Hello there and how are you?

Well, summer is here – I think. But even if it isn’t sunny every single day, it is nevertheless far lighter a whole lot longer isn’t it? And you know, I was just thinking a few days ago, you cannot beat England when it IS sunny – it is so beautiful. My stomping ground takes me along the Thames between Putney and Hammersmith Bridges and sometimes it quite takes my breath away at the sheer beauty of it all. The bridges, the birds, the trees…the squirrels!!

This past month was May Day – Labour Day in many other countries. In character, 1st May was celebrated in Greece with public transport services, ships and flights by the state carrier Olympic Airlines paralyzed across Greece as unions planned demonstrations in the capital to coincide with Labour Day. Evidently this to protest the Conservative government's attempts to reform pensions, which the unions said would reduce benefits.

Not for nothing is Greece the birthplace of democracy and any move to take that away has an immediate reaction…but for me I was quite amused that to celebrate Labour Day you would immediately cease all work….

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I went to Dubai to visit my daughter and her family. What did we do? Well, I am ashamed to tell you: I am that sort of traveller that generally reads every book about a destination and scurries about seeing EVERYTHING…not this time. I did almost nothing at all, and for once came back feeling that I had actually had a real holiday. It was heaven to be with my grandchildren in the afternoons after collecting them from school, and for the rest of the time my daughter and I just lay around chatting, sipping tea or coffee, giggling and watching the American TV series called ‘Brothers and Sisters’. Deliciously trashy, it needed a minimum of concentration. All that and Rob Lowe too – what more could one ask?!

Hopefully you are off to Greece this summer - I think that that is the dream of all of us at the Greece Buying Guide: to really relax in the sun in Greece on our holidays rather than rushing around. I cannot tell you how many people that I speak to tell me that the reason they want to buy a holiday home, or indeed move to Greece, is the relaxing, less stressed way of life.

It really is an attitude of mind that the Greek people seem to have got so right somehow: the importance of family and of truly enjoying life - usually, it must be said - with family!! Here I am up on my soapbox again, but I sometimes feel that the reason that youth crime is on the increase here in the UK, and in the country I spent most of my life in – South Africa - is perhaps sometimes down to the absence of loving, hands-on family guidance…for what ever reason, and sometimes it is obviously not choice but necessity that dictates this. The intimacy and the loving support that family support gives in Greece seems to prove this point, as youth crime is almost unheard of amongst young Greeks.

So if that’s your reason for wanting to move, do remember won’t you that I have taken the time to actually go out and visit the people we recommend and I have some really wonderful feedback from Greece Buying Guide readers too. In fact many have actually bought through them, so please do not hesitate to contact me at mailto:Carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com or better still, pick up that phone: 0207 898 0549 and we can have a chat about this! I love to live vicariously through my Greece Buying Guide readers and love to chat with you about our passion: Greece!

Okay, here’s what’s coming up: going with the Labour Day theme, a bit on working in Greece. Then there is a delicious renovated house on Rhodes, words of wisdom from the financial guru Charles, a bit about working with an IFA and an email sent to me by an expat in Greece about the legalities of starting a business there. A top tip from a reader rounds off this month’s missive…..enjoy it and please let me know what you like, love or hate about it….it’s for you and it would be great to have some input from you as to what you want to hear…

All for now. Please keep in touch won’t you? I do love to hear from you and also to hear your plans to buy in Greece…

This comes with all best wishes and warm regards,

Carol

Carol Dunning
Greece Buying Guide Advisor
The Overseas Guides Company Limited.
mailto:carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com
Phone 0207 898 0549
1, Hammersmith Grove,
LondonW6 0NB

Make an ass of yourself….

Many people ask me about working in Greece. My reply is usually that the best way to set about this is to try and provide a service to English speaking ex-pats – unless of course you are totally fluent in Greece and are able to compete on an equal footing with locals. The following discovery really cemented this.

