I am often asked where is best to buy in Greece and frankly this is a near impossible question to answer as it’s such a very personal choice.

Having spoken to literally hundreds of people who HAVE bought, the one thing that runs throughout is that generally the choice is a heart- rather than a head-driven one. People come to Greece, fall in love with a place and/or with the welcoming local people and decide then and there that they have to own their own piece of heaven!

And that’s all very well, but I would introduce a note of caution her: you just never know when you may need to move, and you therefore need a home that you can either rent out or sell comparatively easily. Here are a few ideas: I am going to pick out three places that I think are probably the most popular with property buyers and that I love…compromise is all in these hard times.

Crete has long been a favourite holiday destination for Brits in search of the sun and is truly lovely. It is the largest of the islands and has cities as well as completely unspoilt local villages – the choice is endless here. An archaeological treasure trove, it has lovely hidden beaches, clear seas and dramatic mountain landscapes.

The island has a holiday season that extends from late March to mid-October. This means that you could both stay in summer and perhaps rent out for part of the season should you want to, making it a real win-win situation.

The coastal area is your best bet if you are buying either for rental or buying ‘off plan' with a view to selling on later. For rental, villas - either single or in development clusters - are the preferred housing option. Remember too that to get an EOT licence (obligatory if you want to rent out) you need to ensure that your property conforms to EOT regulations before signing the deal.

The north-west Chania and Rethymnon areas, the coastal areas to the south-west and the north-east of the Lassithi prefecture are most people's first choice. Perhaps for second home buyers it would be better to buy a little way out of the big tourist magnets - it would be a lot quieter and considerably less expensive.

Kritsa, the largest village in Crete, is also very popular as it has shops, tavernas and a good bus service plus narrow alleys and traditional homes. From the village visitors can experience the magnificent panoramic view over the surrounding area. 

The southern and eastern coast is less touristy and therefore less expensive. In the south, the shoreline east of Ierapetra, especially in the vicinity of Makryialos, is expected to blossom with new villa estates; if your property has both sea and mountain views, which may well be the case here, it will be very popular. Old properties for renovation are mainly to be found in the old towns of Chania and Rethymnon plus of course in the old villages inland.

Next, Corfu. This island has very good local and international connecting flights in summer, and is the most popular of the Ionian Islands for property purchase. There is an enormous choice of properties, including modern apartments, converted historic buildings, villas in coastal resorts and land for building throughout the island, providing unlimited choice. Flats and apartments in town are a really good investment option for long term rental to locals.

Lovely beaches, good communications within the island and well-developed tourist amenities ensure that Corfu will always be popular. What a resident said to me on my last visit was that it is advisable to live within easy reach of the town of Corfu.  Everything, including the airport, is then more accessible – but it does push the price up.                               

Frequent and year round ferries and flights into Rhodes have made this a popular property choice - tourists have been coming to the island since the early 1970's and the tourist infrastructure is unsurpassed in Greece. Also Rhodes has always had a property register which facilitates purchasing property.