# does anyone on this site really live in cyprus



## johntcd (Dec 24, 2007)

Hi anyone who lives in the paphos aera, I have been reading notes on this site for about 4 months now. And to me the one,s to give advise about this and that, would be the expats who are now living in cyprus, Not all you who think you know everything,about cyprus and have only had a 2 week or more hoilday there.
So come on you real expats help us out the real one,s who going to move to cyprus

yours John +Lynn:


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## Chris & Andrea (Feb 15, 2008)

Hi both totally agree with your sentiments, but then again every little helps. Curious that you mention the Paphos area because thats exactly where we hope to settle, well about 17 kilometres outside in Polemi. We bought off plan with a completion date for July. It's interesting to note that a considerable amount of building is occurring or planned for this quiet village. 
We are purposely delaying our move to ensure in view of what we have read so far, that we are not financially stretched, by being totally reliant on the limited employment opportunities available. 
Chris


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## johntcd (Dec 24, 2007)

Chris & Andrea said:


> Hi both totally agree with your sentiments, but then again every little helps. Curious that you mention the Paphos area because thats exactly where we hope to settle, well about 17 kilometres outside in Polemi. We bought off plan with a completion date for July. It's interesting to note that a considerable amount of building is occurring or planned for this quiet village.
> We are purposely delaying our move to ensure in view of what we have read so far, that we are not financially stretched, by being totally reliant on the limited employment opportunities available.
> Chris


Hi Chris&Andrea I didnt want put my massage as blunt as it seemed,but at last I have had some replys. we are going to live peyia if thats spell,t rigth and I will be looking for work to support me and my partner and two dog,s (ha ha), try a site (SNIP)someone told me about it to day and I found it to be a big help,I know it,s a bit scary moving away but don,t worry as us say everything will be fine.

rgds john+lynn


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## yummymummy150 (Sep 8, 2007)

Polemi is nice hope your new build goes to plan.pp great site i told John Hope to see you there.
Tricia


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## rhodgson (Aug 5, 2007)

Hi! I live in Paphos, I have a kiosk in Kato Paphos. Moved over last year.
Rod.


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## yummymummy150 (Sep 8, 2007)

Hi Rod i have a apartment in univercial for holis but hope to join you soon
hope you keeping warm a bit chilly this week i hear
Tricia


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## shalford (Dec 17, 2007)

*Cyprus know all!!*

Hi,

I have had a Villa in Paphos for 24 years and I would say that I can honestly answer any question about both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Cyprus.


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## Chris & Andrea (Feb 15, 2008)

Hi Tricia, Just logged on for a quick look see, having picked up a site e-mail.
Have to admit process has been painfully slow (or is that normal) even having a competent albeit expensive Lawyer with POA. Bearing in mind the whole process with drawing up contracts with the developer started in June last year we're only just sorting out a flexi home mortgage now. Well I suppose we've still got 5 months to go! We do intend like yourself renting out the villa for a period of time. How did you get on? Did you employ an agent? Any problems re wear and tear etc?
Chris and Andrea


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## Chris & Andrea (Feb 15, 2008)

Hi Rod, We're coming back over at beginning of May. We'll have to look you up. Where in Kato Paphos is your kiosk? Trust you don't live in it (sorry joke!)
Take it everything is going well for you with your new home. Are you in Paphos Town or up towards Tomb of the Kings?
Hope to speak soon.
Chris & Andrea


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## cypriotsid (Mar 5, 2009)

To get knowledge you need to be member of lots of forums and read and readWe have owned our place over 6years now and go 3-4 times year.I am still learning and our build went fine.


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

johntcd said:


> Hi anyone who lives in the paphos aera, I have been reading notes on this site for about 4 months now. And to me the one,s to give advise about this and that, would be the expats who are now living in cyprus, Not all you who think you know everything,about cyprus and have only had a 2 week or more hoilday there.
> So come on you real expats help us out the real one,s who going to move to cyprus
> 
> yours John +Lynn:


I am an expat currently living in Cyprus, so is Veronica and so are many of the people answering questions. What do you want to know?


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

cypriotsid said:


> To get knowledge you need to be member of lots of forums and read and readWe have owned our place over 6years now and go 3-4 times year.I am still learning and our build went fine.


Sid, the original poster hasnt made any posts since January last year so I would imagine that this thread is in fact a dead one.


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## cypriotsid (Mar 5, 2009)

Veronica said:


> Sid, the original poster hasnt made any posts since January last year so I would imagine that this thread is in fact a dead one.


