Blog
Buying in Athens, explained plainly.
Prices, taxes, procedure and neighbourhoods — what you would want someone to have told you before your first deposit. Every figure has a source and a date. What is not confirmed we call an announcement, not a rule.
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Costs
What buying an apartment in Athens actually costs
The asking price is not what you pay. On top of it come transfer tax, notary, lawyer, registration and commission — around 9% over the price, and it has to be in the account before you sign, not after.
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Procedure
Buying property in Greece, step by step
Seven steps from the first conversation to entry in the land registry. The order is not a matter of habit — the AFM comes first because without it there is no contract, the engineer before the deposit because that is when problems surface, the tax before the notary because without proof of payment there is no deed.
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Due diligence
Αυθαίρετα: the most common trap for foreign buyers in Greece
An enclosed balcony, a converted garage, a room added on the roof. Parts of a building that do not appear in the permit are called αυθαίρετα, and without an engineer's certificate the notary cannot execute the transfer.
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Golden Visa
The Greek Golden Visa: thresholds and conditions in 2026
A five-year residence permit in exchange for buying property, with no obligation to live in Greece. Since 2024 the thresholds come in three tiers, and for Athens and the Riviera the highest applies — €800,000.
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New builds
VAT or transfer tax? The question that moves the price by 20%
On a new build in Greece, VAT of 24% formally applies. That obligation is suspended, currently to the end of December 2026. A developer advertising a price „excluding VAT“ is transferring that risk to you.
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Next step
A question about a specific property?
Look through the current listings in Athens and on the Riviera, then tell us what interests you — title checks, a cost breakdown or a yield estimate all happen before you sign anything.