Due to its easy access from the UK and excellent road infrastructure, more and more people are now choosing to buy in mainland Greece. With flights from the UK all year-round to Athens it is very easy to get to and gives you an authentic taste of Greek life.
Flight of fancy
Since the Olympic Games were held in Athens in 2004, major changes have been made to improve road infrastructures, so it is very easy to reach anywhere else in mainland Greece, or the islands, from the capital.
In May Aegean Airlines started a twice daily year-round service from London Stansted to Athens. Prices start from just £67 one way, including taxes, and depart from London at 10.20am and 8pm each day and from Athens at 7.30am and 5.10pm. From Athens you can also fly on to Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Chania, Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Mytilene, Chios, Alexandroupolis, Mykonos, Santorini, Kavala, Limnos, Corfu, Ioannina and Kefalonia, which are often only served with direct flights from the UK during the summer months. For more details see www.aegeanair.com
Property bargains
In mainland Greece properties are much cheaper then they are on the islands, especially if you look inland. Here you will find some real bargains. You will also find a lot of older properties in need of renovation and it is still possible to snap one of these up for under €50,000. However, many lack electricity and water connections and in some areas it may be impossible to get these services connected at all, so always bear this in mind if you are searching for a renovation project.
You may also discover the property is not freehold and the house and land belong to different owners, this is especially true with old properties which have been in the same family
for several generations. This means that you may end up having to negotiate with several different parties, and may be able to secure a deal for part of the house, but not the land. It is essential to use an independent lawyer who will be able to check everything out for you and ensure that you don’t end up with any nasty surprises during the purchase process.
Perfect Peloponnese
One of the most sought-after areas of mainland Greece by British property purchasers is the Peloponnese. Though separated from the rest of mainland Greece by the Corinth Canal, it still has road and rail links as well as its own international airport in Kalamata. It offers warm winters and beautiful summers, sandy beaches, mountains, and some of Greece’s most celebrated archaeological sites, including Olympia and Epidaurus.
You can fly direct to Kalamata from Gatwick, and many regional airports, with the flight taking around three-and-a-half hours.
Properties include stone cottages, new villas, which have been built in a traditional style, and luxury apartments. Older properties for restoration can be bought from around €44,000 (£30,000).
Two-bed apartments start from around €80,000 and new-build villas with at least three bedrooms from €150,000.
Easy access
There are plans to improve access to many places in mainland Greece even further. According to the website All Greece 4 U a new airport for charter flights is to be created in Tripoli and improvements to motorways will shorten the travelling time to Kalamata and Athens airports from the Peloponnese. There are also plans to improve road links to Pireaus and Patra ports and new railways will connect Argos with Athens and Kalamata. All this work should open up new property hotspots in the Peloponnese.