# Moving to Crete



## NikkiE

My husband and I are Greek Canadians who just moved to Crete. We speak conversational Greek. We'd like to know some advice on a lot of things! Such as:
1) Where is the cheapest place to rent in Crete? I've heard Agios Nikolaos is the best for people just starting out.
2) Are there any products/services that any of you have done from home to earn extra money? 
3) Are Cretan people typically trustworthy? Have of you expats developed good friendships with Cretan people? Or do you find they are more cautious and tend to stay with other Greeks? 

Any other advice you have is greatly appreciated! Thank you very much in advance!

Nikki


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## parosred

You aren't allowed to earn income unless you have a work visa. You moved to Crete without knowing the answers to the above questions, I wish you luck. I just came back after four years, I don't envy you. I AM CANADIAN and Greece isn't any better, the winters are terrible and the summers are getting worse.


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## Ioli

Gee that was tough!

If they are both Greek Canadians, they mean they have the Greek citizenship, so they don't need work permit at all.

I don't live in Crete, but Crete is really nice, and it all comes down to taste. I love winters on the islands, it depends on what you like. Greek islands are noisier in the Summer. 

Good luck! If you need general help or information from the greek side, let me know!


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## concertina

*life and weather etc in Greece*

I dont find the winters in Greece terrible and the summers are wonderful,we still swim in November,one and half hours from Athens,perhaps the north and middle Greece will have longer winters and colder,Im seeing blossom on some of the trees right now and one or two days may be tricky and then a few lovely days for walking or as last Wednesday I spent pottering in my cottage garden near Loutraki.Winter is winter and it has to happen,of course the UK is suffering right now with extreme weather conditions which may continue into March,end of....Islands may have a lot of winter winds and rain, so full time there may be difficult,being able to spend time from April until November in Greece of course is perfect but seeing the mountains full of snow with the low clouds hanging down over them is a joy especially if the wood-burner is crackling away indoors.I am in the Attiki area and it is very unusual to see freezing temperatures here,I have never seen frost,It did snow up in the mountains near Loutraki about one month ago,difficult driving,we we not prepared with snow chains so had to crawl the car almost,but it was so beautiful.People must research the area very well that they want to move to in all seasons,I have read on the Cyprus forum of people having moved from the UK to Cyprus who were upset and shocked at how cold the winters were there because they wanted to escape the harsh winters at home,but they had settled on the more exposed side of the Island,years back most people lived on the sheltered side.Its wise to check out really well where you want to live because we are all different and tolerate different things.


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## BaguetteMan

Hi NikkIE,
If you have already moved to Crete and can speak conversational Greek, I'm surprised you need to ask these questions here. Can't you just ask in a real estate agent's office about the best place for cheap rentals, or just ask some locals?
As for asking "Are Cretan people typically trustworthy?". Are you serious? Isn't that a bit insulting? People the world over are 'generally trustworthy', but you will find bad apples everywhere. You cannot generalise about the entire Cretan population.
Good luck with your move!


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## concertina

*questions on information*

I dont think its insulting,its just a question like any other,we cant dictate to people what they ask,I dont think its offensive, there are general traits and I hear mainland greek people complain of cretan male traits,stealing is not one of them though.And if we can advise on good estate agents when people ask then that is what this forum is for,greek agents or some,in fact many, are not to be trusted....from my very personal experience, so asking here is a good idea about things generally,we cant only ask what other people want us to ask


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## BaguetteMan

concertina said:


> I dont think its insulting,its just a question like any other,we cant dictate to people what they ask,I dont think its offensive, there are general traits and I hear mainland greek people complain of cretan male traits,stealing is not one of them though.And if we can advise on good estate agents when people ask then that is what this forum is for,greek agents or some,in fact many, are not to be trusted....from my very personal experience, so asking here is a good idea about things generally,we cant only ask what other people want us to ask


She didn't ask about 'good estate agents', I recommended she should speak to one. I appreciate 'we cant only ask what other people want us to ask' but also we shouldn't only reply what we think other people want us to say'. We should be honest. The question was asked and opinions were requested. I gave my opinion, and now you've given yours. All equally valid. The original poster can decide whether to ignore any or all replies.


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## akeeley

*Still on Crete?*

Are you still on Crete? My wife and I just moved here and are looking to meet people. We are in Vrises, Apokournou, (Fillipos actually, but no one has heard of Fillipos). We generally are loving it here, but have run into the usual "didn't do enough research" issues, like buying a car requires insurance, which requires an international drivers license (or a Greek one)... oops, don't have that yet. 

Anyway, if you are still on the island, we would love to get together. We are newly married and work for ourselves via the internet, and are looking to find people to spend time with/get to know/etc. 



Cheers,
Alex


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## Bigi

Hi there, 
I still don't have rights to start a post on my own, so I hope somebody reads this and reply. I am planing to buy a house in halkidiki. I have an agent already but I need to find a lawyer and a notary. I don't want to rely on my agent entirely without doing some research on my own. Also I will need a property management company to take care of the house especially in the summer because I am planing to rent it out as a short term vacation property. Are there such companies? Has someday used their services? I will appreciate any advice or recommendation.


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## akeeley

Bigi said:


> Hi there,
> I still don't have rights to start a post on my own, so I hope somebody reads this and reply. I am planing to buy a house in halkidiki. I have an agent already but I need to find a lawyer and a notary. I don't want to rely on my agent entirely without doing some research on my own. Also I will need a property management company to take care of the house especially in the summer because I am planing to rent it out as a short term vacation property. Are there such companies? Has someday used their services? I will appreciate any advice or recommendation.


If Halkidiki is anything like Crete, your agent should be able to hook you up with an attorney, and more than likely someone who handles property management. Such companies definitely exist, and you may run into them in odd places. We stopped into a shop that sells gourmet coffee beans, spices, etc. and the proprietor mentioned that if we ever had any paperwork we needed translated or other such administrative help, that his other business is handling such things. He gave me a brochure, and sure enough, property management is one of the offerings.

Good luck on Halkidiki!!


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## Bigi

Hi Alex,

You are right, I did some searching and property management is quite popular. Have you bought a property already? I am trying to figure out the documents I need in order to buy a house. I have been told that now it is not possible to open a bank account in Greece. Any idea if that's true? How can you buy a house and pay bills if you don't have an account?


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## akeeley

Bigi said:


> Hi Alex,
> 
> You are right, I did some searching and property management is quite popular. Have you bought a property already? I am trying to figure out the documents I need in order to buy a house. I have been told that now it is not possible to open a bank account in Greece. Any idea if that's true? How can you buy a house and pay bills if you don't have an account?


We did not buy, we are renting. However even to do that, you need to get a "Tax Number" and some other "Number" (I still don't know what the heck they were talking about). Our real estate agent handled the whole thing, and I suspect that is pretty common. We did have to get copies of our birth certificates, which then had to be translated into Greek by an attorney (our agent handled that too). Once you have the Tax # and the other # from the government, you can put bills in your name, and (I believe) open a Greek bank account. We are just operating in cash for now, as we don't want our $ stuck in the Greek banks.


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## rrenz

*schooling in Crete*

We are considering a move to Crete for a few years and are wondering if any of you have some insight on International schools for our 6 & 9 year old? 
Thank you


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