I have been going to Greece since I first hitch-hiked there in the late 60’s – in somehow safer, more innocent times! If you had to ask me to shut my eyes and bring to mind an image of Greece, it would be one of white Cycladic houses tumbling down the hillside, closely followed by the image of donkeys, donkeys with an elderly man snoozing as he rode, passing me on the stoney trails on Sifnos; donkeys bearing me up the precipitous path from the ferry to the lip of the caldera in Santorini; donkeys delivering supplies to the restaurant that I ate at every night, sitting at the harbour in Serifos, with my feet in the water…

So it was with enormous sadness that I read a recent article in Kathimerini, the daily Athens newspaper. It said that experts are predicting that the donkey population in Greece may plummet to just 1,000 in the next 10 to 15 years. Even given that experts are not always right, it is difficult to see what part the donkey plays in Greece today, amongst an increasingly sophisticated younger generation and an increasingly modernised Greece.

Used for centuries for everything from transporting people and goods to plowing fields, the donkey is now fast disappearing everywhere throughout the country. Everywhere, that is, except for Hydra.

For, as the newspaper points out, a short trip from
Greece’s sprawling, congested capital of Athens, the donkey is the only form of transport permitted on this picturesque island. With motorised vehicles banned they alone provide the island’s transport. This has resulted in Hydra having about 10 percent of the country’s total donkey population. “They transport everything, from sewing pins to electrical refrigerators, anything you can imagine,” said Yiannis, a mule owner waiting at the port for someone to hire his animals – tourists or residents alike.

But sadly Hydra is an isolated case in a country where progress is now encroaching on the traditional way of life. In the rest of the country, the future of the donkey appears bleak.

The world changes and we have to change with it, or get left behind…and yet, this seems a particularly sad and regrettable sign of change, doesn’t it?

What has this got to do with jobs and or working I hear you say? Well…whereas I am not implying that the following has been done for monetary gain – in fact I very much doubt that it is – it did occur to me that it is just this kind of idea that could be made to work…

My lovely property contact in the south of the island has the following to tell me: She says that folks she knows, Alistair and Suzanne, have a donkey farm called Anatoli Donkey Farm, which is always open for those of you wishing to take a leisurely trip by donkey around the beautiful countryside near Anatoli in Crete. It makes a great day out and you don't have to ride a donkey if you don't want to, although my guess is that the kids would love it!

The farm is situated in a beautiful area a 20 minutes drive above Ierapetra with stunning views of sea, lake, islands and mountains. On land filled with olive trees they have built a home for unwanted donkeys where they can live happily in the company of other donkeys. Mostly they have been given by their elderly owners who feel that they cannot look after them any more.

Whilst not in complete retirement the donkeys have been given a new and more restful life .They enjoy human company and are happy to carry bags and picnics on walks where they add entertainment and provide a lei¬surely walking pace. They love children and enjoy being ridden.

Great idea isn’t it? And one of the things I have suggested in the past to Brits is looking after people’s pets when they pop over to the UK: maybe kennels, maybe just visiting and feeding in their own homes? Just an idea…but I guess a bit of thought and other ideas may occur to you as to how you can make your talents and working abilities earn you a few euros…

So…there you are. Next time you are in the south of Crete you can have a look at properties in this lovely part of the island and round off your day at the donkey farm! Let me know and I can put you in touch here… please go to: http://www.GreeceBuyingGuide.com/property.htm
and fill in the property form, or call me on 0207 898 0549 and we can chat about it. You won’t be sorry you did.

They have added some great new land and property opportunities to their vast portfolio they tell me that you need to ask as, along with most Greek Estate Agents, they don't advertise all possibilities and can show you many more options when you book appointments with them. Contact me on mailto:carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com or phone on 0845 017 8771 and I will put them in touch with you.

Opportunities when you least expect them

by Smart Currency’s Charles Purdy.

The normal reaction when times get hard is to keep your head down and minimise any risks you may have - a sensible thought process. But why is Abranovich so wealthy? And when did the Rothschild dynasty make their money? The answer is they made their money when times were very tough and they had the courage to buy top class assets at reduced prices.

How does this logic apply to buying your overseas property? The key principle to understand here is that there will be some “keen” sellers who will accept much lower prices than a year ago. It is now a buyers market rather than a sellers market. This “keenness” can arise for a number of reasons which to be honest shouldn’t really interest you. The key is to identify quickly who are “keen” sellers: they will want cash right now and so then you start negotiating hard. Even though sterling has been weak you may find that, with the right opportunity, you pay less in sterling terms for your property purchase than a year ago.

