Real Estate on Crete

LOOKING FOR PROPERTY

Real Estate on Crete

QUESTION - Why use "Property on Crete"
1. We will take you on viewings free of charge in order to show you the area and the property available, provide advice and give assistance.
2. Free of charge booking service for car hire and accommodation for your visit.
3. George Mavromatis is well known in the area with a good reputation and as a business we have built up good relations within the community and with our past clients.
4. Legal restrictions are always changing and it is important to use an agent who is experienced with good contacts and keeps abreast of the latest and applicable laws and procedures.
5. We offer a free of charge after-sales service
6. Voluntary code of conduct


QUESTION - What is the weather like in Eastern Crete?
Every year is different however generally the summer is hot and dry, sometimes windy, especially in July and August and we do not normally get any rain until end of September in East Crete. As the winter draws nearer it gradually gets cooler with occasional rain generally at night but when there are no clouds the sun is still warm just like a warm summers day in England but not so humid. This weather generally continues until December and all the local people are out trying to get there olives in and the first citrus crops are ready for picking. Vegetables and flowers grow rapidly at this time and all the countryside becomes green and fertile. After Christmas it is definitely colder for about two months and we get some spectacular thunderstorms and a lot more rain. By March the temperature generally starts to improve, there is less and less rain as Spring approaches and this is normally a temperate season with the countryside and the high hills clad in glorious spring flowers.


QUESTION - Who can buy a property in Crete?
All EU Citizens have equal rights regarding buying property in Greece.
Non EU citizens have to apply for authorisation to buy in this area.


QUESTION - Are the sizes quoted on your website exact?
All sizes are approximate and verified when the topography is carried out


QUESTION - What is a topography?
The topography is a measured and drawn record of the boundaries of the land or property and is used to state ownership on the land registry


QUESTION - Do I need to make an appointment?
We offer a personal one to one service. Therefore, in order for us to assist you effectively it is helpful if you contact us prior to visiting the island to inform us of your requirements and to book an appointment. This is especially useful at busy times of the year.


QUESTION - What should I consider about services?
When buying plots of land and properties for renovation it is important to consider the availability of drainage and sewage, water supply, electricity and telephone.
Sewage -Not all villages have mains drains therefore you will need to consider where you will put a septic tank. If the plot is rocky this may be expensive. There can be a difference between the type of waste water disposal system in some of the villages and it is important to know whether the system available can deal with both waste water and sewerage.
Electricity poles – poles need to be located every 30 – 40 metres and you will need to pay for each one required to get the connection to your property. In addition transformers are required at different intervals and this can prove to be expensive.
Water – if mains water is unavailable nearby you will need to allow space and budget to install a large water reservoir.
When accepting properties for sale, Property on Crete considers these requirements for you so we will be able to help you with this.


QUESTION - What are the rules about plots of land?
When the plot of land is outside the village plan normally the minimum requirement is 4000 sq mtrs on which you can build 200 sq mtrs HOWEVER there are many rules and regulations regarding land and building with almost as many exceptions to these rules. Therefore, each plot of land needs to be dealt with on an individual basis and we are able to assist you with your search once we have established what you want to do and where you want to build.


QUESTION - How much does it cost to build?
As a very general rule of thumb building costs per m2 are currently between 1500 - 1600 euros. However, the actual cost of building is heavily dependant on access, distance from material supply, standard of materials used, service infrastructure, plot restrictions and land stability etc. Therefore it is our policy not to make a guess at building costs for individual properties as this can lead to great disappointment. If you are interested in a particular renovation or plot of land we can arrange for our civil engineer to inspect the property for you and give you a costing. Alternatively you are free to engage an engineer of your choice to inspect the property for you.


