# Life in Cyprus...Is it really as good as it seems.



## lakelander (Mar 31, 2009)

I've been researching and planning a move to live there for a few months now.

A conversation I had recently with someone however, made me stop and think twice about it. This person lived and worked there for 5 years before relocating to another sunny climate.

He told me he never bought a house there as it's ok if you know you are going to spend the rest of your life there but if you want to sell again it's difficult as most Cypriots don't buy resales. He said when they come to the stage they want a house they prefer to build their own.

He said that while Cypriots are friendly if you go on holidays they are not that friendly to those who live there, he found the heat in the middle of summer overpowering and he said because of it's size the choice of shops and things to buy was limited and because of this they charge what they like.

I know this is only one persons opinion of life there but I thought I would post it to get the views of some others who live or have lived there.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

lakelander said:


> I've been researching and planning a move to live there for a few months now.
> 
> A conversation I had recently with someone however, made me stop and think twice about it. This person lived and worked there for 5 years before relocating to another sunny climate.
> 
> ...


In the past it may well have been true that Cypriots didnt buy resales as families had land on which they built their own houses.
However this is not always the case now as so many family plots have been sold to developers.
We sell property and are always getting enquiries about resale properties from Cypriots. In fact at this present time most enquiries are from Cypriots.
We recently sold a resale property in Konia to a young Cypriot couple.
As for Cypriots not being friendly to people who live here I suppose that depends on your attitude to them. We have never had any problems, in fact we have always found them very friendly and have had many dealing with them both on a personal level and a business level.
As for the heat in the summer, if you dont like it you stay in the shade with a fan cooling you down.
don't get into using airconditioning as you then get the fridge to oven effect when you go out and you never become really acclimatised.
Far better to use fans, besides which aircon is so expensive to run and can cause chest infections.
For shopping there is plenty of choice these days, far more than a year or two ago even, and if you shop around and get to know where t o shop prices are not that bad.
Dont use the big supermarkets except for things you cant find in the smaller local ones. Go to the fruit markets and local butchers.
Th facts are that nowhere is perfect even Cyprus but it is far better here than the UK.

Regards Veronica


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

lakelander said:


> I've been researching and planning a move to live there for a few months now.
> 
> A conversation I had recently with someone however, made me stop and think twice about it. This person lived and worked there for 5 years before relocating to another sunny climate.
> 
> ...



Everyone will have different opinions about life here and everyone will have different expectations and requirements.

It is true that the resale market is not strong but as Veronica says people are looking for and buying resales, especially at the moment when there are some very good bargains. We have bought because we wanted to make the mental leap by detaching ourselves from the UK. Its our experience that people settle better if they are not constantly hankering after and comparing with life in the UK!

I agree that shopping is limited but I don't agree that people charge what they like. I have never before heard of a government insisting that prices are reduced by shops because they are too high and that some are profiteering (gas, fuel and bread). If is a real novelty to actually see fuel prices following (near enough) the price of oil! 

I thought I would find the heat overbearing when we arrived last year, but I didn't. You just get used to it and do things like using fans, using a pool or staying in the shade. The only thing I would say is try not to use aircon... you adapt better if you are not stepping from really cold to really hot all the time.

Lastly, we have found the locals very friendly. But they do give as good as they get. If you are stand-offish with them they will be the same with you. If make the effort to mix, to learn the language and to do things the local way then they are much more friendly and helpful than people generally are in the uk!


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## lakelander (Mar 31, 2009)

Thanks for your replies. It's interesting to also get the views of other people especially those still living there.


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

The advice already given is spot on. In my experience some items are vastly overpriced with 100-600% mark-ups on designer and label items and electrical goods. There is a lot of retail snobbery driving up prices. Our solution is to buy over the internet and have it delivered. The choices are now much improved with US style Malls in Nicosia and other major towns, with more planned.

There is a trend for self-build on family plots (which is not really slowing down as the solution to shrinking plots in the cities is to build upwards with many families adding a floor for each daughter when they marry). Some sectors of the devlopment industry are in the doldrums (especially for villas) but there are still plenty of developments in the cities for the local markets. With the economic downturn, many ex-pats who have been forced to give up their businesses and take flight have found it increasingly difficult to find buyers which has dirven prices down so there are plenty of bargains out there, but of course only really for those that are intending to stay as the resale market is unpredictable.

It is unbearably hot in the centre of the island during the summer when a fan just doesn't cut it (it simply moves the 45C heat around in sickening waves of slightly cooler air) I agree that aircon is not the solution - escaping to the sea-breezes or the mountains is the preferred answer (locals invariably have at least two properties and relocate at weekends and holidays to where it is cooler).

As for the friendliness of locals, they are the same at the end of the day as just about everywhere else - there are some lovely people here and some not so friendly folk - I don't think they are stereotypically nicer or nastier than other places in the world where I have lived.


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## nikko (Sep 27, 2008)

It's a lovely life. There are some bad things, like the driving, the parking, disobedience of the law, <snip> (so I've heard  )
These are far outweighed by the good things: Excellent local food and drink, nice weather, nice people, low taxes, empty roads. I could go on.


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## Lyndavid (May 6, 2009)

lakelander said:


> I've been researching and planning a move to live there for a few months now.
> 
> A conversation I had recently with someone however, made me stop and think twice about it. This person lived and worked there for 5 years before relocating to another sunny climate.
> 
> ...


Hi Lakelander, I can't say that I particularly disagree with any of the advice offerred to you in reply to your thread. I would however advise against buying a property in Cyprus if you can avoid it. Much better to rent your home property out and use the money to rent in Cyprus. If you feel the need to buy a property, make sure that Title Deeds are available. Many properties are bought on the "promise" of title deeds which either take years to be handed over or never appear. This just compounds the slow property market at present, just read some of the letters pages in the Cyprus Mail or Cyprus Weekly online versions to get some idea of the problem. There are many expats who now find that they can't afford to live in Cyprus, but can't sell to move back to the good old U.K. and are completely trapped! Just try to remember that Cyprus is not "England with Sunshine". Good luck with whatever you decide.


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## Arranexpat (Aug 17, 2008)

I would suggest renting to begin with. Rental prices are reletively low as the housing market has slowed here as it has in the UK. There are more Cypriots buying resales as many of the children don't want the dowry houses their parents have built for them, they want to spread their wings. When we were looking at rental properties, many had been built by parents for their children but the kids didn't want to live in them. As people are struggling to sell, they are renting in the hope that the market will recover. This has driven down rents. If you rent to begin with it will give you a chance to get a feel for which part of Cyprus you want to live as each town and village has their own personality and you will get a good idea of the differences there are living here and what you want in a house when you do buy. The building standards are generally much lower here so getting to know who builds decent houses and what to look for really helps. We have moved once already as the village we moved to first didn't suit us. We are much happier where we are now but still in no rush to buy. As the last person said, find out if title deeds are available as there are many people who are still waiting for deads 12+ years after buying their house. Our neighbour has just been told he will have to pay 5000eur to get his deeds. Personally, I wouldn't touch a new build with a barge pole just now. There are developements where the developer will only finish the houses he has sold so you could find you are living in a building site indefinitely or pay for a property that never gets finished. 

Apart from that, it's what you make it. The biggest problem we had was finding other expats our own age but we are starting to make friends now. For a working couple the tax breaks far out weigh the higher food, clothing and electric goods costs. We have seen neighbours come and go on one side of us while other neighbours are as happy as we are.

So far everyone I know who has gone back has said it's financial and they missed their family support. There are not a lot of jobs around and school fees can make a big hole in the budget. My advice is to be sure of your income before you come over.


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