Hi it's Hu from China. I just joined the forum and presented myself here: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=880433
I want to buy property in Athens as soon as possible but I've not been to Greece before and am not likely to visit there during the pandemic. As such I would have to make preparations remotely in my home country as much as possible.
I did some research and browsed many posts by forum members yet still have quite a few questions, specifically:
1, if I buy through an agent who lists a property online, e.g, on www.xe.gr, do I have to pay him/her? I'm aware individuals also list their for sale homes.
2. can I hire an accountant, who will be necessary later anyway, at this stage to get a AFM and open bank account for me? If yes, what will be the cost and how long is the process?
3. can I retain a symvoliographo, who seems to be the key person, earlier than a lawyer and how it normally costs?
4. do lawyers and symvoliographo charge on a deal value percentage basis or hourly rate basis? I believe their services are basically the same and fees charged on purchase values may become very expensive.
5. how does the Covid-19 affect property market in Greece, Athens in particular, in volume and price?
6. last but not least, could any of you recommend reliable and reasonably-priced accountants, symvoliographos, lawyers to me?
I've received many useful information through reading yours posts, especially those of Concertina, Nixterman. I also got responses to my inquiries from lawyers but their quotes and explanations seem to vary greatly, sometimes conflicting with statements made by expats.
Thank you in advance and enjoy the late summer.