What is the full process of purchasing property in Greece, from reservation to finalization?

I often emphasize that the most crucial step is choosing your dream property. The rest becomes much simpler:

1. Reserving the property, paying the required reservation amount, and initiating price negotiations.
2. I recommend partnering with a Polish lawyer in Greece with whom I collaborate.
3. Granting power of attorney to the lawyer to assign us a tax ID number (AFIMI), which requires our presence at a Greek Public Service Office or a police station to authenticate our signature before Greek authorities.
4. Granting power of attorney to the lawyer to conduct all transactions related to property purchase via a notarial deed with a notary.

Note: The steps in points 3 and 4 are worth completing even if we haven’t chosen a property yet, but are committed to purchasing any property in Greece. The tax ID will be necessary. Power of attorney is given to a lawyer not for a specific property, but for any property, which can expedite matters in the future. After careful online arrangements, we can prepare all documentation here, and during our stay and viewings, grant the necessary powers of attorney in one day.

It’s uncommon, but I recommend conducting price negotiations in writing by submitting a written offer signed by a lawyer. This approach can allow us to propose a lower price, but represented by a lawyer, and already having an AFIMI, we appear much more credible to the seller than just another foreigner making an offer.

After the offer is accepted, the lawyer prepares a preliminary agreement. A significant point here is to use a deposit rather than an advance as a guarantee of purchase intention. The deposit is non-refundable if the buyer withdraws, but should be returned double if the seller withdraws.