QUESTION - Can I get help with finance?
The following companies offer help with finance -
We can help you arrange finance for your Crete home. Whether your require a mortgage on the property itself, a second mortgage on your primary home or bridging finance, our UK based partner Conti Financial Services can help.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rates, Buying And Selling Foreign Currency, Cheapest Exchange Quotes/ Rates through Foreign Currency Direct, Forex Consultants in UK


PROPERTY ON CRETE'S BUYING PROCESS


QUESTION - What documents will I require to buy a property?
You will need passport, a full birth certificate for each of the people buying the property and if it is married couple a copy of the marriage certificate.


QUESTION - What else will I require to buy a property?
As an agency we do not operate client accounts as we believe you should retain control of your money so you can authorise when the money is withdrawn by the lawyer. Therefore, you will need to set up a personal bank account into which you can send your money if and when you wish to go ahead with a purchase. To open the bank account you will need a copy of a household bill from your residence in the UK and a Greek tax number if you do not already have one. To apply for the tax number you will require a passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate if applicable. The bank account can be opened whilst you are here and we are happy to help if you desire.


QUESTION - Do I need to travel to Crete to sign papers?
You are free to sign on your own behalf or alternatively a Power of Attorney can be drawn up to appoint a lawyer acceptable to you to act on your behalf. We are happy to help you arrange this whilst you are here.


QUESTION - Will I need to pay a deposit?
To secure a property generally 10% of the asking price is required and paid to the vendor. However it is the policy of this agency to recommend a cooling off period prior to paying a deposit. This is to ensure that you are positive you wish to proceed with the purchase. The deposit, once paid to the vendor by the lawyer, will not be returned by the vendor if you do not complete the purchase.


QUESTION - Are there any additional expenses?
All the properties on our website have our commission fee included. In addition to this you will need to pay the purchase tax, notary fees, lawyer fees, topography (if there is not one already done) and land registration fees. As a general rule of thumb, to be on the safe side, you will need to allow 14% of the asking price for these additional expenses, though in most cases it is less than this.


QUESTION - What is a Notary Public?
A Notary Public represents the Greek Government, and one of their main tasks is to ensure that State taxes are paid on the completion of the sale, together with any other payments such as the Notary's or Lawyer's fees, taxes and duties.
The Notary Public will prepare all the necessary documentation to complete the purchase, such as drawing up the Purchase Deed, witnessing the signatures, and arranging the registration of the new Title and Deed of Ownership.


QUESTION - Will I need a lawyer?
In order for you to have representation you will need a lawyer. We have very experienced local lawyers that we recommend who speak English however you are under no obligation to use them and you will not be pressed into doing so.
Please note that we strongly advise that proper legal advice should be sought in all matters prior to commencing purchase.


BUILDING PROCESS


QUESTION - Can I meet an Engineer?
We work in association with one of the most knowledgeable and experienced engineers in Sitia who is English speaking and we are happy to introduce you to him. He is able to discuss and draw up plans, give advice and carry out the necessary paperwork to build including applying for planning permission. However, if you wish to engage your own engineer this is perfectly acceptable.


QUESTION - Do you have a list of trades? people?
We are able to introduce you to a selection of both English and non English speaking reputable trades people. As a matter of policy we recommend that you get alternative quotes before proceeding with work.


MOVING TO CRETE


QUESTION - How do I transport my pet to Crete?
It is advisable to visit the DEFRA website as this gives comprehensive regularly updated information regarding transporting your pet and the Pet Travel scheme www.defra.gov.uk


LIVING IN CRETE


QUESTION - Are there healthcare facilities in the area?
Yes there are hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and dentists in the area.


QUESTION - What is the Education system like in Crete?
Generally the school day starts at 8.15 am and finishes at between 1 – 2pm. Realistically speaking, though most teachers do make an effort to welcome foreign students, unless your child is young enough to learn Greek as part of their education i.e. under 7 or the child already knows Greek, using the local schools can present a bit of a problem.


QUESTION - Can I get tea bags, HP sauce and gravy granules?
We all know that a lot of us Brits find it difficult to survive without our favourite brands. Most basic items are available here in one form or another and if you can not survive without certain items there are mail-order companies that supply from England. On the plus side as the traditional Cretan diet is one of the healthiest in the world you can benefit from making the most of the fresh local produce.


