Saving £6,000 when they bought their Mediterranean holiday home has made holidays there especially enjoyable for British couple Steve and Stephanie James.
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
The simple decision to use a currency exchange specialist rather than their bank to send money from the UK to Greece to pay for their apartment enabled the Jameses to save a considerable amount of money. The couple transferred their pounds into euros through Smart Currency Exchange, a firm with a proven record in helping overseas property-buyers.
“We estimated that with the far better exchange rates than our high street bank, Smart saved us between £6,000 and £7,000 on the price of the apartment,” said Steve. And the savings don’t end there. Continues Steve: “Further monthly and annual transfers have been and will continue to be made on an on-going basis, also using Smart. This will cover things like utilities and the new property tax which is around €300 annually.”
Steve and Stephanie’s two-bedroom apartment is in Tolo, a little-known town just ten kilometres south of Nafplion, the capital of the Argolis region in the Peloponnese mainland. They first holidayed there in 1995 and have returned countless times. Having come into some inheritance, it was chat at their favourite local bar that prompted them to buy in the town.
“In 2010 we learnt that the lead bouzouki player had put his apartment on the market and we ended up buying it,” says Steve. “The apartment is the best of both worlds. With a lovely sea views, it is up the hill from the beach, near the town’s main street but just far enough away to be peaceful.” The couple paid around £145,000 for the property.
For guidance through the Greek buying process, the Jameses searched the internet and came across the Overseas Guides Company (OGC), who they found “incredibly helpful from start to finish”.
Concludes Steve: “We love visiting our home in Greece – we go out about four times a year but, as time goes by, we look forward to spending more and more time there, accompanied hopefully by family and friends.”
Search for properties for sale in Greece via the Greek listings on Rightmove Overseas. For more information on any aspect of how Smart Currency Exchange could save you money on all your currency transfers, visit the Currency Zone or download their free report here.
To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Greece, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Greece Property Buying Guide’
The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc