# retiring to Greek islands next year help/advice needed



## Steve Williamson. (Oct 15, 2014)

Hi all

My name's Steve and I currently live in the north of England. I am looking to move to the Greek Islands, possibly Samos, when I retire next year and I am hoping to find a reasonably priced apartment or studio flat to rent. I will be restricted to my pension and will have to find something fairly cheap. I am having great difficulty finding Estate Agents who have anything cheap and cheerful. When I search Google I keep getting Agents who seem to deal only in holiday lets or higher end properties. I have tried the Greek Embassy and Greek tourist office in London and have sent emails to the tourist office in Samos but as yet have had no joy.

If anyone on the Forum has any constructive advice on how best to proceed or has any suggestions or links which you feel may be helpful to me I would greatly appreciate the assistance. I,ll be keeping an eye on the forum for replies.

Thanks in advance
Steve


----------



## Kevan Bailey (Jan 5, 2014)

Steve, your best bet is to actually be there on the ground in Samos. If that island community works anything like ours, you'll probably find that within a couple of days you've met someone in a bar whose uncle's next door neighbour's daughter has a house to let. Estate agents can often not be very helpful (but some can; go and speak to them in person) and we've never found the internet particularly good for Greek stuff.

Flights are generally cheap at the moment and winter's coming, so you'll get the opportunity to see what the place is like when the tourists have gone, and, importantly, what the infrastucture has to offer in terms of shopping, transport and health during the off-season. Just get a room through Booking.com or someone similar, grab a bargain flight/ferry and go.


----------



## Steve Williamson. (Oct 15, 2014)

*Retiring to Samos*

2, Laurel Court, Bradford, BD5, 8DD, 28/10/14. 

Dear Mr Bailey. Thank you for you advice. It confirms my corespondens with a web site called Greek island traveler. They said the same thing as you. I think it will be best if I come over to Samos next spring as I do not know if Samos is seasonal and places close down. Do you mind if I contact you in a week or so. As your local advice well help me? Stephen Williamson.


----------



## Kevan Bailey (Jan 5, 2014)

By all means; but we're on Lesvos, not Samos. Could certainly recommend Lesvos, though........


----------



## Kyle86 (Aug 15, 2014)

It's in Greek, but this is by far the best website for searching for property. Let me know if you need a hand translating anything (I've already put it directly linking to Samos properties for you).

Good luck! 

Αγγελιες για πωλησεις κατοικιων, Ν. Σάμου


----------



## aliland (Jul 19, 2013)

I don't know about islands, but my experience of renting agencies on the mainland has been frustrating. You look at all these pictures on line, but they always say that those are gone. Then your taken around their hardest to shift properties- which aren't shifting for a reason. As you will want something cheap, they won't make enough money of you to put in the time. - you could be lucky though.
As every one is telling you - rent for a few weeks and walk around. Many landlords have signs outside properties, you are better off dealing directly. Make yourself known around bars and coffee shops, you will get much more help that way - and someone is bound to know someone English in the area who might help.

Seriously, do not expect any help of any kind from the British embassy. Unless you have some massive medical or legal problem, its not really their job. However, registering there so they know where you live is not a bad idea. I'm assuming you sorted out health care.

If you get stuck with paper work, red tape - I've found the Greek consulates in the UK to be more helpful that the British ones in Greece, perhaps they are just less busy - but either way a lot more helpful. 

Good luck


----------



## esthn73 (Nov 3, 2014)

I am also wanting to retire on samos island in greece. I've already placed a message on this forum but not had a reply yet, although it's still early!
I would like to join this forum to see if I can learn from your comments if you don't mind.
I'm originally from northeast coast of england and now citizen in virginia beach va usa for past 29 yrs.
I want to be closer to my family in england and reading about samos, it looked like a good place to settle down. I'm thinking about meeting my sister in samos or kos or rhodes and do some island hopping to find the right place to live. Any information I can find on this forum will be very helpful on the beginning of my journey. Linda


----------



## Steve Williamson. (Oct 15, 2014)

Stephen Williamson,living in Bradford West Yorkshire UK. 5/11/2014. Hi Linda I am 65 next July and will and I will receive the full pension.If all goes to plan I will retire to Samos I can find a small one bed room apartment or a studio flat I like and can afford. Wry Samos I found a really good wed site Samos looks just what I am looking for. From the correspondence that I am getting it would seem like the best way to find apartments is to go to Samos and ask the locals in the hotels bars and restaurants. People have apartment but do not like dealing with real estate agents you can get better deals if you can keep it private. I am going to rent as I can not afford to buy. I am planing to go to Samos next spring for two weeks to look for a property that I like and can afford. If you are traveling on a UK pass port you should be ok as the UK and Greece are in the EU and we have freedom of travel in the EU. But I would check that out as you are living in the US. If you are planing to live in Samos full time you will have to make shore that you can transfer you money if it is a pension. I am going to put a list of Questions on the open form this weekend or next week so look out for that. I think it will be a good idea if we keep in touch and swap info as we get it. I think that is all for now. Stephen Williamson.


