After having rented a private Greek house for about ten consecutive summer holidays, we had become somewhat addicted to Greece. We had been to the Peloponnese, Messinia and the Mani, Kefalonia, Skiathos and various places on the south coast of Crete. In 2014 we had rented a house in Kyparissia, on the west coast of the Peloponnese. By coincidence, our eye had fallen on a house for sale in the neighbouring town of Kalo Nero, freely situated among olive trees with a beautiful view. The peace and quiet and the overwhelming vastness of the area (Natura 2000) appealed to us, as well as the numerous streams, sometimes with beautiful dragonflies and butterflies. In Kalo Nero, a clean, sandy beach begins, where one sees more nests of caretta’s than bathers.
After visiting the house through the local estate agency, we were sold. With the approaching end of our working lives, the dreaming could already begin. However, it was made clear to us that we had to be patient. The plot, owned by four parties, had to be divided. Some additional facilities turned out not to be built according to the original permits and therefore had to be legalised. We let it sink in for a few months and then decided to go for it, not suspecting that it would take more than a year before we could call ourselves owners.
Although sometimes common in Greece, we did not think it was a good idea to let the selling estate agent look after our interests. Therefore we asked Elxis to mediate for us, so that we could be sure that things were properly checked according to the new and stricter regulations. Vangelis Nastos, Giorgos Gavriilidis and the lawyer of the same name guided us very well through the purchase procedure, keeping a finger on the pulse of the selling party, looking after our interests and smoothing out a few small wrinkles here and there because of cultural differences. When the appointment was made for the transfer, it turned out that a national strike of notaries could be avoided. That’s Greece too: lots of formal rules which can often be avoided if you know your way around.
We are happy with our purchase and hope to spend many happy days in Kalo Nero and its surroundings.
