Property and Lifestyle: Messinia and Mani

A speciality of Messinia - roasted pig.

If you have decided that buying land and building a property to your requirements is the road that you are going to take then the below questionaire might help you, especially is you have never been involved in a building project before. Before proceeding with purchase of land to build make sure that you have had a technical survey done and you are sure that you can build the property that you want as well as the distance for connection to electricity and water (there might be additional costs to include in your build budget for bringing the utilities to your land).

Bear in mind that the quality of the structure is the most important and that budgeting can only be done on the finishings of the property i.e. fixtures, fittings, flooring etc.

Also bear in mind that a house should be designed and built for permanent living with the future potential of re-sale.

NEW BUILD QUESTIONNAIRE

A very basic questionnaire so that you have an idea of what you want and can direct all the information to any prospective builder:

BUDGET (for building and landscaping): Please note that when builders quote a build in most cases this does not include boundary walls, gates and landscaping around the house i.e. paving, driveway and terrace walls in garden area.

TYPE OF BUILD:
Traditional Stone
Brick
Mix
One floor or two:

ROOMS/AREAS:
Basement:
Garage:
Computer work area:
Tool room:
Study:
How many bedrooms: Morning sun:
How many bathrooms: Bathtub or shower:
Separate kitchen:
Open plan kitchen:
Big kitchen: Electric/Gas cooker:
Separate dining area:
Room with special view:
Living area: Up/Downstairs:
Storage:

HEATING:
Water Heater:
Emersion
Solar Panel

Woodstove:
Fireplace:
Room heaters:
Central heating: Gas/Oil
Ceiling Fans:
Wall unit HOT/COLD pumps:

OUTSIDE AREA:
Outside lighting and sockets:
Garden water supply:
Drive way
Paving
Boundary walls
Entrance Gates

WINDOWS, etc:
Wood:
Aluminum:
Sliding:
Mosquito nets:

FLOORING:
Marble:
Wood:
Tiles:
Flagstone:
Painted cement:

VERANDA:
Flagstone:
Tiles:
Decking:
Painted cement
Stamped cement

ROOF:
One or multiple:
Ceramic tiles: red or yellow
Guttering:
Rainwater collection
Insulation

CEILINGS:
Wood:
Closed:
Traditional open:

STAIRCASE:
Wood:
Stone:
Cement:
Tiled:
Spiral:
Banisters:
Railing:

GENERAL:
TV:
Satellite Dish:
Phones:
ISDN-Broadband line (fax-internet-phone) Check availability in the area through the OTE (Hellenic Telecommunications).
PSTN line (average phone)
Which rooms to have phone/TV:
Septic tank:
Washing machine: kitchen or bathroom
Dryer:
Dishwasher:
Microwave cooking space:
Professional landscaping
Swimming pool
BBQ area
Spot lights
Electric shutters
Power showers, Jacuzzi, etc.

What have you seen that you want in your home? (Any photos/drawings are always helpful)
Do you have any special needs?
What have you seen that you DO NOT want in your home?

THE ABOVE IS TO ASSIST YOU AND POSSIBLY ASSIST YOUR BUILDER.

Story One

A young couple with a small child had a house built by a builder in the area of Mani. They were advised that it was ready and they moved over to Greece. Much to their dismay they found that they were not connect to mains electricity so they found themselves camping out in their brand new 2-bedroom stone house with a small child.

Candles for light in the evenings and a camper gaz for warming milk and cooking.

Camper gaz had a leak near to candle - BOOM!

All 3 suffered burns - lucky for the small child Kalamata hospital did it's very best and there are no scars. Mum and Dad have a few scars. The application and installation of mains electricity was processed very very quickly!

Story Two

A middle aged couple fell in love with a renovation project. They bought the package i.e. the land, the ruin and the builder to renovate it.

The couple decided that they did not want mains electricity and were very happy to use solar energy and gaz.

A gaz tank was installed just outside the house. Couple went back home for some weeks and were horrified when they received a phone call from friends back here that the house had burnt down!