QUESTION - How will I sort out my utility bills?
As part of the after sales services we help you transfer the utility bills into your name and in most cases they can then be paid by standing order by the bank.


QUESTION - How will I find my way around Sitia?
We understand that when you arrive here it can be a little daunting finding your way round. Therefore as part of our after sales service we offer a Sitia orientation service which will familiarise you with the town and where the important places are. Alternatively if you are happy discovering all these things for yourself you can just come and ask us for help if you hit a problem.



PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US IF YOU CANNOT FIND THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION OR YOU REQUIRE FURTHER ASSISTANCE.
Real Estate on Crete

Olgabeach apartments in Palekastro, Kouremenos

Olga Beach apartments in Palekastro, Kouremenos

The villas in Palekastro-Kouremenos are an ideal location for peaceful and relaxing vacations by the sea and an excellent starting point for day excursions to the surrounding sites (traditional villages, mountains, gorges and beaches) for those wishing to explore the area and discover the beauty of East Crete.

The Olga Villas offer a friendly environment and you will definitely enjoy your stay there. They are suitable for family vacations and for those who want to have affordable yet comfortable and unforgettable holidays.

Facilities

• Tastefully decorated


• Fully equipped kitchen


• Breakfast if required


• Air-conditioning


• Telephone


• NOVA cable TV
  


• The one-room studios and two-rooms apartments (45m2) can sleep up to four (4) people


• Absolute freedom and independence


• 2,5 kms from Palekastro


• Panoramic view of the sea at just 20 m

Visit the website of Olga Beach apartments

Bayview Katozakros apartments

Sitia accommodation >> Kato Zakros apartments - studios >> Xerokambos apartments - Studios

Bayview Katozakros apartments:

A little bit before the idyllic and virgin gulf of Kato Zakros are located the Rent rooms
and apartments "Bay View".
Is situated 4 km away from the beach of Kato Zakros and 4 km away from the village of Zakros.
They have been built on the hill with unlimited view and clean air.

From your veranda you can enjoy a unique sunrise and the full moon.
Just behind the hotel, starts the "Gorge of Dead" well known to the hikers who cross the island of Crete.
There is also a farm of 20,000 sq.meters with wild animals
(hares, rabbits, quails, partridges, pheasants and chickens) where the visitors can have a walk.

At your stay you can visit the gorge of deads, the cavern Pelekita, the Minoan Palace,
the palm forest Vai and the virgin beaches of our region.

Bayview Katozakros apartments

Sitia - Eastern Crete Real Estate

Sitia - Eastern Crete Real Estate is a handy navigator of quick research among dozens of registered properties with photos and detailed information, which will make your “tour” in the world of properties not only interesting, but essential as well. You can find properties, apartments, new houses, old traditional houses, stone build houses, special properties, commercial and invest properties, plots and land, houses with sea view, building plots.

With the potential of digital technology and the big variety of our properties, we can lead you directly and effectively to the decision of a property which will cover all your needs perfectly.

Being fixed up with a group of experienced and specialized cooperators, we bestir in accountability not only with property sales, but also with constructions in great success, keeping our foothold the qualitative excellence, the credibility and the know-how.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Under the Sitia mountains, in the traditional Village of Agios Georgios and close to the coast of Sitia beach, a beautiful Cretan city in eastern Crete is placed the olive groves of family Papadakis.

Our family has a long history of Qualitative and Traditional Greek virgin olive oil production.

Lovers of the Mediterranean Cuisine and fans of the Greek Gastronomy which is famous for its’ beautiful taste and nutritious value, we are working respectfully in making our land’s goods, popular and disposable to consumers.

The family farmers cultivate, harvest, and cold-press the oil for their own household consumption and for sale to the cooperative, taking much care and pride in the quality of their oil.

The Koroneiki olive variety is the main variety of olive cultivated for olive oil production in the Sitia-Eastern Crete region.

