# Famagusta Area - Questions



## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

Hi - thought that I would post these here instead if the other forum area as just realised that perhaps I shouldn't really have posted there previously as I am not yet living in Cyprus? 

Anyway my wife and I have been watching the housing market while waiting to see what happens with Brexit and any impact on retiring to Cyprus

We have noticed that there appear to be some very good deals avaliable on properties in the Famagusta area compared to say Paphos or Polis for example.and not surecwhy this should be the case.

Obviously Fanagusta is pretty close to the disputed border with the north and - especially given the recent actions of Turkey in Dyria and also theeir actions in drilling illegally off the Cyprus coast I was wondering whether it's potentially dangerous to consider purchasing property in the Famagusta area? 
Your thoughts and suggestions etc. would be very much appreciated 

Thanks

Jim


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## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

Nobody? 

Jim


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## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

No-one on the forums that lives/lived in the Famagusta area?

Jim


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## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

Should I have posted this in the main Cyprus area instead? 

Jim


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi Shotokan,
I have moved this thread to the main forum area as the Moufflon is mainly just for chit chat and not many people look at it.

I think you will find though that not many expats live in the Famagusta area so replies to your question will be few and far between.

Personally I would steer clear of that area as there is still a certain amount of unrest and dispute over some of the land there. There are reasons why properties are cheaper in some areas than others and if you are looking at long term living it is always wise to stick to those areas which are safest.

Regards
Veronica


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## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

Thanks Veronica - I did wonder where to post and noticed that rhe Mouflon area doesn't see many threads but as I said I wondered if I really should be posting in the main area as not an expat "yet" 

Interesting to hear that Famagusta may not actually have muvh of an expat presence - so I guess that it's more holiday homes and possibly forces families perhaps?

Good to know about the disputes and this was what I suspected moght be part of thr reason for the prices - though I had hoped that the nearby forces Base might have eased any concerns over border "expansion".....

I was actually thinking of posting a thread asking for feedback about which areas on the island members were living and whst had attracted them to that location

Jim


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## JonandGaynor (Jun 8, 2009)

We live about 1 km from the green line and in the 5 years we have owned our house we have never come across anyone with fears of future Turkish invasion. The politics and motivations of the early 70s have changed dramatically since and concerns of a recurrence of those events are in my view ridicules, besides if Turkey had any intention of another invasion why would they stop a few kilometers over the cease fire line? It would have to be the entire island or nothing.
Further more, unlike the government in the occupied areas, the Republic Of Cyprus does not issue false title deeds, in fact they have a very accurate record of ownership covering both Turkish Cypriots and Republican Cypriots so buying land or property on the eastern side is quite safe as far as land ownership is concerned.
We were staying in Paphos a few weeks ago and were quite amazed at how built up the area had become with what once would have been individual villages now just a vast urban sprawl and driving around the area a nightmare of tiny roads full of traffic. Although the scenery is quite dramatic and the landscape between Paphos and Limassol just spectacular we were quite relieved to get back to the eastern side with wide roads and open fields. 
We did notice that properties for sale on the western side were very expensive with few new properties being built so supply and demand would keep prices up, although admittedly we were not deliberately looking for properties and this and this was just an impression. Historically Paphos has always been a favorite for the blue rinse and zimmer frame brigade, possibly due to the cooler weather, and this would also help to keep prices high. Here in the east there are new properties and estates being built almost round every corner, particularly in the coastal resorts of Protaras, Ayia Napa and Ayia Thekla where prices commence around €500,000 with front line 2 beds commanding around €1m so I expect this will ultimately have a knock on effect with village prices.
Don't be fooled about Veronica's comment about not many expats live on the eastern side, there are many thousands of us living here, its just that very few have bothered to join a forum which primarily just covers the west!


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

I've got the impression over the years that most people head for the western side of the island which is greener and has more variety of landscape. Those living around Larnaca and Limassol seem to go there for either job related reasons or ex-forces familiarity. Those that live in Nicosia probably need their brains tested.

Regardless of this I think it essential that anyone considering coming to Cyprus take time to travel round and see all the different areas to discover their personal preferences.

Now I'll sit back and await some flak!

Pete


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## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

Cheers Pete - even that bit of info about the landscape differences us useful as we do prefer some greenery around ( sounds like that may be an expensive taste now though :doh: ) 

Jim


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

I agree with Pete that you should take a look at the different areas to form your own opinions. 
We lived in a village just outside Paphos for 14 years and loved the area. The remark about the blue rinse and zimmer frame brigade is insulting as there are many younger people living in the area. Not sure what was meant by the cooler weather either as it is warmer in the winter than the Eastern side which is why for holidays it is more of an all year round area with fewer businesses, restaurants etc closing down for four months as they do in the East.
The drive from Paphos to Polis is quite spectacular with all the orange groves etc. 
For anyone not wanting to be too close to Paphos the Polis area is much quieter with some lovely beaches.

but in the end you must decide which area suits you best as everyone has different opinions and needs.


