There is a spike in demand for property in Greece by foreigners, especially houses, according to research published in a website focusing on property investment in Greece called “spitogatos.gr”. The rise in interest has been particularly evident in January and February by nationals from Arab states, China, Germany and Turkey. Although in many cases the interest is limited to prospective buyers surveying the market, it is indicative of a trend that confirms the views of real estate agents and market consultants of the positive impact of the implementation of the “Golden Visa” program that guarantees residence permits for property investments over 250,000 euros. The data by the website showed that customers on the lookout for property move to the next level and express interest in specific ads; that interest in buying Greek property from new countries is on the rise, which include countries such as China, Turkey, Germany and the Arab Emirates. There has been a 20% increase in visits from foreigners, but most significantly a 125% increase in requests to buy property from abroad.
Annual rise in visits (January-February 2017)
Countries
China: 203.6%
Turkey: 99.2%
Germany: 69.7%
United Arab Emirates: 50.6%
Annual rise in requests to buy property from abroad (January-February 2017)
Areas of Interest
Thessaloniki: 281.2%
Athens-Northern suburbs: 252.5%
Macedonia-Thrace: 163.8%
Athens-downtown 157.7.7%
Crete: 133.3%
Aegean islands: 70.9%
Chalkidiki 62.4%
Peloponnese 47.1%
Ionian islands 23.5%
Average total of Greece: 125.6%
