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Every home in Greece is now meant to have its own digital file. It is called the Electronic Building Identity, or E-ID (Ηλεκτρονική Ταυτότητα Κτιρίου). The Electronic Building Identity gathers the key facts about a property in one secure online record. It sets out the building's current condition, its permits and plans, and any changes made to it over the years. For anyone buying or selling a home in Greece, it has become one of the most important documents to understand. This guide explains what the E-ID is, what it contains, who prepares it, and why it matters at the moment a property changes hands.

Above Rethymno, in the protected village of Kyrianna, a small development blends traditional Cretan architecture with modern comfort. Olivion Villas is a collection of eleven homes set among olive groves, each with a private pool and views towards the Cretan Sea. With only eleven villas in total, the development stays small and private. The village sits close at hand, and the coast is a short drive away.

Maybe you’ve thought about it for a while: A home in Greece. It could be a terrace overlooking the sea, a garden filled with olive trees or a modern villa with a pool just minutes from the beach. The idea feels right. But then the practical questions start to pop up. How does the buying process actually work? What does it really cost? Do you need to be present in Greece for every step?

Selling a property in Greece involves a number of professional fees, taxes, and administrative costs that vary depending on your circumstances. Knowing what to expect before you list helps you plan realistically and avoid surprises later in the process.

If you own a property in Greece and are thinking about selling, one of the first things on your mind is probably a practical one: what do I pay to the estate agent? It's a sensible question to ask early, and the answer shapes how you budget for the sale and what you can expect from the agency representing you.

Selling property in Greece means meeting a clear set of legal requirements: the right documents, a notarial deed, settled taxes, and clean title. For owners living abroad, the difficulty is rarely the rules themselves. It is coordinating several Greek authorities from another country. Here is what the process actually involves, and where having a legal team on the ground changes things.

In Greece, the inheritance tax on an inherited property usually has to be paid in full before the property can be sold. How much is owed depends on how closely the heir was related to the deceased, and on the value of the share inherited. Close family members fall into the most favourable category and benefit from a significant tax-free allowance. The tax is calculated on the official objective value set by the tax authorities, not the market price. Because payment usually comes before the sale completes, the timing is worth planning for in advance. 


Inheriting a property in Greece often brings a practical question with it. What happens on the tax side once you decide to sell? The two are linked in one important way. Before an inherited property can change hands, the inheritance tax on it commonly has to be settled first. That affects your timing, and it affects the proceeds you eventually receive. The amount depends on your relationship to the person you inherited from, and on the value of your share. Close family members are treated far more favourably than distant relatives. Knowing how this works makes selling an inherited home in Greece much easier to plan.

It's a sensible thing to check before you start house-hunting, and the answer is a qualified yes. There is a train, but it only reaches the northern edge of the Peloponnese. Athens connects by rail to Kiato, and on towards Aigio, with a bus completing the run to Patras while the line is being finished. Beyond that, the peninsula has very little passenger rail, so the popular spots like Nafplio, Kalamata, and the Mani are reached by road. For most buyers, that makes the bus or the car the practical choice. Here's the full picture, and what it means if you're thinking of a home here.