Maybe but i see it as luke warm as some new members may read this as i have and thought it better to post that although i do not cy owning property i have knowledge.I agree with the post that the poster does not want to hear from 2 week holiday makers but then if you have crossed a border then that experience counts.


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

cypriotsid said:


> <I agree with the post that the poster does not want to hear from 2 week holiday makers but then if you have crossed a border then that experience counts.


I don't think anyone should be excluded from expressing an opinion on a subject they know something about. Even if they have only been to Cyprus for a few weeks. We all learn something different from our experiences and what we learn may be of use to others.


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## bee bee (Jan 11, 2008)

*We live in Cyprus*



johntcd said:


> Hi anyone who lives in the paphos aera, I have been reading notes on this site for about 4 months now. And to me the one,s to give advise about this and that, would be the expats who are now living in cyprus, Not all you who think you know everything,about cyprus and have only had a 2 week or more hoilday there.
> So come on you real expats help us out the real one,s who going to move to cyprus
> 
> yours John +Lynn:


We moved to Cyprus last August . We live just outside Larnaca just across the road from the beach and we love it here. We are retired our life is far better than we could have in England.
But I would advice anyone coming to try before you buy!!! Off plan properties can be a problem as you may not get your deeds for years. Alot of the building work has stopped because the market has been flooded. So think carefully if you buy off plan.Try renting in an area.
We bought a re-sale property and came several times a year before we made the final decision to retire here permanantly.
Everything here is slowly slowlyeven the goverment and health services, but the way of life is very relaxed and safe.
If you need any more advice please let me know
Brenda


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

bee bee said:


> We moved to Cyprus last August . We live just outside Larnaca just across the road from the beach and we love it here. We are retired our life is far better than we could have in England.
> But I would advice anyone coming to try before you buy!!! Off plan properties can be a problem as you may not get your deeds for years. Alot of the building work has stopped because the market has been flooded. So think carefully if you buy off plan.Try renting in an area.
> We bought a re-sale property and came several times a year before we made the final decision to retire here permanantly.
> Everything here is slowly slowlyeven the goverment and health services, but the way of life is very relaxed and safe.
> ...


People get obsessed about the title deeds issue. It is perfectly normal here for title deeds to take a few years to come through but that is mainly down to the Land registry.
As long as you do your homework and make sure that the developer dosnt owe money on the land it is NOT essential to have title deeds. You will know whether or not there is money owing just by asking the developer if they will sign the transfer papers at the land registry if you wish to resell before title deeds are issued.
Good developers who dont owe money on the land are happy to sign transfer papers. Provided you have good solicitor (never use the solicitor recommended by t he developer) there should not be any problems. You will get a paper fro mthe land registry called a 'specific performance'. This guarantees your rights of ownership to the property until the title deeds are issued.
There are certain developers we will not use because we know they wont sign transfer papers if the new buyers need a mortgage. This rings alarm bells with us so we avoid them.

As long as buyers do their homework there are rarely problems. It is when people jump in with both feet and allow themselves to be sweet talked into using the developers solicitor that most problems occur.

Veronica


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## bee bee (Jan 11, 2008)

Veronica said:


> People get obsessed about the title deeds issue. It is perfectly normal here for title deeds to take a few years to come through but that is mainly down to the Land registry.
> As long as you do your homework and make sure that the developer dosnt owe money on the land it is NOT essential to have title deeds. You will know whether or not there is money owing just by asking the developer if they will sign the transfer papers at the land registry if you wish to resell before title deeds are issued.
> Good developers who dont owe money on the land are happy to sign transfer papers. Provided you have good solicitor (never use the solicitor recommended by t he developer) there should not be any problems. You will get a paper fro mthe land registry called a 'specific performance'. This guarantees your rights of ownership to the property until the title deeds are issued.
> There are certain developers we will not use because we know they wont sign transfer papers if the new buyers need a mortgage. This rings alarm bells with us so we avoid them.
> ...


I appreciate that there are some good developers in Cyprus but have you seen the number of unfinished developements there are?
You say that people get obsessed with Title deeds, but even the government have agreed it is a problem. 
Guaranteeing your right to the property does not help if you wish to sell. The developer has to agree and often requires a fee.
Perhaps you should read the problems people have had in the Cyprus weekly. there is a very good page giving very useful information.
I would agree with you to get a good solicitor and a good reputable developer, but we live in a very volatile climate at the moment, evev long standing companies are feeling the crunch.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

bee bee said:


> I appreciate that there are some good developers in Cyprus but have you seen the number of unfinished developements there are?
> You say that people get obsessed with Title deeds, but even the government have agreed it is a problem.
> Guaranteeing your right to the property does not help if you wish to sell. The developer has to agree and often requires a fee.
> Perhaps you should read the problems people have had in the Cyprus weekly. there is a very good page giving very useful information.
> I would agree with you to get a good solicitor and a good reputable developer, but we live in a very volatile climate at the moment, evev long standing companies are feeling the crunch.