...Feel the difference : Extra Virgin Olive Oil :: Family Iraklis Papadakis, Agios Georgios, Sitia

Kato Zakros Palace in Kato Zakros

Kato Zakros Palace in Kato Zakros, Palekastro, Sitia, Eastern Crete

Three rooms, three studios and one apartment at the most eastern and beautiful Cretan seaside in Kato Zakros. The owners George and Haroula Platanakis take great pleasure in informing you that they have built a small family tourist complex in Kato Zakros. The complex is located at the top of a hill offering a panoramic view onto the plain, the Minoan Palace, the village and the beautiful beach of Kato Zakros. Our hillside location means that there is always a cooling breeze. There is the following choice of accomodation:

1) Three rooms with two single beds and a bathroom. Each room, 24 sqm in size is suitable for 2 people.
2) Three studios with one room including a kitchenette, a dining area, a double bed and a bathroom. Each studio, 25sqm in size, is suitable for 2 - 3 people.
3) One apartment with one bedroom with two single beds and a large living room with one single bed, a dining area, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. The apartment, 50sqm in size, is suitable for 3 - 4 people.

All the rooms, all the studios and the apartment are air-conditioned and are equipped with refrigerator, satellite T.V and two big balconies looking onto both the mountain and the sea.We also have available internet access and a large area for safe parking.

From Kato Zakros you can take various trips and enjoy unspoilt and scenic countryside. 700 m. from the apartments you can visit the ruins of the Minoan Palace, one of the four excavated in Crete. The very impressive Gorge of the dead, it stretches from Zakros to Kato Zakros which is of archaeological, environmental and geophysical interest.

Through this it goes through the European path E4. The cavern of Pelekita with archaeological and geological interest that is connected by path with the settlement of Kato Zakros. Zakros is situated 7.5 km away with its old watermills and watersource of " Mesa Milou" and "Virgin Mary of Viglou", the Minoan mansion near the olive factory and the recent excavations in "Sfaka". 8 km away is Xerokampos with splendid and spotless beaches.

Generally Kato Zakros is the end of very interesting way that begins from Sitia passing from the historical Toplou Monastery, from splendid and unique in Europe palm tree forest of Vai, from Palekastro with its amazing beaches, from various small hamlets with traditional Cretan architecture and leads to Kato Zakros. You can also reach Zakros from Handras - Ziros visiting the ancient ruins of Presos, Voila, Etia and Xerokampos.

Kato Zakros Palace in Kato Zakros, Palekastro, Sitia, Eastern Crete

The Secret of Cretan Longevity

Αnzel Keys’ renowned study of seven countries, which was published in 1980, revealed that the health level of Cretans was the highest in the world. Cancers and cardio-circulatory disease were rare, since out of 100.000 people on Crete, there were only 9 deaths attributed to these diseases as opposed to 466 in Finland. It was further proven that this was largely due to the dietary habits of the Cretan, people, whose basic ingredient is olive oil.

THE PRODUCTS
For Cretans, the secret of longevity is very simple. They eat anything that their rich soil produces! They consume a lot of fruit, vegetables, greens, fresh produce, legumes, cheese and bread. Cretans use herbs to add flavor to their meals; they make sweets/cakes with natural sweeteners, honey and grape-juice syrup; while the excellent Cretan wine is an indispensable accompaniment to their meals. Cretans do not eat meat or, rather, they did not eat meat until a few decades ago. Meat has always had a ritual quality in Crete, and generally in Greece. In antiquity, Cretans consumed only the meat offered to the gods on the altar of sacrifice. In modern times, they consumed meat only a few times a year, i.e. during festivities or, if wealthy enough, every Sunday. In other words, the dietary code of Cretans has deep cultural and historical roots.

