# Moving to Cyprus



## ianinchatham (Apr 22, 2012)

I daresay this subject comes up fairly frequently but I'm going to ask anyway!.....does the membership recommend moving to Cyprus?.....like many people I was in the RAF based at Akrotiri 1978/1982....at the time Cyprus seemed to be just starting to become quite built up,lots of building going on etc.....went back on my Honeymoon 1988 and couldnt believe how much it had changed then!!.....I get the feeling that now the place is a concrete jungle with Hotels/Developments etc all over the place....thinking about buying a place to use as Holiday home then maybe retiring to eventually.....in a couple of years time.............I'm not really bothered where to buy so does anyone recommend any particular area/s?....preferably by the sea,but not too bothered....Ive heard the place is over run with Eastern Europeans,is this correct.....?.........also this business about Title Deeds.....is is a problem or does a decent Lawyer sort things out?


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi Welcome to the forum.
I too spent time in Cyprus before the building boom started, in fact before the invasion. My first husband was stationed at RAF Akrotiri and we lived in Limassol.
Yes it has changed a lot but I have now been here for over 7 years and don't regret the move. 
Limassol is my idea of hell these days, far too big and busy.
Paphos is more like Limassol was in the late 60s-early 70s.
I would not recommend living right by the sea as those are the most built up areas. Also the closer you are to the coast the more hot and humid it is in the summer months. Villages such as Tala, Tsada, Konia, Armou are out of the worst of the humidity so the summers are more bearable. Peyia is very built up with lots of apartment blocks which are full of unsold units although there are some nice areas on the outskirts of Peyia.

Feel free to ask any questions and we wil ltry to answer them for you. Bear in mind that we all have our own opinions on areas and don't always agree so it is really a matter of getting information and opinions, then visiting to find out for yourself.

Veronica


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## andytandreou (Dec 30, 2010)

Hello Ian, 

I see many Europeans moving to Cyprus for many reasons, your statements like "over run by easter europeans" or "concrete jungle" are far too broad to apply. 

There are issue with the land registry office, however buying land/property in Cyprus is as safe as putting money in the bank, there are some issues with new-build homes but they get dealt with if you use your own solicitor. To be honest I don't know where this whole idea of "unsafe purchases" came from, maybe a developer who was a scam artist, taking money from people who didn't have a solicitor to check some basic things out.

Now, regarding finding the ideal location I would suggest you look FIRST at what you mostly enjoy, lost of neighbours? Sea? Mountains? Do you swim? Do you fish? Do you have kids/grand kids that will visit you and want to drive 20 minutes max to the airport? All these things should weigh into your decision. Cyprus is a fairly large island with concrete jungles in some parts and unspoiled beauty in other parts. You can live in either place.

Personally, if I could choose a new place to live, appart from where I am right now I would choose Larnaka (again), it is much smaller than limassol, closer to everything, including Nicosia, airport, Agia-Napa, Beach, mountain, limassol etc. It's 30" from anything and everything.


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## ianinchatham (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks for that..


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## ianinchatham (Apr 22, 2012)

thanks for that


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

andytandreou said:


> Hello Ian,
> 
> I see many Europeans moving to Cyprus for many reasons, your statements like "over run by easter europeans" or "concrete jungle" are far too broad to apply.
> 
> ...



I have to disagree that buying land/property in Cyprus is as safe as money in the bank. Yes if you know what you are doing it is safe. But there are far too many pitfalls that unsuspecting Brits (and other nationalities) can fall into if they don't know who to trust . There are several developers who I would recommend people to steer well clear of if it was not for the no naming and shaming rules of this forum. 
I was recently talking to a very well respected Lawyer who is based in Nicosia and has been representing expats against developers and lawyers who have left them in a mess. He said by far most bad developers and lawyers are in the Larnaca area so I would recommend anyone who buys there to use a lawyer who is based in either Limassol or Nicosia to make sure they are represented fairly.
Personally I hate the Larnaca side of the island, it is arid, flat and ugly. Paphos is far more green and the area is being developed with new beaches and artificial reefs to encourage those who like beach holidays to this end of the island. It also has the best golf courses including the new one which was designed by Nick Faldo.
We often have to go across to Larnaca for business reasons or to collect people from the airport and I can never get away from there fast enough.
Still as I said earlier we all have our own likes and dislikes so while some people may love Larnaca others will hate it.


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## Habibi2007 (Apr 21, 2012)

*Moving to cyprus*

Hi to everyone on the Forum,
My husband and myself are thinking of retiring to Cyprus possibly next year, we spend nearly 3 years there in Dekelia Garrison between 1980 and 1983 we have returned twice on holiday since then once in 2000 then again in 2006. We found the island had changed but not for the worst. it was a lot easier to move around the island because of the motor ways, These were being built while we were there in the early 80s. The beauty of the island hasnt changed and you show me a place that has stood still in 30 years. You can never go back to that time but embrace what the island has become, as others have said on the forum it is all about what you want to do. Personally I love the sea and everything about it but I dont necessarily want to live right beside it. I also love the mountains so I will have an open mind when we finally decide were we want to live. As my husband spend nearly 27 years in the army before we finally settled down in civvy street we still have our love of travel.
I still feel Cyprus is the place were we want to spend our retirement, we will probably go out for about a month next June to see the lay of the land. we think we would like to go the west of the island around the Paphos area so that is were will start our search.
Hopefully this will help us find an area we like in the meantime doing lots of research on the subject.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

I would definitely recommend that you do as much research as possible.
Feel free to ask any questions you have on the forum, there is always someone who can answer them for you. Remember though that we are only speaking from our own experience and are not experts.
The Paphos area is a good place to start your search, it has everything you need for a comfortable life, with plenty to do to stop you getting bored.

Good luck, just shout if we can help you.

Veronica


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## Habibi2007 (Apr 21, 2012)

Veronica said:


> I would definitely recommend that you do as much research as possible.
> Feel free to ask any questions you have on the forum, there is always someone who can answer them for you. Remember though that we are only speaking from our own experience and are not experts.
> The Paphos area is a good place to start your search, it has everything you need for a comfortable life, with plenty to do to stop you getting bored.
> 
> ...


thanks Veronica
I will be posting lots of questions in the next few months to get other peoples opinions on the subject, meanwhile will do the research.
Cheers


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## Pam n Dave (Jun 11, 2007)

Buying land/property in Cyprus is as safe as money in the bank as the banks don’t seem to safe nowadays as a couple have had failed rights issues.

At this moment in time I would not recommend that anyone buy property over here until all the issues have been solved.

There always seems to be an initiative running that only serves to stall the fixing of the problem.

Another reason not to buy is that it seems to take an eternity to sell a house if you wish to move, we rent and know that we can leave at anytime should we wish to.

Having said all that I think that it’s great here, we live near a village and have been welcomed into the community. If you are coming to the Paphos area then have a look at the villages between Paphos and Polis and maybe even to Agia Marina.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Pam n Dave said:


> Buying land/property in Cyprus is as safe as money in the bank as the banks don’t seem to safe nowadays as a couple have had failed rights issues.
> 
> .


Very true

However buying here is safe providing you do your homework very very thoroughly, get a good lawyer and buy with title deeds. I don't recommend buying off plan these days as too many developers are struggling financially and you could end up with a problem if the developer goes bust owing the banks money on the land.
Buying a resale with title deeds is the safest way to buy these days.
If you find a resale that hasn't got title deeds that you like, you need to make sure your lawyer checks if there are any debts owning to banks on the land. If the land is free of debt and the process of issuing deeds has begun then it should also be safe to buy.


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