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## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

JonandGaynor said:


> We live about 1 km from the green line and in the 5 years we have owned our house we have never come across anyone with fears of future Turkish invasion. The politics and motivations of the early 70s have changed dramatically since and concerns of a recurrence of those events are in my view ridicules, besides if Turkey had any intention of another invasion why would they stop a few kilometers over the cease fire line? It would have to be the entire island or nothing.
> Further more, unlike the government in the occupied areas, the Republic Of Cyprus does not issue false title deeds, in fact they have a very accurate record of ownership covering both Turkish Cypriots and Republican Cypriots so buying land or property on the eastern side is quite safe as far as land ownership is concerned.
> We were staying in Paphos a few weeks ago and were quite amazed at how built up the area had become with what once would have been individual villages now just a vast urban sprawl and driving around the area a nightmare of tiny roads full of traffic. Although the scenery is quite dramatic and the landscape between Paphos and Limassol just spectacular we were quite relieved to get back to the eastern side with wide roads and open fields.
> We did notice that properties for sale on the western side were very expensive with few new properties being built so supply and demand would keep prices up, although admittedly we were not deliberately looking for properties and this and this was just an impression. Historically Paphos has always been a favorite for the blue rinse and zimmer frame brigade, possibly due to the cooler weather, and this would also help to keep prices high. Here in the east there are new properties and estates being built almost round every corner, particularly in the coastal resorts of Protaras, Ayia Napa and Ayia Thekla where prices commence around €500,000 with front line 2 beds commanding around €1m so I expect this will ultimately have a knock on effect with village prices.
> Don't be fooled about Veronica's comment about not many expats live on the eastern side, there are many thousands of us living here, its just that very few have bothered to join a forum which primarily just covers the west!


Thanks Jon - very useful to hear your points of view on the eastern areas - some interesting stuff to consider 

Jim


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

Wow, someone's pushing their luck! Have you any idea how painful a full frontal attack with a zimmer frame is!

_"We did notice that properties for sale on the western side were very expensive with few new properties being built"_ I totally disagree regarding the few new properties. We always remark each time we see a new building site - there are dozens. Of course if you just visit the centre of town there are less to see but drive a little way out (it's not far) and there are many amongst the open fields, hills and valleys. Even amongst well established estates like Kamares there are new builds going up and the Minthis development is like a New Town.

Nevertheless there is no right or wrong, it is personal choice.

Pete


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## Shotokan101 (Mar 29, 2019)

Thanks Veronica - first time I have heard any "blue rinse/zimmer" comments but I have heard a few people on various forums referring to the sprawling Paphos areas as "little Britain" LOL 

I agree that folks considering moving to Cyprus need to check out the various parts of the island - unfortunately this really hit home after a pretty disappointing viewing trip to the Paphos area earlier this year 

Probably looking to maybe come out again for another week or so - maybe Jan/Feb after the next Brexit crisis 

Where's the bestbarea to Base ourselves nect time to allow readonable journey times for viewing areas/properties? 

Jim


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

Shotokan101 said:


> I have heard a few people on various forums referring to the sprawling Paphos areas as "little Britain" LOL
> 
> Where's the bestbarea to Base ourselves nect time to allow readonable journey times for viewing areas/properties?
> 
> Jim


The usual Little Britain reference that I've heard refers to Peyia.

When we came to take a look we spent a week in the East and then drove over to the West for a week. We'd made appointments with various estate agents and developers in order to use their knowledge to show us round the different areas and view the different types of housing available.

Pete


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Peyia would not be my first choice as it is full of Brits. However more recently a lot of Russians and Chinese have bought in Peyia so another reason I would not want to be there.

There are plenty of smaller villages on the outskirts of Paphos which are less dominated by Brits and other foreigners and between Paphos and Polis some nice slightly more remote villages which are lovely.


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## Milly67 (Jul 13, 2020)

PeteandSylv said:


> I've got the impression over the years that most people head for the western side of the island which is greener and has more variety of landscape. Those living around Larnaca and Limassol seem to go there for either job related reasons or ex-forces familiarity. Those that live in Nicosia probably need their brains tested.
> 
> Regardless of this I think it essential that anyone considering coming to Cyprus take time to travel round and see all the different areas to discover their personal preferences.
> 
> ...


I love Cyprus.....my friend lives in Kiti, Larnaca and if I could get a job over there, I would be there like a shot! I am more than able to buy a property but I need an income.


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## nhowarth (Dec 6, 2017)

PeteandSylv said:


> Those living around Larnaca and Limassol seem to go there for either job related reasons or ex-forces familiarity.


We chose to live near Limassol (Erimi village) as it's the most cosmopolitan city in Cyprus. I have friends from Cyprus (south & the occupied areas), England, Greece, Jordan, Montenegro, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and the USA.

I don't work and I'm not ex-forces.

Maybe I'm unusual in this respect but I spent several years living and working in different countries and appreciate that living abroad is not like living in the UK with better weather.

If I wanted to live in Little Briton, I would have retired to Bournemouth.

But it's up to individuals where they want to live - and I agree that it's essential that anyone considering moving to Cyprus take time to travel round and see all the different areas to discover their personal preferences. Visit likely places at different times of the year and rent somewhere to get a real feeling and appreciation of the place.

Cheers,


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## BlackRooster (Jul 30, 2020)

IMO:
The beaches in the east are the best on the island. 
Visit the North of Cyprus too & see if you feel safe. We always visited & always felt safe. 
The east also has many ex pats & lots of other nationalities, you need to visit & see for yourself. 
I prefer the east, but you will be different to me


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