This, however, should not be considered as a limiting, or even a coercive practice that could undermine the richness of taste. On the contrary, the ingenuity of Cretans exploited fully the entire spectrum of ingredient combinations, which resulted in volumes of recipes for meals and deserts. Snails, for example, are cooked in 40 different ways! Pure olive oil is the sine qua non for all preparations! Fresh produce grown under the most suitable climatic conditions has a prominent place on dinner tables. Cretans do not require doctor’s orders to consume large amounts of fruit and vegetables. Grapes, raisins, oranges, etc. are a way of life. Even on days strictly associated with meat-eating, such as the Easter Day, Cretans do not eat only meat. On the contrary, they cook meat with artichokes, wild greens or vegetables a delicious choice!

THE RESULTS
Mr. Serge Renaud, a French researcher-scientist said, “Following a 15-year follow-up study, it was concluded that Crete manifests the lowest mortality rates irrespective of the cause of death”. There is no doubt that the above statement attests to the benefits of the Cretan diet. The French scientist was referring to wide scale research on nutrition that was conducted with the participation of seven countries, including Greece, in 1956 by Dr Ancel Keys, a pioneering investigator and health revolutionary American. Today, the international community has adopted the Cretan model of nutrition by recommending it, as the basis of human nutrition.
Ancel Keys, 1986 compares mortality rates among various regions of the world, including four Mediterranean regions. Crete is last with respect to death causes with a significant difference from the country before last.

Also we have a comparison between the results from the above mentioned study in the seven countries (up to 1986) and pertinent statistical data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) per 100,000 participants (Serge Renaud, 1995). Again, Crete is at the bottom of the list with regard to mortality rates.

In addition to the above, we have the results from a French study in Lyon. The French doctors divided their patients with heart diseases in two groups. The first group was put on a diet recommended by the US Society of Cardiology — a low fat/cholesterol diet — and served as control group. The second group was prescribed the Cretan diet to be followed during their normal way of life. The results were statistically significant. In two years mortality rates in the second group dropped by 75%!

Modern Cretans feel the urge to share their secrets of life with the world. Besides their history and culture, they are also willing to share with people their prized cultural heritage known as CRETAN DIET.

Cretans would like to let the world know of a gigantic effort taking place on the island to preserve traditional values and nutritional customs, in spite of the influx of promotional activities favoring foreign nutritional habits, mainly that of fast food.

Cretan producers and local processing, packaging, and marketing companies warrant that all Cretan products are pure, without chemical substances or other preservatives and additives. Cretan products, being part of a centuries old tradition, are treated with the same respect as that afforded to them by our ancestors

Olive Oil and Diet

Olive Oil and DietBy the end of 1950’s, when American nutrition experts came to Crete to investigate the causes that were responsible for the longevity of Cretans, they could not believe their eyes! “My God, how much oil do you use!,” exclaimed Dr. Ancel Keys, as he was looking at a plate of green salad virtually floating in olive oil. In fact, Dr. A. Keys’ observation was subsequent to similar remarks/observations made centuries earlier by travellers from other regions of the world, who were also interested in scrutinizing the daily life and habits of Cretans.

Today it is believed that the secret for a long and healthy life lies in olive oil, the principal ingredient of Cretan diet. Past and present research conducted in the USA and Europe supports the view that olive oil not only shields the human heart from diseases, but also increases the good operation of other organs or protects the human organism from a long range of diseases. For one thing, it reduces cholesterol3; it has excellent antioxidant properties and wards off all forms of cancer; in addition, it supports the operation of liver and is ideal for those people suffering from diabetes and other diseases!

The quality of Cretan and Aegean olive oil enjoys wide reputation all over the world. This is because it is not an industrial but a natural product received by crushing the olive fruit and is free from preservatives and chemical additives. It is pure, light and tasteful; in short, it is the best olive oil in the world. The olive trees are cultivated with love and care, with due respect for tradition, while the juice is packaged pure by small packaging units that respect themselves and their consumers.

Try pure olive oil instead of butter in your breakfast … just dip country hard-bread, or a slice of whole-kernel bread in it! You may find this an excellent and tasteful alternative to your normal breakfast. Olive oil can be flavoured by mixing it in the bottle with a combination of herbs or those of your choice.

Extra virgin Oline oil from Eastern Crete