Clearly you will need to have a good reason for buying the property, for example you are retiring in a year and will be emigrating. A lot could happen in that year and the opportunity may evaporate. The credit crunch could be resolved, confidence could return to the market and lo and behold: it is a sellers’ market again!

To read the latest on Currency go to: http://www.GreeceBuyingGuide.com/Currency220508.htm

Why overseas property buyers lose money...
...and how you can avoid it!

This 10-page educational report outlines:

• Case Study: When Property Buyer, Mr Reed, Purchased an Overseas Property, he Made Three Mistakes that Cost Him £10,256...learn how you can avoid them...
  
  
• How the Banks make HUGE profits from their long-standing unsuspecting customers
  
  
• Ways to safeguard yourself against adverse fluctuations in exchange rates (or in other words, helping you to keep your money in your pocket)
  
  
• The entire process of moving money from the UK to any overseas location, so that you're armed with all the knowledge you need to make intelligent decisions about your money
  
  
• How you can ultimately save £100’s and £1000’s so that you have ample money to buy furniture and white goods…
  
  
• More case studies of people that lost money due to foreign currency strengthening against the pound, so that you learn from other peoples mistakes rather than your own!
  

And just a couple remarks about the report from our readers...

" We have found your free report to be extremely helpful... Wendy Watson"

"I have read and absorbed the information in the stories outlining the mistakes which the uninitiated can make when transferring currency. It is very illuminating and essential that any one,like myself, who is in the process of buying an overseas property should be aware of. I would go so far as to say that every agent selling overseas properties should be compelled to advise their prospective purchasers that it is paramount that they use a currency expert such as yourselves. Regards, Eric Thomas"

To get a copy of the report at no charge go to: http://www.smartcurrencyexchange.com/freereport.htm

To get a Better-than-Bank rate go to: http://www.smartCurrencyExchange.com/smartsquotation.htm
or call Carl on 08081 630 102 freephone.

Rhodes: Renovated Traditional House in Koskinou, Kallithea District

Price: € 200,000 / £ 159,020

Bedrooms: 1

Bathrooms: 2

Property size: 99 sq.m.

Land size: 87 sq.m. 2263

Distance from: the beach: 4km. Central town: 0km

Koskinou is a traditional village, located on the outskirts of Rhodes town and is part of Kallithea Municipality. The facades of the houses are painted in bright colours and the courtyards, ablaze with flowers, are paved in the old traditional way with pebbles.

This house, called Mouria or Mulberry Tree, was built in about 1800. It has three different levels and, with its boutique style atmosphere, it is widely acclaimed to be one of the best preserved traditional houses of Koskinou.

All the house's internal structures are made of hand crafted wood. Wherever possible, traditional material and ways of building were used; an exception to that are its modern electrically wired kitchen and bathroom with mains water connections and sewage. The house consists of a 40 m2 main sala, a kitchen, 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and a 10 m2 courtyard. In all there are three double beds as the main sala features a higher level with two traditional wooden platforms that sleep two persons each.

Hooked? Just contact me on http://www.GreeceBuyingGuide.com/property.htm and fill in the property form, or call me on 0207 898 0549 and we can chat about it.

They have added some great new land and property opportunities to their vast portfolio they tell me that you need to ask as, along with most Greek Estate Agents, they don't advertise all possibilities and can show you many more options when you book appointments with them. Some in this same traditional style, some modern – some bigger, more luxurious – you name it, they have it!! Contact me on mailto:carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com or phone on 0845 017 8771 and I will put them in touch with you.

Working towards the dream……..

As the proverb says ‘work will win where wishy washy wishes won’t! Truth is, dreams have to be worked at… and worked out! We dream great dreams, recurring dreams, day dreams, dream of a new life or some particular hobby or interest; we dream of achieving great things, dream of the future and sometimes our dreams even turn to nightmares!

However, dreams and work are two sides of the same coin: the dream is the engine, but work is the fuel to drive that engine forward. The dream usually reveals the final destination and the perfect scenario; but without working to make it happen, the dream often remains just that – a dream!