The fire brigade has filed a report and the District Attorney is still investigating. Some years have passed and the couple are still waiting for the decision on what caused the fire and also on the insurance.

Story Three

A retired couple bought land and had a house built this included the installation of a gaz tank and piping for gaz central heating.

They had a lot of problems with the heating among a lot of other things - they asked the builder to check out and were assured that all was in good working order?! Sometime later they employed a professional plumber/heating engineer to check out their system and his advise was NOT to use it since it was danagerous.

Over the last 4 winters the couple has used a wood burning stove in their new house with cental heating. They now have a new neighbour who is a professional plumber specializing in gaz central heating. A kind offer to check out the heating system was accepted. All piping is copper and much narrower than it legally should be for gaz piping. We are still waiting on the report for the state of the gaz holding tank.

If you are planning on having a house built ensure that the builder/engineer knows that you want gaz central heating and ensure that you have apply to the Technical Chamber of Commerce for an engineer to check out the stages of your build - this is an additional expense but....

If you already have had gaz central heating installed it just might be a good idea to get it checked out by an independant specialist. It could save your house and possibly your life!

Now that you have visited the area and have done all your research on property you are now ready to view with a serious intention to buy. There are certain things that you need to know about the purchasing procedure in Greece, which is very ‘hands on’ and nothing like the procedure back home and there are some standard requirements that you can set in place before you even find the property.

You will need a Greek lawyer in the area who speaks your language – it is a good idea to actually meet the lawyer and discuss in detail the services that you will be paying for, the lawyer’s fee for the service offered bearing in mind that should you hire the lawyer you will need to place a retainer for the initial title search. Whatever anyone says and no matter how little money might be spent on your property purchase you MUST HAVE A LAWYER.

If you are not planning to be in country during the procedure then it is advisable to give your lawyer power of attorney in order to complete all the paperwork for you as well as sign notarized pre-sale agreements and final contracts on your behalf.

In most cases a power of attorney will be a general one allowing the lawyer to buy any property anywhere in Greece at any price and under any terms and conditions. This sounds daunting and dangerous therefore a few lawyers do insist that the clause is inserted stating that the property, purchase price and terms and conditions have to be confirmed to the lawyer in writing by the buyer before moving ahead (this way the lawyer is legally covered as well as yourself). This is a clause that you should demand to be included in the contract.

The lawyer will need to have access to your money! A lot of powers of attorneys state the bank account number allowing the lawyer to withdrawn amounts. Here I would advise for this not to be so. It is very easy for you to set up your bank account in Greece and arrange to have a code number in order to fax instructions for amounts to be transferred from your bank account to your lawyer’s account. Your lawyer will have to arrange to open an account with the same bank as you unless they already have one. This way you know exactly what is going out of your account, what it is being used for and whom it is going to.

You will need, as mentioned above, a Greek bank account, which are relatively easy to open. All your money coming in to Greece MUST
pass through your account before moving elsewhere. Since you will have a Greek tax number and will at some point own property in Greece then you are under the obligation to submit Greek income tax declarations on a yearly basis. You will need to get ‘pink slip’ from your Greek bank in order to prove that the money used was not earned in Greece.

You will need a Greek tax number relatively easy to obtain but you do need to have a Greek resident sign for you and provide a Greek mailing address. This person could be your lawyer or your real estate agent.

You need to have an independent surveyor – you survey your property purchase back home so you need to have an independent survey done here also. This is an additional cost, but well worth it since you do not want any very unpleasant surprises down the road!

You will need the services of an interpreter since all documents will be in the Greek language. Your lawyer cannot be your interpreter nor should your real estate agent since it would be conflicting interest.

NOTE: Greek lawyer checks that titles are good and clean i.e. no debts and your surveyor checks that the land and/or building is legal and correctly measured and that the various rules and regulations for the area and building zone are correct.

