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Buying in Greece?Avoid the mistakes other buyers made.

Greek and foreign buyers share what went wrong when they bought property in Greece. Most of these problems were easy to avoid. Read them before you visit, make an offer or sign anything.

Avoid all the traps

RedditMichanikos.grExpat.com GreeceAirbnb Communityin.grLiFOTrustpilot136 mistakes you won’t make

Real experiences, by real people

Other buyers wish they'd known this before signing in Greece

That paying any part of the price in cash can void the deed and bring a 10% fine, since December 2024. That some illegal works can never be legalized, and the rest only until March 2028. And that a deed signed without a permit in a border zone, on Rhodes or Crete for example, is void.

The agent rarely brings this up. He's selling a property, and his fee comes when you sign. Greek law doesn't even require you to hire a lawyer, so often nobody on your side is checking.

Other buyers have written it all down on forums, but you won't read every thread, and a flat in Athens raises different questions from an old village house on Crete. So we sorted every mistake by step of the purchase, and we update it each week. The September 2026 bill to make a lawyer mandatory above €50,000 is already covered.

For less than $100, you read just your steps, and there's a good chance one mistake in there was going to be yours.

More about us

Your buying journey in GreeceAFMLawyerTitleBuilding IDForestDepositTaxNotaryKeys

Step 1

Getting your AFM and myAADE

The tax number, the online login and a Greek bank account

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
5 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 2

Hiring a lawyer and engineer

No lawyer required by law, but no protection without one

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
12 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 3

Searching the title

Cadastre or old registry, inheritances and unfinished areas

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
12 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 4

Getting the building ID

The engineer's check, illegal works and the 2028 deadline

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
12 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 5

Checking the forest maps

Plots marked as forest, objections and the 2026 fix

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
3 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 6

Signing the prosymfono

The pre-contract, the deposit and the ban on cash

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
12 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 7

Paying tax in myPROPERTY

3.09% accepted online within 3 days, or 24% VAT on new builds

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
11 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 8

Signing the deed at the notary

The digital property file, energy certificate and ENFIA papers

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
12 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 9

Registering and paying ENFIA

Cadastre registration, the E9 return and unpaid bills

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
11 more traps to avoid in this step

Optional steps

Only if they apply to you.

Optional

If you want a golden visa

€800k, €400k or €250k zones, and no short-term letting

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
9 more traps to avoid in this step
Optional

If you plan to rent it out

AMA number, safety rules and the central Athens freeze

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
4 more traps to avoid in this step

How we work

  • We findWhat ChatGPT won't tell you: Reddit threads, Greek engineers' and expat forums, Airbnb host discussions and Greek press reports.
  • We link backEvery trap links to the post it came from. Open it, read the replies and judge for yourself. Nothing here is made up or rewritten.
  • We go localAthens and Thessaloniki of course, but also Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, the Peloponnese and Volos.
  • We read both sidesGreek owners and expats rarely post in the same places or talk about the same things. We read both, and show you both.
  • We keep it updatedWe're on these forums every week, reading what buyers post. As soon as a post is worth knowing, we add it here.
  • We stay independentNo developer, agent or lawyer pays to be on this page or to be left out of it. Nobody has paid us anything, and nobody will.
  • We helpFound a problem you didn't know about, and not sure how to fix it? We work with local real estate experts. Contact us
  • You read it in one eveningGrab a coffee, take an evening, read the ones that could happen to you. You’ll walk into every meeting knowing what to look for.

One evening of reading.Years of expensive mistakes avoided.

Every day, plenty of foreigners and locals make mistakes when buying in Greece. Why repeat them when you can learn from them?

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