Information - Crete Property Frequently Asked Questions

Q I'm looking for a 3 bedroom old stone house for sale, with a garden and a great sea view, that I can drive to and park outside, in a traditional village, can you help as my estate agents?
AIt is exceptionally unlikely that you will find what you are looking for in East Crete. Old stone houses in villages tend to be quite small, built very close to neighbours houses, with no gardens and very narrow streets where no-one can park. Very, very occasionally we get a house that matches this description because an enterprising developer has manged to buy three or four adjoining houses over a period of time and engineer the sort of house you are looking for. However, it is possible to buy land on the edge of villages and build a stone house that matches the description, this is probably the easiest solution.

Q Do you still build using stone?
A Yes we do. We employ skilled stonemasons, mainly from Bulgaria and Albania, where stone skills are still used, who can help us construct a house that is brand new, but looks as though it is 100 years old.

Q How long does it take to build a house?
A From start to finish of the construction process between five and fifteen months, depending on the size, complexity, materials chosen, location and our workload. This timing is from the grant of your Building Licence by the local Building Office. We give you a completion date when signing a Contract for the building with you. We do accept penalty clauses for late delivery.

Q I have heard horror stories about Greek builders putting the price up and up during the building process, do you do this?
A We have too. Yes, if you change the specification during the building process. We agree a specification with you prior to signing the Building Contract. This specification forms part of the Contract. We also commit to a fixed price for this specification and for us fixed price means FIXED PRICE.

Q What is health care like in Crete?
A Different from the UK and in some ways better and in some ways not quite so good. Hospitals work on an escalation basis, where your local hospital is likely to treat minor problems only. More serious problems mean that you go to Heraklion or even Athens in some cases. If you need to see a specialist, you go and queue in his/her waiting room, just like visiting a GP in the UK, no referral necessary, no waiting lists.