Buyers Beware! Thinking of moving to Kef?
Well the season is underway and the usual crop of lambs are heading to the estate agents ripe for the slaughter. So here is my annual warning to all potential land and property buyers. 1. Do not trust that nice guy in the Taverna with a bit of land for sale. 2. Do not use the real estate agents lawyer, to save time and money.......you won't! 3. If you do not have one or know where to start try here www.lawyersinkefalonia.com (yes it's legal eagle I know. However he is good and he is totally independent) 4. If the deal is too good to be true....the chances are it is 5. There is nothing that cannot be made worse for less money so be careful if it seems cheap. 6. Do not deal with the agent from the coffee shop or Taverna. 7. Check to see if the builder you want to use can show you other properties he has built for Brits, and then talk to them. Failure to come up with clients could mean problems later! 8. Beware "inhouse" architects or architects who use the same office as the builder and estate agent. 9. Infact avoid estate agents where ever possible, they are parasites and just boost prices. Trust me, there is sooooo much land available here it is staggering. You don't need them. Always be prepared to walk away from any deal if they will not reduce the price to your satisfation. Plus do not sign anything....yes anything your lawyer has not seen first even if you have not looked at any land or villas yet, and only just met the louse...sorry agent. 10. No office to return to...then no deal.....period! OK guys and girls? You have been warned, but I still await the usual crop of victims with interest this year. TDC :roll:

11. Do not trust any Greek called Dave! He'll have your money and be on his toes good style. jed.w :lol:

My days of ordering a chinese and legging it before the bill arrives have sadly gone, i would get caught now! my lifestyle of cheap vino has caught up with my aging body, it no longer has the will to move quickly :-D Dont know if you heard about the Liverpool fans in Porus Jed, one of them( Allegedy) nicked the barguys mobile phone, he rang the number, it rang in a womans handbag, she said ;how did that get there?; Dont think they will be welcome again :)

Moving to Kefalonia??????
I have moved this topic back up because with the end of the season coming up I am getting the usual crop of requests for information by email and other means regarding people who wish to move out here. So, here is a little impromptu FAQ. Q. Is it a good career move and can I find work in Kefalonia? A. Basically yes you can find work, but it is not like working in the UK, so personally I would say it is an emphatic NO! Not often a wise career move. Also if you are working within the holiday business it is seasonal so from October to May you will be laid off. Q. Can I work in the building trade as there is so much development going on out there? A. Yes you can, but you will be used, abused and treated like trash (or rather Albanians) and the chances are you will not get all your promised wages if you get paid at all! Pay rates tend to be less than 40 euros a day here! Q. What is it like living there all year round? A. Don't know!, nothing would induce me to be here in January and February as it is generally cold, very wet and most people have nothing to do. Plus if you are renting what is normally a holiday home, the accommodation is mostly very damp and central heating is not usually fitted! Besides you may be asked to move out come May time. One couple I know out here are on their 5th move in 2 years. Q. Are there schools my children can go to? A. Yes, but lessons are in Greek, so they will feel strange at first but I guarantee you they will learn the lingo faster than you ever will! I do know of Brits out here with kids in Greek schools. Frankly if you want to move here then find something or a business you can do for yourself and have enough cash behind you so you can survive for a minimum of two years without earning a bean! If you can do this and still buy a house as well it is much better. By moving out here with teenagers you are also restricting your children's opportunities to develop their own career choice. Ask yourself are you moving here for YOUR benefit at the expense of theirs'? If bridges are burned in the UK, what chance have they got to go to college and university to get qualifications? There again they may be very happy stacking shelves in supermarkets here or in Britain. Most successful Greeks here cannot get their kids off the island quick enough to Athens, America or the UK to further their education & career opportunities. Many come here, very few succeed. Most return after a couple of years with their tails between their legs. Getting back onto the UK property ladder will be almost impossible. That said If you can see an opening and are prepared to work 24x7 and can keep yourself without an income for a couple of years or so then go for it! It is a different way of life and lifestyle and with some cash behind you it is by far superior to the UK. Any further questions please ask here. TDC 8)

Moving to Kefalonia
I haven't replied to anything for the past couple of weeks as I've been lazing around pools, beaches and Tavernas on the Island - it's so nice to be back at work again...slogging my bits off to earn a bit more cash to get back again! On the point of moving to Kefalonia, it's also worth bearing in mind that the Greeks in general don't like giving their money to anyone even other Greeks so for them to give money to anyone else is even more unlikely (added to this that Kefalonians don't like giving their money away to anyone unless they are within their extended families - even more so than other Greeks). You could find it difficult to set anything up unless you are relying on tourists. An all year round proposition of setting up a business could prove less attractive than you may expect if the locals won't buy from you or use your services. You should also consider that if you have a fantastic unique idea and it starts making any money, the likelihood is that it will be copied by a local before you have got off the ground. You've basically got a couple options: Spend a lot of time in the locality of where you propose your business and get to know everyone of importance in the locality. Use everyone you can to get a good reputation BEFORE you open; alternatively, Marry a Greek (preferably a Kefalonian) and your problems will all be solved (unless you are already married whereby your problems may have only just started!) Don't be completely disheartened...there are opportunities, you just need to make sure that you know what you are taking on before you do it.

Thanks for all the various bits of info reguarding moving to Kef... I`m not sure whether the pointers can be read as good or bad for us, but nevertheless ( ever the optimists )we feel if we can overcome a couple of problems then we`ll have a workable plan and (HOPEFULLY ) won`t be returning in a couple of years to stack supermarket shelves. Our major concern is the wellbeing of our 14 year old daughter ! We WANT her to go to a Greek school ( she`ll definitely have a better chance if only by the fact she`ll have the Greek language ) and would welcome any positve tips on this subject...... Can anyone let us have the address of the Highschool in Agostoli ? If anybody would want to help us, directly, our e-mail address is .. (removed by admin.. Thanks !! :) :) :?

Smude, It is not a good idea to post email addresses on public message boards. People can always send you a personal message or email through the board using the buttons below every post, which is safer for you. Whilst we make every attempt to keep this board on the straight and narrow, you seldom know who you are really talking to. No one will think any less of you for protecting your identity and email address. It is a real pain to have to change them because of continuous spam and the odd email from a sicko who has collected your address which was in public domain. There is also software that trawls the net collecting email addresses which often accounts for a rise in spam in email inboxes! I have removed your email address for the moment. If you wish you can put it back or use the board's P.M. system. This system keeps your email address private. However, I also note the email address is different from your profile email address stored on our records. If you have changed your email address please update your profile, if both still work then fine leave alone! TDCboard :wink:

Thanks TDC for your advice and vigilence!! It`s great fun , plonking away, but I`ll admit to being a novice on these computer thingymebobs .... Sorrry..... Both e-mails are valid, but yes, your right to keep `em secret, Ta !!. I`ll accept the Chinese Burn , but can I please still continue to play ? :cry:

not a reprimand!
Hi Smude, It was never intend as a gentle wrist slap, just me being cautious. Please play away. Personally I hate actually amending/changing members posts and will go out of my way not to do so. Unless it is Dave the Greek, who is fair game and can get his own back on a more personal level as it were! Can I slap him now Judi, can I????? Huh????Do you want me to?? TDC :wink: