Making an Offer on Greek Property: Step-by-Step 2026

Quick answer: Making an offer on a Greek property follows a clear six-stage sequence: viewing, lawyer instruction, preliminary agreement (the symvolaio proanaforas), deposit payment, due diligence window, and final notarial deed. The whole process typically completes in 10 to 14 weeks, and your strongest protection at every stage is an independent Greek lawyer instructed before you commit a single euro.

Stage 1: Viewing and First Assessment

Collect four things at the viewing, and none of them come from the listing. Ask for the KAEK cadastral reference, the built area as stated on the building permit rather than the advertisement, the municipality and zone classification, and whether the property sits in the Hellenic Cadastre or still under the older mortgage registry. For Golden Visa buyers the zone is the pre-check that matters: Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands over 3,100 residents require €800,000, everywhere else €400,000. Key information to collect before proceeding further:

• The property’s cadastral reference number (the KAEK code)
• The built area in square metres as stated on the building permit, not the listing
• The municipality and zone classification (relevant to Golden Visa thresholds)
• Whether the property is registered in the Hellenic National Cadastre (Ktimatologio) or still held under the older mortgage registry

For Golden Visa applicants, the viewing stage carries a critical pre-check. Law 5100/2024 divides Greece into two investment threshold zones. Properties in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and other island municipalities with more than 3,100 residents require a minimum investment of EUR 800,000. Properties elsewhere qualify at EUR 400,000. Misreading the zone and proceeding to offer can cost you the deposit.

Ask the agent for the E9 property declaration form before you proceed. This document shows the cadastral coordinates, built area, and ownership details at the tax authority level and costs nothing to obtain.

Stage 2: Instructing Your Lawyer

Instruct an independent Greek-qualified lawyer before any written offer or any payment, because two of their pre-offer checks can end the deal outright. Outstanding ENFIA arrears attach to the property and follow it to the buyer, and a twenty-year title search routinely surfaces inherited fractional shares held by heirs who are abroad or untraceable. Neither is visible in a listing, and neither is something an estate agent is obliged to tell you. Instruct an independent Greek-qualified lawyer before any written offer, any verbal commitment backed by payment, or any preliminary agreement. This is not optional and it is not a formality.

Your lawyer’s pre-offer tasks include:

• Title search tracing ownership for at least 20 years
• Cadastre status check (registered, pending, or still at the old mortgage registry)
• Encumbrance search: mortgages, liens, servitudes, or court attachments
• Outstanding ENFIA property tax arrears check (these attach to the property and follow the asset to the buyer)
• Building permit and planning compliance overview
• For Golden Visa buyers: confirmation of the built residential area against cadastral records

For the full scope of what Greek property due diligence covers, see our due diligence Greece property checklist.

Lawyer conveyancing fees in Greece typically run 1% to 2% of the purchase price, sometimes with a floor around EUR 1,500 for lower-value properties. The full cost breakdown including transfer tax (3.09%) is detailed in our cost of buying property in Greece guide.

Stage 3: Negotiation Norms

Two differences from the UK and US markets matter most. Greek asking-to-sale discounts typically run 5% to 15%, considerably wider than the 3% to 7% UK average, so an opening offer at asking price is rarely expected outside prime central Athens and peak island markets. And once a preliminary agreement is signed it is legally binding, so gazumping risk is very low, unlike the UK where the risk persists until exchange. Greek negotiation culture differs meaningfully from the UK and US markets. Understanding those differences saves time and prevents misreads.

Practical negotiation principles for Greece:

Open offers are rarely accepted at asking price outside prime central Athens and peak-season island hotspots. Distressed properties and inherited estates often carry more room, sometimes 15% to 20% below asking, because multiple heirs frequently want a clean and quick exit.

Cash buyers with verifiable proof of funds attract better prices. Greek sellers carry real completion risk when buyers rely on overseas financing; a documented cash position removes that risk and justifies a discount.

Confirm every agreed term in writing before any payment. An email summary of the agreed price, deposit structure, and indicative completion date is a minimum record that protects you if a dispute arises later.

Once both parties sign the preliminary agreement, the deal is legally locked. Sellers who pull out in good faith after signing owe the buyer double the deposit. This structural security is one of the advantages of the Greek system over the UK approach, where either side can withdraw up to exchange.

