Property viewings

[exup]

We are over in Cyprus for a week in April and have arranged a couple of house viewings with the intention of looking through a price range to see what we can get for our money. We like Peyia and surroundings, Polis looks a little less like England but not sure. As for property, what do we look out for (apart from the usual - I have moved many times at home). Does any one have any tips? Any help appreciated.

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by exup

We are over in Cyprus for a week in April and have arranged a couple of house viewings with the intention of looking through a price range to see what we can get for our money. We like Peyia and surroundings, Polis looks a little less like England but not sure. As for property, what do we look out for (apart from the usual - I have moved many times at home). Does any one have any tips? Any help appreciated.

A lot depends on your circumstances, whether you are looking to rent or buy, what sort of property you want.
Do you want to live in little England or somewhere with a more traditional cypriot feel?

[exup]

Originally Posted by Veronica

A lot depends on your circumstances, whether you are looking to rent or buy, what sort of property you want.
Do you want to live in little England or somewhere with a more traditional cypriot feel?

We are looking to buy. Our minds are made up! We understand the problems over title deeds. I suppose we want the best of both really with english and Cypriot neighbours, but its more a question of is there anything peculiar to Cyprus in house buying that we should be considering? eg I have read a lot about the cold there and poor insulation, something about areas with subsidence, and damp in some homes etc. Hope that makes sense. We have cash to purchase and will buy a car, so just good advice really about what not to buy (because all tourists or problems in an area for example) and what to consider that we may not have thought about. We are still researching before any major decisions about property. Sorry its long and vague..........fishing for expert advice from people who have already made the move (and I have been following threads, especially Leesa's diary). Thanks for your time.

[Veronica]

Yes there are certain areas you need to steer well clear of.
Nata, Armou and Marathounta all have areas where the land is not good.
If you are a cash buyer make sure you get a property either with title deeds or with an AX number which means that everything has been checked out and is Ok and the process of issuing the deeds is underway. Be aware though that it can still take a good year or two to actually get the deeds once the AX number has been issued.

[Veronica]

If you don't want to be in areas where there are a lot of tourists etc avoid any large complexes as many properties on complexes are rented out to holiday makers.
Certain developers are known for poor build quality and a lot of problems with damp etc. I cant name them here because we are not allowed to name and shame

[exup]

Thank you for your advice. We won't make any final decision until we have seen some properties and areas and also got back to the great advice we get on this forum.

[Cleo Shahateet]

It's a buyers market so you have the upper hand. Ask your agent or agents that are showing you around what properties they have sold and what price they actually sold for then you can get a good idea of what they are really worth. You can also ask how long they have been on the market. We get homes in some areas that are priced so well that they sell right away and others that sit for years. What Veronica has said is also true regarding the deeds, AX numbers and certain developers etc.

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by Cleo Shahateet

It's a buyers market so you have the upper hand. Ask your agent or agents that are showing you around what properties they have sold and what price they actually sold for then you can get a good idea of what they are really worth. You can also ask how long they have been on the market. We get homes in some areas that are priced so well that they sell right away and others that sit for years. What Veronica has said is also true regarding the deeds, AX numbers and certain developers etc.

Unfortunately there are many sellers who still think that they can make a fat profit when they sell and nothing anyone says will persuade them to pitch their properties at a price that will sell. Then when they still havn't sold after 2 or three years they blame the agents.

[exup]

Originally Posted by Veronica

Unfortunately there are many sellers who still think that they can make a fat profit when they sell and nothing anyone says will persuade them to pitch their properties at a price that will sell. Then when they still havn't sold after 2 or three years they blame the agents.

Yes it makes sense. We all want as much as we can get when selling and pay as little as possible when buying! What happened to the days when the price was the price and that was more or less it. We thought looking at some properties might help us to see what we actually get for our money and then find out from agents realistic levels. Its also a chance for us to look around different locations to help us make our minds up about location/type of property/pool or not/insulation/heating etc.

[Veronica]

Most clients we have had in the past 18 months havebeen making offers of at least 20% below asking price and the majority have been accepted. Cash buyers have the upper hand and are almost certain to get a very good deal.