Valuation and mediation of private property in Athens and throughout Greece — establishing what a property is genuinely worth, checking that it is what it appears to be, and bringing the two sides of a transaction together.
Our company possesses years of experience in the mediation of private property. According to your wishes, and on your behalf, we can run a check of the property you possess — house, lot, estate, shopping centre or otherwise — so that you have an exact picture of its value, and we can bring you into contact with potential buyers from Greece or abroad.
What a property is worth, and what it is priced at
Greek property carries two numbers, and confusing them is the most common and most expensive mistake we see.
The objective value is the figure the state assigns by zone, surface area, floor, age and a set of coefficients. It governs transfer tax, annual property tax and inheritance calculations. It is arithmetic, and it takes no view of whether the building is beautiful or the neighbours are difficult.
The market value is what a willing buyer will actually pay this year. In parts of Athens the two figures have drifted a long way apart, in both directions. A valuation that quotes one and calls it the other is not a valuation.
We establish the market figure from comparable transactions rather than comparable asking prices — advertised prices tell you what sellers hoped for, not what changed hands — and we set it beside the objective value so that you can see the tax consequence of any price before you agree to it.
What a property check covers
Title and encumbrances
Who owns it, how they came to own it, and what is registered against it. Mortgages, pre-notations, seizures, claims from earlier inheritance, rights of way and usufruct all sit in the record and all survive a sale if nobody looks. Greece has spent years migrating from the old mortgage registries to the National Cadastre, and during that migration the two records do not always agree — which is precisely why the check has to be done properly rather than assumed.
Planning, permits and the engineer’s certificate
A transfer requires an engineer’s certificate confirming there is no unauthorised construction on the property. Enclosed balconies, converted basements, roof structures and additions that never reached a permit are extremely common in Greek housing stock, and they are the single most frequent reason a sale stalls at the notary’s office. Finding them early turns a collapsed sale into a settled price adjustment.
Condition, surface and boundaries
What the deed says the property measures against what it actually measures; the state of the structure, roof, wiring and plumbing; and for land, where the boundaries genuinely run and whether there is legal access. On plots and estates this is often the whole question.
Tax and running position
Outstanding property tax, municipal charges, building-management arrears and any unpaid utilities, so that nothing arrives after you have the keys.
Selling
We work through our own contacts rather than by posting a listing and waiting. Where you would rather the property were not advertised at all — which applies to a good proportion of the work we do — the sale is conducted privately, and prospective buyers are qualified before they are given the address.
Preparation matters more than exposure. A property that has its certificates in order, its planning position resolved and its measurements confirmed sells faster and at a better figure than an identical one that does not, because every unresolved item becomes a discount the buyer’s lawyer asks for.
Buying
If you wish to purchase a property that you will use as a residence or for professional reasons, or even as an investment, we are in the position to recommend solutions according to your desires.
A home
We look for what you will actually live with — orientation and light, noise, parking, the walk to a school, how the neighbourhood behaves in August as against February. These are not details that appear in a listing.
Commercial and professional premises
Retail units, offices, shopping centres and mixed-use buildings, assessed on footfall, permitted use, lease structure and the quality of any sitting tenant. A commercial lease in Greece sits under a different statutory framework from a residential one, and the difference is worth understanding before you sign rather than afterwards.
Investment purchase
Yield, void risk, the cost of bringing a property to a lettable standard, and what an exit looks like in five years. If your purchase is connected to a residence permit through investment, be aware that the qualifying thresholds and eligible areas have been revised more than once in recent years — we confirm the position as it stands on the day you buy, and we will tell you if the route no longer works for the sum you had in mind.
Leasing
If you wish to rent out property, we advise on the best and most efficient lease: the rent the property will actually achieve, the term and review structure worth holding out for, how the tenant is checked, and the difference in obligation, taxation and management between a long lease and short-term letting. Leases are declared electronically to the tax authority, and getting that wrong is an avoidable penalty.
Buying from outside Greece
Foreign buyers need a Greek tax number before anything can be signed, and in practice a Greek bank account. Most of our overseas clients never attend the signing: a properly drafted power of attorney lets the transaction complete without a flight. We coordinate the lawyer, the notary, the engineer and the translator, and we work in the time zone you are in rather than expecting you to work in ours.
What we do, and what we coordinate
We are mediators and valuers. We do not draft the deed, issue the engineer’s certificate or give you legal advice — those belong to a notary, a civil engineer and a lawyer, and anyone who tells you otherwise should be treated with suspicion. What we do is establish the value, run the check, find the counterparty, coordinate those professionals so nothing waits on anybody, and stay in the transaction until it completes.
Discretion
Property transactions expose a great deal: what you own, what you paid, where you live. For clients who need that contained, viewings are managed by appointment and by qualification, originals and signed deeds move through our confidential document transport rather than by courier, and a newly acquired residence can be assessed under our security consulting practice before you take possession of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the objective value and the market value?
The objective value is the figure the state calculates by zone, surface, floor and age; it governs transfer and property taxation. The market value is what a willing buyer will actually pay this year. In parts of Athens the two have drifted far apart, in both directions, which is why we establish the market figure from completed transactions and set it beside the objective value before you agree to any price.
Can a property be sold without being publicly advertised?
Yes, and a good proportion of our work is done exactly this way. The sale is conducted privately through our own contacts, and prospective buyers are qualified before they are given the address. Nothing appears on a listing portal unless you want it to.
Do I need to be in Greece to buy or sell?
No. A properly drafted power of attorney lets the transaction complete without a flight, and most of our overseas clients never attend the signing. We coordinate the lawyer, the notary, the engineer and the translator, and we work in your time zone rather than expecting you to work in ours.
Do you draft the contract or provide legal advice?
No — we are mediators and valuers. The deed belongs to a notary, the certificate to a civil engineer and the legal advice to a lawyer. What we do is establish the value, run the check, find the counterparty and coordinate those professionals so that nothing waits on anybody.
What does a property check actually look for?
Four things: the title and everything registered against it; the planning position and the engineer’s certificate; the property’s real condition, surface and boundaries; and any outstanding tax, municipal charges or building arrears — so that nothing arrives after you have the keys.
Can you look after the property once it is bought?
Yes. A property that will stand empty for part of the year can be placed under our property management and key-holding service — watched, maintained and opened while you are elsewhere — so the purchase does not become a standing worry.
Arranging a valuation
Tell us what the property is and what you are trying to decide. We will tell you what a proper check involves, what it costs, and — if the answer is that you should not proceed — that too. We are reachable at any hour, and the first conversation carries no obligation.
For background on how valuation and mediation work in practice, see The Evaluation and Mediation of Private Property: Key Concepts and Practices.