Stage 4: The Preliminary Agreement

The symvolaio proanaforas is a notarial or written preliminary agreement that formalises the accepted offer. It is the most important document between offer acceptance and the final deed, and it must be drafted or reviewed by your lawyer, never by the seller’s agent.

A properly structured preliminary agreement includes:

• Full names, addresses, and Greek tax identification numbers (AFM) of both parties

• Complete property description with cadastral coordinates and built area in square metres

• Agreed purchase price and payment structure

• Deposit amount and the specific conditions under which it is forfeited or returned double

• Target completion date, typically 30 to 90 days from signing

• Penalties for delayed or failed completion by either party

Conditions precedent are the protective clauses your lawyer inserts that allow you to withdraw and recover your deposit if a specific condition is not met by completion. For a 2026 purchase the standard set includes:

• Clean title at the cadastre with no encumbrances
• ENFIA clearance certificate confirming zero outstanding property tax
• Building permit conformity certificate showing no unauthorised construction
• For Golden Visa buyers: engineer-certified built area of at least 120 square metres (see our Greece Golden Visa 120 square metre rule guide)
• For Golden Visa buyers: confirmation the purchase price meets the Law 5100/2024 zone threshold

Without conditions precedent, you may be contractually obligated to complete even if a title defect surfaces during due diligence. Never sign a preliminary agreement that lacks them.

The preliminary agreement (προσύμφωνο) is where the conditions belong, because after it the deposit is at risk and before it you have no claim on the property. It is notarised, it binds both parties, and the deposit that accompanies it is customarily 10% of the price, forfeited if the buyer withdraws and repayable at double if the seller does. Four conditions precedent are worth insisting on in a foreign-buyer transaction: clean title confirmed by your lawyer’s search, certified main usable area above 120 square metres where a Golden Visa depends on it, legalisation of any unpermitted works at the seller’s cost, and, for a non-EU buyer in a border zone, Ministry of National Defence approval, without which the deposit is otherwise lost on refusal. Each of those takes days to draft and months to remedy if omitted.

Stage 5: Deposit Structures

The 10% standard follows a long-established Greek civil law convention under Article 402 of the Civil Code. The deposit is paid at signing of the preliminary agreement, almost always by bank transfer.

Since Circular 1/2026 from the Bank of Greece tightened anti-money-laundering requirements for real estate transactions, Golden Visa buyers must route all payments through a Greek bank account held in the buyer’s own name. Payments sent directly from a foreign account to the seller without a Greek account intermediary no longer satisfy the compliance requirement. This applies to the deposit, the transfer tax payment, and the balance at deed.

Confirm with your lawyer before wiring the deposit that your payment documentation will satisfy the circular. Opening a Greek bank account typically takes one to three weeks and requires your AFM number, passport, and proof of address.

For buyers new to the AFM process, see buying property in Greece as a foreigner.

Note that the transfer tax in Greece is 3.09% of whichever is higher: the objective tax value assigned by the authorities or the contractual purchase price. On most island and urban properties the contractual price now exceeds the objective value, so the tax is effectively 3.09% of what you actually pay. Your lawyer calculates the exact figure and pays it to the tax authority before the notary will schedule the deed signing.

Greek deposits come in two legal forms and the difference decides what happens when a deal collapses. An αρραβώνας paid under a notarised preliminary agreement is forfeited if the buyer withdraws and repayable at double if the seller does, which is symmetrical and enforceable. A reservation fee paid to an agent before any preliminary agreement is neither: its terms are whatever the receipt says, and on off-plan schemes it is commonly non-refundable on buyer withdrawal. Customary deposit size is 10% of the price, so €40,000 on a €400,000 purchase. The rule that protects that money is simple and frequently ignored: pay nothing beyond a modest reservation before your lawyer is instructed, and pay the 10% only into a preliminary agreement carrying the conditions precedent you need.

Stage 6: The Due Diligence Window

The period between signing the preliminary agreement and the final deed is when your lawyer completes full due diligence. The window is typically 30 to 60 days for standard purchases and can extend further for Golden Visa transactions where additional government approvals are required.

Your lawyer’s tasks during this window:

• Full title search going back at least 20 years, longer for rural or island properties
• Confirmation that the seller has paid all ENFIA arrears through the current year
• Tax authority clearance certificate confirming no income tax debts attached to the property
• Building permit check and confirmation that any visible extensions or renovations were duly permitted
• Check for pending litigation, court attachments, or expropriation proceedings
• For apartment purchases: review of the building management rules and any outstanding common area service charges
• For island or coastal properties: verification the property does not fall within a protected forestry zone or the 50-metre coastal protection strip

Your lawyer delivers a written due diligence report before the completion date. If any issue surfaces that triggers a condition precedent, you are entitled to withdraw and recover your deposit in full.

For the complete purchase journey from search to handover, see our guide how to buy property in Greece step by step.

Role of Agent vs Lawyer at the Offer Stage

The dividing line is simple and expensive to get wrong: the agent finds and communicates, the lawyer verifies and drafts. A Greek estate agent has no fiduciary duty to the buyer, should not draft your preliminary agreement, cannot run a title search, and can only flag Golden Visa eligibility rather than certify it. Accepting a preliminary agreement written by the seller’s agent, unreviewed by your own lawyer, is the single most common structural mistake foreign buyers make. One of the most common mistakes foreign buyers make is misunderstanding what each party in the transaction is responsible for. Agents and lawyers serve entirely different functions.

Accepting a preliminary agreement drafted by the seller’s agent, without your own lawyer reviewing it, is a significant risk. Agent-prepared preliminary agreements frequently omit conditions precedent and penalty clauses. They are written to move the deal forward, not to protect the buyer.

Greek estate agents are regulated under Law 4072/2012 and must hold a professional licence. Their commission is typically 2% of the purchase price, paid by the buyer. On higher-value transactions above EUR 500,000 this is sometimes negotiable.

Remote Buyers: POA and Video Viewing Risks

Remote buyers complete Greek property purchases entirely from abroad using a Power of Attorney granted to a Greek lawyer. Under the POA the lawyer can sign the preliminary agreement, open the Greek bank account, pay the transfer tax, and sign the final notarial deed on your behalf without you needing to travel to Greece.

For the full POA process including what the document must contain and how to have it notarised and apostilled in your home country, see our Power of Attorney for Greek property guide.

Video viewing risks are real and consistently underestimated. Remote buyers who skip an in-person inspection have reported:

• Built area smaller than listed, confirmed only when the engineer measured for the deed
• Undisclosed shared access arrangements or neighbour disputes not visible on camera
• Structural or damp issues not captured in a well-lit video tour
• Location factors that no video conveys: noise, access road quality, proximity to commercial activity

If you cannot inspect in person, instruct an independent local architect or structural engineer to visit the property and produce a written condition and measurement report before you sign or pay anything. This report typically costs EUR 300 to EUR 600 and can prevent costly surprises later.

Golden Visa Buyers: Checklist Before You Offer

Five confirmations before an offer, and two of them regularly disqualify a property outright. Confirm the municipality and zone under Law 5100/2024 to establish whether the threshold is €400,000 or €800,000, and obtain the cadastral certificate showing at least 120 square metres of built residential area, since plot area and shared common space do not count. Then check fractional ownership, the Greek bank account required under Circular 1/2026, and residential rather than mixed-use designation. Pre-offer checklist for Golden Visa applicants:

1. Confirm the property’s municipality and zone under Law 5100/2024 (EUR 800,000 or EUR 400,000 threshold)
2. Obtain the cadastral certificate and confirm built residential area is at least 120 square metres. Plot area and shared common spaces do not count toward this figure.
3. Confirm any fractional ownership structure does not place your individual share value below the threshold
4. Verify you have or will open a Greek bank account before paying any deposit (Circular 1/2026)
5. Confirm the property is designated residential, not commercial or mixed-use

For the full Golden Visa purchase and residency application process, see our Greece Golden Visa property guide 2026 and our specific page on the 120 sqm built area requirement.

Offer to Deed: Typical Timeline

Red flags to check

Five behaviours at the offer stage should stop a transaction rather than slow it. The common thread is pressure applied before documentation exists: money requested before anything is signed, urgency used to discourage lawyer involvement, deposits routed to an agent’s own account rather than to the seller under a written agreement, and an inability to produce a title extract or cadastral certificate that any clean seller can supply within days. Verbal-only commitment requests. Any arrangement where you are asked to pay money before a written document is prepared is a red flag. No payment without a signed agreement.