I am fully aware of the problems that some people have had but I also know they are the minority. The vast majority of people who buy here dont have any major problems. Of course there are almost always minor hiccups and annoyances but mostly these are easily sorted. 
I was simply making the point that as long as you do your homework, use a good solicitor and make sure the developer is a reputable one it is not essential to have title deeds immediately.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

bee bee just as an aside, not everyone is in a position to buy resale. 
Many people need the chance to offset costs over a couple of years and also need mortgages.
Many banks are now very reluctant to give mortgages and havign the backing of a developer often helps to smooth the way with the banks.
I do agree that resales are better IF you are in a position buy resale.


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## Jac (May 4, 2008)

Veronica said:


> People get obsessed about the title deeds issue. It is perfectly normal here for title deeds to take a few years to come through but that is mainly down to the Land registry.
> As long as you do your homework and make sure that the developer dosnt owe money on the land it is NOT essential to have title deeds. You will know whether or not there is money owing just by asking the developer if they will sign the transfer papers at the land registry if you wish to resell before title deeds are issued.
> Good developers who dont owe money on the land are happy to sign transfer papers. Provided you have good solicitor (never use the solicitor recommended by t he developer) there should not be any problems. You will get a paper fro mthe land registry called a 'specific performance'. This guarantees your rights of ownership to the property until the title deeds are issued.
> There are certain developers we will not use because we know they wont sign transfer papers if the new buyers need a mortgage. This rings alarm bells with us so we avoid them.
> ...



Hello Veronica,

I wish I had been aware of the crooked lawyer and developer set up.

6 years ago we met a developer, and he showed us a plot of land that he would sell to us and he would build our dream villa, he was charming, seemed professional, we went to his office, had loads of meetings with him, (he introduced us to his family, his family businesses, he took my children out to his land to play, he took us to his house, we had no reason to think that this person would ever be dishonest as we knew so much about him), he introduced us to the Lawyer, she seemed to be professional, we asked her advise on everything, to cut a long and painful story very short, we bought the land, and paid for the start of the build, we parted with all our savings, but all strictly through our Lawyer, only to find out eventually that the land had money owed on it, it was never for sale, our Lawyer was a crook along with him and his company, and the build was started but only went so far, and he pocketed all the money - and I am talking an horrendous amount of money.
We have heard that he has since, 'sold' that land to other unsuspecting people since.
We are STILL trying to get our money back.
The point I wanted to make is I don't think many people realise the risk of using the Lawyer whom the developer recommended, it may be 'old news' to some, but we are used to a system here where the chances of a lawyer being a crook are pretty remote, so as long as you use a lawyer you tend to feel safe, I hope people don't criticise me for being fooled, as I consider that I didn't do anything wrong, I was robbed.

I have not given up on the Cyprus dream, and I am now using a very scary lawyer who no one would cross!!

You live and learn, just wish that everyone could be aware that the Lawyer really is the person you need to choose independently, and ask around, we didn't know anyone.

Thanks Veronica, keep up the good work with all your words of wisdom!

Jac


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Jac said:


> Hello Veronica,
> 
> I wish I had been aware of the crooked lawyer and developer set up.
> 
> ...



I am so sorry you have had such a bad experience jac.
This is exactly what I keep trying to warn people about.
If the solicitor is recommended by the developer you stand the chance of being fleeced.
My husband and I have given details of several pieces of land which we wanted to buy to our solicitor and in every case after doing searches they strongly advised us against buying. In one case the land belonged to about 7 members of the same family but they didnt all want to sell. Another case there was a planned mains water pipe going to be put through the land which we were not told about. 
If you have a GOOD solicitor they will turn up any such problems and certainly any money owing on the land.

But I would never criticise you jac because some of these people are so charming and plausible that it is very easy to be taken in by them.
I hope you get it all sorted out soon and I am glad to know it hasnt completely stolen your dream. You know the pitfalls now so next time you will be less trusting and hopefully you will eventually get your dream.

regards Veronica


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

Jac,

first of all thank you for posting your experience. Personal experience is the best way to worn people. This reminds me of the "plot of land in Florida" case in the USA. An increadible amount of people got fooled by that and now of all places plots in Florida for sale are advertised in Cyprus.