The good news is that dreams can come true and nightmares can be avoided if we apply ourselves. We need to think about things like Investments, Pensions, Employment and Estate Planning – and the great news is that the financial planners that we work with have already done the HARD WORK FOR US!! They can simply and easily work with us to make the very best decisions for living our chosen dream in the UK and beyond by considering areas such as:

Income requirements:
How to assess, maintain and increase income levels to build a great long term future

Current investments:
How to gain and maximise income from current investments, including your current residence

Pension review and Advice:
How to maximise income and investment potential through Pensions

Estate Planning:
How to protect assets through Trust Formation, Will Preparation & Estate Planning

I really think this could be of tremendous help to you – yes, you may have worked out your sums as to the property but there is SO much more you could be doing, as I am learning. If you would like me to introduce you to my recommended IFA, please go to: http://www.GreeceBuyingGuide.com/resources.htm

Legal Corner: again an insert about working in Greece…

I was in contact with a Greece Buying Guide reader who owns a property management company on one of the Ionian Islands. I might add that so busy is he that he cannot take on any new clients – again relevant to the idea of setting up a business that serves expats…

Dear Carol,

We found setting up our business in Greece no more challenging than doing so in England.

You must research your market area thoroughly and be aware that you need to live with the people of your chosen country, so do not get on the wrong side of any local trades people.

We found a definite need for the service we offer and we only work for English villa owners, this eliminates the language barriers. Learning the language is a good idea, however learning a few basic phrases is a must.

You must consult an English speaking accountant and or lawyer who should advise on all the legal requirement for setting up a business, it is essential that you understand everything you need to do and be aware this may be time consuming.

My wife has a BA and a teaching qualifications she undertook a TEFL course prior to us re-locating, this enabled us to live on the island and investigate business possibilities before committing. Ensure you have funds to live in case you cannot find a suitable business straight away.

Also consider the weather it gets very, very hot during summer months, cleaning, bed changing and washing on a large scale can become very hard work.

To summarise: treat setting up a business abroad exactly the same way as you would in England, research well and get accurate legal advice before you do anything.

Regards
Phillip.

So…there you have it, from someone with first hand knowledge. Everything is possible providing you want it badly enough and you do your homework …

I do have a wonderful lawyer who has helped many Greece Buying Guide readers through very many ‘teething problems’. I can put him in touch with you if you need his services, both for a property purchase or indeed anything to do with setting up a business of your own in Greece. Just go to the resources page at:
http://www.GreeceBuyingGuide.com/resources.htm
or email me at:
mailto:carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com

Top Tip from a reader

I love Greece Buying Guide Readers. Talking to one, Clare Bell by name, she was really keen that I give you the following tip, and a very useful one it may prove to be. If you need to do a power of attorney in Greece and are not going to be in London, you can use a number of Honorary Consuls scattered around the UK. The list is as follows:

Consulate General in London
Honorary Consulate in Belfast
Honorary Consulate in Birmingham
Honorary Consulate in Edinburgh
Honorary Consulate in Glasgow
Honorary Consulate in Leeds
Honorary Consulate in Southampton

For contact details please go to:
http://www.athensinfoguide.com/gengreeceabroad-qz.htm

Closing

Greece is always with us…working the electorate!!

And finally, just in case you think that Greece is a world away, I was amused to read that the good Boris was in Finchley a short while ago for a celebration of Greek history and culture - as well as a little campaigning of course…!!

He was at a reception attended and hosted by senior members of the Greek community in London. The crowd were wowed by Boris, who showed his appreciation of Greek history and literature by reciting the opening lines of the Iliad – not an Eton/ Cambridge boy for nothing then! Boris commented later: "It was a wonderful evening amongst friends. Conversation ranged from ancient Greek history and literature to more everyday issues such as childcare.”

The Greeks as we know and love them then…

Please let me know if I can help in any way. I often get questions asked about many aspects of the Greece buying process – don’t forget that most of your questions are answered in our very comprehensive Greece Buying Guide. Please go to: http://www.greecebuyingguide.com/guide.htm
if you are interested in learning more.

All best wishes and looking forward to hearing from you,

Carol

Carol Dunning
Greece Buying Guide Advisor
The Overseas Guides Company Limited.
mailto:carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com
Phone 0207 898 0549
1, Hammersmith Grove,
LondonW6 0NB