Pressure to skip or delay lawyer involvement. Framed as “it will slow things down” or “the seller has another interested buyer.” A legitimate seller has no reason to fear buyer due diligence. An illegitimate transaction benefits from you skipping it.

Deposit requests from the agent directly rather than via a notarial escrow or direct transfer to the seller per a written agreement. Agent-held deposits have no legal protection if the agent becomes insolvent or acts improperly.

Inability to produce a clear title extract or cadastral certificate. Any seller with a clean title can produce these within days. Delays or excuses on basic documentation warrant serious scrutiny.

Extremely compressed completion timelines that collapse the due diligence window below 30 days without a clear reason tied to the seller’s circumstances.

Claims of unmeasured or permit-exempt extensions. Additional rooms, terraces, or floors described as “not yet registered but included in the price” carry regularisation costs, permit fines, and potentially a legal obligation to demolish. Price these in or exclude them from the agreed built area.

No notary for the final deed. Under Greek law the final property transfer deed must be signed before a licensed notary (symvolaiografos). Any structure that attempts to transfer ownership without notarial involvement is illegal and will not be registerable at the cadastre.

Greece has a well-functioning notarial and cadastral system. Legitimate sellers and agents operate openly within it. If any party in your transaction is pushing you to move faster, skip documentation, or avoid professional oversight, that is the signal to pause and reassess.

---

Buyer scenarios

Decision rule: If the seller refuses a written preliminary agreement reviewed by your lawyer, or compresses due diligence below 30 days without a documented reason, walk away regardless of price. The deposit forfeiture risk on a contaminated title exceeds any discount on the purchase price.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

What deposit do I pay when making an offer on a Greek property? +

The standard deposit in Greece is 10% of the agreed purchase price, paid at the time you sign the preliminary agreement. If the buyer withdraws the deposit is forfeited. If the seller withdraws they must return double the deposit amount under Article 402 of the Greek Civil Code.

Do I need a lawyer before making an offer in Greece? +

Yes. You should instruct an independent Greek-qualified lawyer before signing any preliminary agreement or paying any deposit. The lawyer checks title, cadastre registration, ENFIA tax arrears, and building permit compliance before you commit any funds. Accepting a preliminary agreement without your own lawyer review is one of the most common and costly errors foreign buyers make.

How long does it take from offer to final deed in Greece? +

The typical timeline is 10 to 14 weeks from accepted offer to notarial deed, including a due diligence window of 30 to 60 days. Golden Visa purchases sometimes take slightly longer due to Circular 1/2026 bank account setup and additional compliance checks under Law 5100/2024.

Can I make an offer on Greek property without visiting in person? +

Yes. Remote buyers use a Power of Attorney granted to a Greek lawyer, who signs the preliminary agreement and final deed on their behalf. However, video viewings carry real risks around built area, structural condition, and access. An independent local architect or engineer should inspect and measure the property before any money is committed.

What is a symvolaio proanaforas? +

A symvolaio proanaforas is the preliminary agreement signed before the final notarial deed. It is legally binding on both parties and sets the purchase price, deposit structure, conditions precedent that must be satisfied before completion, and the target deed date. Your lawyer must draft or review it before you sign.

How does negotiation work in Greece compared to the UK or US? +

Greek sellers typically price with negotiating room, and discounts of 5% to 15% are common outside peak prime markets. Distressed and inherited properties often offer more room. Unlike the UK, once both parties sign the preliminary agreement there is no gazumping: the deal is legally binding and sellers who withdraw owe double the deposit.

What must Golden Visa buyers confirm before making an offer? +

Under Law 5100/2024, Golden Visa buyers must confirm the zone threshold (EUR 800,000 in high-demand areas, EUR 400,000 elsewhere), that the built residential area is at least 120 square metres per the cadastral certificate, and that they will have a Greek bank account open before any payment as required by Circular 1/2026.

What are the biggest red flags when making an offer on Greek property? +

Key red flags include: pressure to skip or delay lawyer instruction; verbal-only commitments accompanied by deposit requests; the agent holding the deposit rather than it going directly to the seller under a written agreement; inability to produce a title extract or cadastral certificate; extremely compressed due diligence timelines; and any arrangement that tries to avoid notarial involvement in the final deed.