There are legal expenses involved when going through the procedure of purchasing property; therefore, it is advisable to think through and when you have decided on your budget for purchase add 30% on to cover all your legal expenses and real estate agent fees – it probably wont be as much as 30% but it is better to have some money left over rather than find extra funds at the last moment.

The above guideline information is provided by Sarah McKellen, a licenced real estate agent with offices in Kalamata and desk space in Kardamili Square (by appointment only).

Golden Rules
·Open a bank account and have sufficient funds for a deposit.
·Get a survey done by a personal architect or engineer.
·Talk to people already out there who can recommend English-speaking lawyers, builders.
·Know what you want to buy and work out your budget.
·Check for hidden or additional costs when getting quotes and know what you are getting into.
·Learn some Greek.

McKellen-Messiniaki Properties
Stadiou 35
Kalamata 24100 – Messinia
Tel 27210 80093 / 6934904589
Email: info@mckellen-messiniakiproperties.gr
www.mckellen-messiniakiproperties.gr

The Peloponesse in Greece has always attracted foreigner property buyers and the numbers are increasing. Messinia located in the South of the Peloponesse seems to have been really and truly discovered over the last 5 years. Foreign buyers especially in the area of Messinia Mani have purchased a lot of properties and many are now searching on the other side of Kalamata near to the seaside towns of Petalidi, Koroni and Methoni. Coastal property is more desirable but there is a minority of buyers who are looking towards more rural locations. Coastal property is more expensive and the area is more developed. The ‘unobstructed sea views’, which are a ‘must’ for all coastal buyers, cannot be guaranteed unless you buy on the edge of a ravine! So, how about rural?

Messinia has a lot to offer since the coast is never very far away from where one might buy (20km). Messinia itself has a variety of landscape: Mani with dramatic coastline, mountainous area with Mani war towers and tower houses and the history that covers the whole area to the areas over ‘the other side’ towards Koroni where the landscape is softer and more fertile. Land full of larger and older olive groves, citrus groves and vineyards, sandy beaches and spectacular views across the bay to the snow-capped mountain range (winter/spring) of Taygetos. The drive from Kalamata and the local airport is approximately the same either side, but the road is easier towards Koroni whereas to Mani you are climbing up and over the mountain.

There is a host of areas and villages set back from the coast that might not offer the sea view, although there are some villages that do, but you will have spectacular views of the countryside. Greek countryside is at its best in the spring when all the wild flowers and tree blossom appear suddenly over night. Greece for me has always been the cypress tree and in the rural areas of Messinia you will see clusters of cypress trees rising above the citrus groves and vineyards.

Coastal life will provide you with a choice of eating places, beach bars and cafes and you will find that there will be a lot of people around during the summer season but you won’t get to meet a lot of Greeks and you certainly won’t get to learn the language. A lot of people having bought on the coast find that they love it during the spring/autumn and winter months and during the summer they go back ‘home’.

Rural life will provide you with a chance to get to know and love the Greek culture learn the language and meet good and caring neighbours. Being private will have to go out the window – villagers and Greeks in general will ask the most amazingly private questions. Private being defined as English private; in Greece we want to know all about it! There is always something going on in the rural areas since most of the inhabitants are farmers – and, as farmers well know you have something to do 365 days of the year.

Property prices on the coast for a 2-bedroom house are in the region of 200,000 Euro where as a rural property (might need a bit of renovation/modernization as might the coastal property) with a large garden and near to a working village would cost in the region of 60,000 Euro.

If you are planning on buying for holiday home usage only, then the best location will be the coast and possible unobstructed sea views since you will possibly want to be within easy reach of the amenities and beaches. If you are planning on holiday home/permanent residence then I would suggest that you look in to more rural locations. Unobstructed views are hard to find and more expensive to acquire.

Whatever location you choose, the area of Messinia and the Mani is beautiful. The locals welcome foreign property buyers with open arms, not only because you have bought their property but also because you are bringing life back in to the villages and restoring neglected properties to their former glory.

By Sarah McKellen – Licenced real estate agent
Kalamata – Messinia - Greece