“No German will catch a cold in Greece.” Here’s what the smiling mayor of Chania, Crete, tells Bild’s camera. His promise Panagiotis Simantirakis it seems that he has already warmed the hearts of thousands of panicked Germans price increase and the forecast for its price will skyrocket natural gashence, in search of a plan B. The same invitation was sent to German pensioners by the Minister of Tourism. Vasilis Kikilias promotion of Crete, the southernmost tip of Europe, as an ideal refuge from energy crisis. The topic systematically worries the German-language media, who are trying to find out whether the offer is more than tempting and realistic, since after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the domino events caused by it, a large percentage of pensioners, especially in Germany, declare that they “do not leave.”

Many kilometers further from Greece, in Bremenhafen near Bremen, in the Greek restaurant of Alexis Vaios, the discussion about “escape” to Greece is a daily occurrence. “They ask me a thousand and two things about life, including if I can put them in touch with the right people.” refers to “K”. “The climate here, unfortunately, is gloomy,” he notes. In the wider area, many restaurateurs close their doors, others only open on weekends. So it’s no surprise that images of sunny cafes in Chania that went viral in a popular newspaper haunted Germans’ dreams.

They buy houses

“Since the day the report was played, we have received about fifteen emails a day,” refers to “K” Cretan real estate agent Yiannis Criaras, which appears in the corresponding video. After all, it is no coincidence that the Germans rose to first place among foreign homebuyers in Greece in the first half of 2022. Two categories are flirting with the idea of ​​moving, even if only for the winter months, to Greece. : pensioners and those who can work remotely. “These are different population groups with different desires, but also different economic surfaces,” he explains, thus wanting to answer the Tageszeitung, which deconstructs the arguments about profitable living in Greece, as it speaks of a rapid increase in prices in recent months.

“Houses in Chania sought after by students and civil servants assigned to the island are expensive,” he stresses. “I personally pointed out to journalists the very well maintained houses, which are nevertheless located outside of Chania, in the villages, and are available all winter.” Older Germans are looking for a quiet and modest daily life in places where they can have their own garden, walk or ride a bike. “Those who want to work as digital nomads will go to the city, but they have the option to pay a rent of 700 euros,” he adds.

Halkidiki and Katerini

Retirees and digital nomads, these two categories are looking for accommodation in Crete and around Thessaloniki.

Fifteen days ago, on the other side of Greece, a broker in Thessaloniki, Mr. Nikos Manomenidis, director of eXpGreece, received an unexpected call. His colleagues in Germany immediately demanded a detailed online update of the situation in Greek real estate market. Relations between Northern Greece and Germany have always been close, given that the bulk of the Greek guest workers were northern Hellads. Therefore, it was common for them, their children or grandchildren to invest in the family’s place of origin by buying or renovating property.

“The Germans have always loved Halkidiki and Katerini”, Mrs. Elizaveta Andreaki reports to “K”., a broker in Halkidiki who, because he speaks German, has always had a clientele from German-speaking countries. Halkidiki may appeal to Germans for its natural beauty, but Katerini’s choice is interpreted differently. “The road from Thessaloniki to Katerini is perfect, straight with no detours, property prices are affordable and the market is very rich, offering endless choices to German consumers.”

About half of Andreadakis’ clients are Germans, “not German Greeks,” and many of them are determined to turn around. “Those who are of working age want to rent, those who are older start buying real estate.” If someone is forced to stick their hand deeper into their pocket, “they stay at home for a while and take the rest off.”

Ms. Andreaki believes that our country can make significant profits if it adequately uses the possibilities of the silver economy. It is estimated that around 5.5 million German pensioners will move in the coming years. “If 5% or 10% of them choose Greece, we are talking about 250,000 properties.” These national efforts were launched before the pandemic and before the energy crisis. “An excellent program is the Hellenic German Chamber of Commerce’s Happy Retirement in Greece,” concludes Ms. Andreaki, a program that promotes Greece for Germans as an ideal second place to retire.

Key Benefits

“Undoubtedly, the main advantage of our country is the relatively low real estate prices,” says George Petras, Managing Director of Engel & Völkers Greece. “Further lower cost of energy, as we need heating two to three months a year, when it takes six months elsewhere, and the modernization of many infrastructures in the country, such as airports, road networks, etc., also plays an important role. role. role,” he adds. “The other day we had a delegation of journalists from the leading European media who expressed their excitement.” According to him, “the number of applicants from all German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) is increasing, not only for a second home, but also for the first one.”

Quality choice

“I’ve lived in Germany, France and the Netherlands, nowhere did I find such a quality of life as here.” Born and raised in Germany to Greek parents, 50-year-old GS speaks eloquently as he has been living in Greece for at least six months of the year since 2018. “My choice is justified every day on a practical level.” Lately, the 50-year-old businessman has often been asked to give friends details about the cost of living in Greece as more and more German speakers flirt with the idea of ​​fleeing to Greece due to the energy crisis. “This is the only place where a person with 50 euros can leave the house, drink coffee, eat normally with beer,” he clarifies, “in any other place, you need at least 100 euros for all this.” . For a German with a pension of 1,500 euros a month, Greece can offer a quality life. If it is a salaried worker with much higher earnings, living in Greece is a good value for money option. “Despite the rise in prices that we have seen in recent months,” he notes. As for the cost of electricity, which “burns” the Germans, the answers he gives are no less encouraging, since “the weather also helps a lot.” His German friends, who are doing market research in Greece, fearing the winter that will soon set in in their homeland, are mostly 50 to 55 years old. “Some did not use their annual summer vacation to come to Greece for six weeks in the fall or winter.” refers to “K”. And he adds: “Many people think about permanent settlement when they retire.” The only “splinter” is the Greek healthcare system. “Those who ended up in a public hospital while on vacation had a bad impression.”