a builder before you buy the plot. A discussion on the project and a meeting at the plot would give to the engineer of the company a picture and with his technical knowledge and experience, he will be able to advice you regarding the ability to realize what you have in mind, on the budget that you have.

Here in Euroimmo, we always make sure that before the signatures of the plot purchase, the plot has all the necessary approvals and is able to build and we also consult the buyers regarding the technical aspects and the architectural capabilities of each plot the buyer is interested in.

5 REASONS PEOPLE BUY AN OLD STONE HOUSE IN CRETE

Since 1991, when the Cretan property market was opened to European citizens, the most popular property market has been the old stone houses, (until then Crete was considered as border area, so buying property was not aloud to non-Greeks). Still today, traditional homes haven’t lost their popularity regardless of the rising modernism… Here are 5 reasons why this happens :

1)Price

The stone houses always held their high position in the Greek property market, due to their competitive purchase price. Habitable or not, the final cost, both for the purchase and renovation work, ends to be about 30% lower total investment, in comparison to buying a modern villa or a maisonette of of similar size and location.

2)Location

The old stone houses are mostly situated in the main core of the traditional Cretan villages and old towns. Thus their residents enjoy the unique experience of living in a backstreet of a village or the historical old town of Rethymno or Chania for example, along with the locals and sharing the unique of its kind, every day neighborhood life. A perfect way to enjoy that kind of atmosphere and the benefits, nature sounds, smells of the local kitchen the fresh country side air and the peaceful life conditions, it graciously offers to it’s inhabitants, as there are no traffic jam, stressful rythms and multi-flored new-built buildings around, spoiling the peace of traditional environment..

3)Traditional Cretan architecture

Stone is an original, natural material allowing “breathing” to a house and the 40-50cm wide walls offer a perfect, natural insulation to it. Cretan architecture was always harmonically adjusted to the natural environment of the island. In traditional Cretan architecture, we meet multiple elements of the architectural practice, having it’s origin from pre-historical times of the Minoans, the legendary Knossos palace and the vaulted tombs. Crete, Being the meeting point of the west and the orient preserving more elements from the Venetian period and the ottoman time on the island. These features have survived though out the centuries, to the present day, within the local traditional architecture. The indoor arches, outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces, lofts, small openings, the south-eastern orientation, were features of ancient Greek architecture as a heritage preserved in modern times.

4)Unique village life

The famous Cretan hospitality, the participation in local activities and events of the village, the daily coexistence with the inhabitants of the village, and the feeling of solidarity, care and friendship, can be a unique life experience for anyone from the stressful, western style way of living. The feeling of security and the non-existed crime rate allows you to sleep, in the hot summer nights ,with your window wide open, enjoying the northern breeze , called “Meltemi”. It also offers the potential of growing your own vegetable garden and enjoy the home made Creta nutrition benefits, which is considered to be among the healthiest globally, based on the pure high quality olive oil. There are many examples of people from different parts of Europe who bought a house in the village and were embraced by locals and actively participate the daily life of the local society, joining the local people in their good and bad moments, and experiencing feelings that are only on Crete to find.

5)Investment as a resale or rental house

An old, uninhabited stone village house, in most cases comes on the property market at a low asking price. The low cost for a property which normally consistsnot only of the main structure of the stone building, but in many occations, it comprises a large plot for garden area, makes the investment worthy. Working along with local architects and civil engineers, as well as organized local building companies, allow you to keep low budget and restoration costs under control. Finally purchasing an old stone house, can become a great investment , both as resale or tourism rental residence, which is a rapidly rising economy sector and offers income opportunities, especially in a place like Crete, offering in average 310 sunny days a year .

Legalizing a building or structure

There had been a lot of attempts by various Greek governments to give an end to the arbitrary building, which had been very popular in the past decades.The last attempt started on 2011, when it was announced that a new law would finally end the illegal structures by giving some motivations to the property owners and by obligating them to legalize in case they wanted to sell or do any official deed for the property.

The great advantage of this attempt was that the whole process was undertaken by an engineer and there was no application to any public office that would extend the timelines of the process, except from some special cases.

In 2013, this law (4014/2011) was judged by the Supreme Court as “anti constitutional” and was finally cancelled and replaced by a similar law (4178/2013) which is still on today. The 4178/13 law follows the same process and keeps the same philosophy with the 4014/11.

Which are the structures that can be legalized by submitting to the legalization law?

• Buildings which were built without the issuance of a building permit.
• Illegal structures in properties which were built additionally from the approved by the building permit.
• Buildings that were built after the issuance of a building permit but exceed the approved dimensions.
• Legally built buildings that were built in another position in the plot.
• Arbitrary pergolas, barbecues, storage spaces,covered garages, swimming pools,exterior covered spaces.
• Storage spaces converted to main living spaces.

And generally almost all kinds of structures that can be built in a property…

Which is the process to legalize a property?

The first step of legalizing is to find an engineer who is capable of undertaking the whole process.The engineer will ask for all the plans and documentation of the property (building permit plans and studies,contract,cadaster documents etc.) from where will be taken all the necessary information for the property.

The next step for the engineer is to visit the property and measure the legal and illegal structures in order to complete the survey for the property.

After everything is measured, the engineer submits to an online system all the necessary information of the property and the arbitrary structures and the system calculates the total fine that has to be paid by the owner in order to legalize.

The final step is the one that the owner pays the fine after the issuance of the payment orders by the engineer and the engineer uploads in parallel all the necessary plans and documents required to submit to the law.After the fine is paid, the system issues the legalization certificate that can be officially used for example at a selling contract.