I used to work for one of the major Cyprus banks abroad and anytime a customer wanted to buy/lease anything- or do any kind of deal, our coworkers in Cyprus would ask a million questions above and beyond what is necessary to ensure the customer didn't get cheated. So if you have a relationship with a local bank I would also add to ask them about people and places. I remember a case similar to Veronica's; a customer who wanted to buy a piece of land from a young lady who inherited it from her family. It turned out that apart from the young lady no less than 16 members of a family owned the other half of the same lot. This is a family whose members are all involved in crime and the ones that are not in prison are fugitives.


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## cypriotsid (Mar 5, 2009)

Some great information being posted in this thread


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

bee bee said:


> I appreciate that there are some good developers in Cyprus but have you seen the number of unfinished developements there are?
> ch.


In Cyprus it has been standard practice for many years for bigger developers to commence buildings before they have buyers. They build to a level, often to the first stage payment, then leave it at that stage until a buyer is found. Often this is because they don't have much work for their team and want to keep them working. I think we will see more of this practice this year. 

A half-completed development is therefore not always related to a possible title deeds problem and is not necessarily indicative of good or bad developers.


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

Jac said:


> Hello Veronica,
> 
> I wish I had been aware of the crooked lawyer and developer set up.
> 
> ...


A good lawyer is very important. Friends of ours thought they would save a lot of money by using a conveyancing agent instead of a qualified solicitor. Unfortunately the person they used was actually the developer's estate agent. A conflict of interest only became evident when they ran into problems and the conveyancer kept favouring the developer. The friends ended up spending more money than they saved, trying to sort out the problems.

For anyone reading this and wondering how to avoid using a bad lawyer, the British High Commission has a list of lawyers/solicitors that they recommend. Always have your own independant solicitor, never use the same one as your developer. You wouldn't be able to use the same solicitor as your builder in England, why do it here?


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## Vasilia (Jan 21, 2009)

Hi I have been living in Cyprus for six years and know quite a lot about the island


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## Vasilia (Jan 21, 2009)

I also believe that the developer's lawyer or a lawyer recommended by the developer is not used for a property transaction. Your lawyer must explain each stage to you clearly and show you the due diligence performed on the property as there is a procedure to be followed, which unfortunately is not followed by incompetent lawyers.


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## lcraggs2004 (Mar 29, 2009)

I also LIVE here, but I am glad to say I had none of the problems I am so frequently reading about on forums such as this. Thank goodness!


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## colroy (Apr 13, 2009)

*reply*

Hi Veronica
Just a little note . I have worked over here for the last 6 years in development and seem to find it totaly different to you. I have met and dealt with some 15000 people . All either moved or are moving to cyprus I do not sell property but deal with the problems they have on hand over . In my experience there are only a handful of developers and only 2 are natural cypriots .
When it comes to deeds and money matters these are held in the developers interest and not only down to goverment admin. I have probaly met you aver the years or bumped into you .
all the best colroy


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

colroy said:


> In my experience there are only a handful of developers and only 2 are natural cypriots .


??????????


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## colroy (Apr 13, 2009)

By the reply you gave i take it you didnt understand the meaning .
There are only 2 decent cypriot develops who actually try to help there clients without charging them the earth. I assume from your reply you either are a letting agent or sell houses for a living. 
I have read a lot of your help and information you give to people and i think a lot is helpful advice but an open mind to other peoples experiences is sometimes a learning experience aswell.
colroy


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

colroy said:


> By the reply you gave i take it you didnt understand the meaning .
> There are only 2 decent cypriot develops who actually try to help there clients without charging them the earth. I assume from your reply you either are a letting agent or sell houses for a living.
> I have read a lot of your help and information you give to people and i think a lot is helpful advice but an open mind to other peoples experiences is sometimes a learning experience aswell.
> colroy


I agree, but how can you say t here are only two decent developers who help people?
We have a number of very good developers who care about their clients.
We are very choosy about the developers we associate with and I am sure that you do not know all the developers.
There are a great many developers we will not touch with a barge pole but I can assure you that there are many more than 2 good ones.

Veronica


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

colroy said:


> There are only 2 decent cypriot develops who actually try to help there clients without charging them the earth.
> colroy


Sorry Colroy but I really have to disagree with you here. I personally know three good native Cypriot developers working in my area. I can't believe that I know the only decent developers on the island so there must be far more than you say!

I think this thread has moved away from the original question adn in danger of becoming a slanging match so I am closing it to further discussion. If amyone wishes to continue the discussion please start a new thread.


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