Hello there,

How are you today? Personally, I must confess I am really, REALLY sad.

My director, a man of few words, casually put the phone down a few days ago and remarked: ”Oh well, we’ll have to be out of here by the end of July”.

At first the team and I could NOT believe what we had heard…we hoped it was some kind of joke, but no…we need to move office at the end of July. They are tearing down our admittedly rather unattractive but magnificently situated building on the River Thames. It’s always a pain to move – where DID all that stuff come from and why have I been keeping it is usually what I ask myself. And the nuisance of finding a new office that suits everybody, new phone numbers, stationary – and so on.

But what I am really sad about is that we are leaving our magical office. We literally overhang the river and, on really windy winter days, the water from the river sprays up against our second floor office windows. Looking out we can see the ducks and swans bobbing below – you would be surprised how noisy they can get at times! And we watched the Boat Race from the roof…Plus, if you can believe my luck, I actually WALK to work along the Thames, seeing it in all its moods, both summer and winter…and I love it.

Oh well, life is full of changes and I have no doubt that we will find something just as nice. Please send out positive thoughts that the move goes smoothly won’t you?!! And don’t YOU worry – I am still here, at the end of my email address, looking forward to hearing from you!

Okay, so here’s what in store for you this week:

• Buying in Kerkyra



• A currency update on the Euro from that knowledgeable currency guru, Charles Purdy



• A Top Tip: be smart about electricity and telephones!



• Developments on Eastern Crete



• An important note if you are visiting Heraklion this summer



• A book review…
  

Please remember that I am only an email away. I may not know all the answers, but I will always try my best to either find out for you or put you in touch with an expert in their field that WILL know….so don’t hesitate to email me at:
mailto:Carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com

All best wishes for a happy summer, some of it hopefully spent in sunny Greece!
Carol (aka Karolina!!)
Greece Buying Guide
The Overseas Guides Company Ltd.

A currency update on the Euro from the one and only currency guru, Charles Purdy

Euro vs sterling

The Euro has lost a bit of ground against sterling in the last few weeks, hovering around 1.485 interbank as I write. This is on the back of the Bank of England's concern over inflationary pressures over the longer term.

The Bank of England did not raise interest rates at their last meeting but the vote to do so was only narrowly defeated. Therefore there is an expectation that UK interest rates will be raised by 0.25%, at latest in August and possibly in July. UK interest rates of 6% [currently at 5.5%] are being pencilled in by the market by the year end. This will support sterling in the short term but one has to remember that the Euro land economy is buoyant and that Euro interest rates are on the increase so the upside, unless there are real surprises, is limited for sterling. Looks like a good time to buy Euros

To get a Better-than-Bank-Rate currency quotation go to: http://www.smartCurrencyExchange.com/smartsquotation.htm
or call Carl on 08081 630 102 free phone.

A Top Tip: Be smart about electricity and telephones!

Electricity and telephone services are often suspended for quite long periods in Greece. Make sure you have at least one gas cooker, a couple of gas heaters and a working mobile phone…!!

And there is another thing: it can sometimes take YEARS I believe to get a phone line or internet access – make sure that the property already has this or, if not, that you are not totally dependant on having this in terms of work etc…otherwise you may have a problem.

I had a friend who eventually was forced to close down her business as she couldn’t access the internet…these are the kind of things you need to think of before rather than after signing on the dotted line for that adorable house. Don’t be fooled by people saying that it will be easy to get a line when you need one: it may well not be.

Developments on Eastern Crete

Of all the areas of Greece, I get the most interest shown in Crete. Recently I have been recommending southern and eastern Crete, both of which are less developed and therefore cheaper than the north and the western coast. These areas are great for second home buyers and those looking for a good investment option

I have now heard of a major new tourism investment project near Vai, eastern Crete. It is the creation of a “ Golf Village ” including a luxury hotel, a golf course with the necessary installations, about 100 villas and apartments and all the necessary water, access and environmental infrastructure. “Cavo Sidero”, a tourist village, will be built near Vai and the Monastery of Toplou.

Although this project is in its infancy and I don’t have details of prices etc, I do have more detail about the project if you are interested in hearing more… please email me at:

mailto:Carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com

All this lends weight to the argument that both the south and the eastern parts of Crete are due to surge ahead and promise to become very good investment areas.

I have a couple of wonderful people who can help you here: please go to:

http://www.greecebuyingguide.com/property.htm

or email me on:

mailto:Carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com

An important note if you are visiting Heraklion this summer

A temporary exhibition will run until autumn 2008 at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, after which the museum will gradually reopen following its extensive renovation. The problem now is that, as the space is so small, visitors will have to enter in small groups of 200 people per hour.

This means that there will be long queues - indeed all visitors to Heraklion Archaeological Museum over the next two years must be prepared for delays if they want to admire the masterpieces of Minoan art. However, this is a must-see if you are on the island, so do try and pop in if you are in the area. You can look at:

http://www.interkriti.org/museums/hermus.htm
or go to:
http://gogreece.about.com/cs/museumsingreece/a/herakliomuseum.htm
for an overview of the museum.

A book review…

There is nothing quite so irritating as thinking that you have got the definitive guide book popped smugly under your arm…then you get there and realise that it’s not as good as you had hoped…

The Ionian Islands, however, doesn’t disappoint. Part of the Rough Guides series, it is detailed without being too wordy – I was hard pressed to think of even one small village that I visited that was not mentioned in this thorough little book. It covers the islands of Corfu, Paxi, Lefkadha, Ithaki, Zante and Kefalonia, starting with 20 tantalising things not to miss.

There are good maps of each island and the usual nuts and bolts of travel, including how to get there, accommodation and where to eat. Each town is briefly described in a logical, easy to follow manner. There is a brief historical outline, local bits and bobs – all in all this is a guide book that I highly recommend – if you are going to get one guide book, make it this one.

I leave you with this thought: I was really happy to see that my recommended property person on the east coast of Kefalonia, near Sami, was mentioned in the overseas property section of the Mail on Sunday on June 3rd 2007. A couple who found the house of their dreams on the island actually bought through him and were more than happy with his services. Please contact me if you are thinking of buying in Kefalonia - the east coast is proving more and more popular as it is unspoilt, breathtakingly beautiful and not as expensive as the rest of the island...my last visit there turned me into a complete convert to the island…

email me on:
mailto:Carol@OverseasGuidesCompany.com

Take care until next time, and have fun in the sun if you are off to Greece – my Greek friends tell of temperatures of 40 degrees!!

Best wishes,

Carol

Carol Dunning
Greece Buying Guide
The Overseas Guides Company Limited.