----------



## esthn73 (Nov 3, 2014)

Hi steve, thank you for replying to my post.i will have to find out from uk how to transfer my pension and same here in us.thanks for that. I think it is a great idea to get some questions out on the forum, this should generate a good amount of information. I'll keep checking for this. There seems to be a lot of work that will be required before embarking on this journey, so it will be good to share what we learn. out of all the places landside and islands to retire, 
why did you choose samos? The media doesn't portray greece as being financially stable, in fact quite the opposite, but
What do you know about the economy in greece and how people are managing to live there?
Here in the us is not that much better for the average American. Talk later, linda


----------



## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

*moving to greece*

hi to the two members thinking to move to Greece,Greece is a good place to retire to if you are financially secure,you must remember that you will need private health insurance,tests will not cost you much but emergency care and any operations would of course be very costly.Greece does have some of the finest consultants and surgeons in my opinion,having had need of them whilst living here for many years.All you need to do is to register at a police station showing various documents and pay a small fee once you are moved in.Make sure that what you rent has autonomous heating system as many blocks have turned off the heat system shared by all flats because so many dont have jobs-no money- to pay for the fuel.You must be aware that many of the islands do have a water shortage problem and the government is at the moment in the process of installing desalination plants on many of them,drinking water may only be from bottles.Also to bring to your attention the fact that most of the islands have limited health care resources,especially with so many cut-backs financially,emergency care can be very poor,people do often have to be air-lifted off,could be scary in a life or death situation.When we are young we dont consider health care needing to be at the top of our "must have" list but i think after fifty it needs to be of greater importance.I personally would choose an island nearer to a main city so as to have cheaper more available flights if one wants to come and go to the rest of Europe .I know that the beauty of some of the islands is so alluring and tempting but we do need to stop and think of the real practicallities of remote island life especially when we are a bit older and perhaps making the move on our own.


----------



## The Grocer (May 30, 2010)

So right Concertina. Islands may be appealing but as you get older you have to think very hard on practicalities. Major health issues more than often mean Athens etc etc.

On the pensions front my advice is have it paid into a UK bank. Transfer what you need, when you need it and chose the best time for rates etc.


----------



## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

*moving to greece*

Im glad you agree The Grocer,I thought I might be told off,you know, a ...Kill Joy...But on that medical subject as we age we are a bit like an old car,bits need servicing or replacing,inspecting from time to time.Most people dont know if they have gall-stones for example,imagine on a island in a raging storm in the winter,doubled in pain at deaths door and they tell you...too windy for the chopper tonight,no surgeons here,the most we can offer is the vet surgeon,he has been known fix people in an emergency..ha--Greece has some great test facilities which you cannot find in the UK unless you pay lots of money,here its reasonable,people over fifty should have a colonoscopy every 3 years to check for polyps,here you pay 150 euro private,full abdominal ultra sound is 80 euro.My brother found 2 polyps on the bowel during a test,1 being a future cancer,are these test facilities available on islands? Test clinics are in abundance on the main-land and perhaps on some of the bigger islands but not all.


----------



## esthn73 (Nov 3, 2014)

Thank you concertina & the grocer, it is most definitely a consideration, we're not getting any younger. 
If not retire on an island, where would you both recommend on mainland? I don't like big city, I could do small one or big town with villages around about. I will still have to work some, I'm in skin care treatments (facials).


----------



## The Grocer (May 30, 2010)

I live near Kalamata in the south Peloponnese. The area has a mass of wild unspoilt beaches, more formal beaches and a few low key holiday resorts like Stoupa & Kyparrisia.
Whilst Kalamata has a main general hospital you can still get to Athens within 3 hours, and its now all motorway.

I would certainly recommend viewing the location (plenty of cheap flights from UK via Easyjet May-Oct) into Kalamata airport


----------



## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

*moving to greece*



esthn73 said:


> Thank you concertina & the grocer, it is most definitely a consideration, we're not getting any younger.
> If not retire on an island, where would you both recommend on mainland? I don't like big city, I could do small one or big town with villages around about. I will still have to work some, I'm in skin care treatments (facials).


I think that you may like Loutraki which is near old Corinthos and is just before you cross the Corinthos canal,its next to the sea with mountains behind it,lovely sea-fed lake close by which has almost no buildings allowed next to it,very cosmopolitan,all year round life,many tourists from around the world from april to october.Lots of greeks have summer apartments there,train or bus into Athens just 1 hour 20 mins.sweet villages near-by in the mountains with bus service,its described on the net as...an area of outstanding beauty...ancient sites around,loutraki has also been a place for well- off greeks and there you would probably find beauty work as I have noticed the women look after themselves in loutraki,older women all done-up.lovely boat trips from there.the council have just made a new lovely enclosure for the mountain water spa which is about 10 euro and is wonderful,we often go to old corinth,lots of food sold outside peoples small holdings,fruit and veg,olive oil etc..we built a house near here so I know the area well,have a look on the net


----------



## esthn73 (Nov 3, 2014)

Thank you for l of this information, I will certainly check it out for sure, it sounds beautiful and with easy access to all the important and intetestinh places and transportation. 
Linda


----------



## Mitch1717 (Nov 7, 2014)

Hi! My name is Michelle. I to have been thinking of moving to Greece just have not decided which Island yet..So far it seems the people from Somas would be a nice place to go the people at least so far on here seem really nice. Steve as you I will only have my SSD to live on so I will need a nice affordable place to live I have never been outside the U.S. Yet but am ready to see new place and meet new people hopefully learn a new language if anyone can help with what I need to do besides my passport. The Visa is the one I have lots of ? On.. thank You so much for anything you can tell me.. Have a good day and a Happy Thanksgiving if you do that like I do..


----------



## Paulk1967 (Jul 23, 2018)

Is the required pension of 2000 Euro a month per person or per couple?


----------

