Who we are and why choose Halkidiki Real Estate?
The company Hellenic Living was established in 1999 by Leonidas Efthimiou who is in fact one of only a handful of Halkidiki real estate agents practising today, who actually possesses a professional qualification.
He was a full-time student at Poligiros higher education college for 2 years, where he successfully completed a specialist course in real estate. The course was assessed by examination and covered a range of topics such as building regulations, architecture, negotiation techniques and property valuation, all of which knowledge is absolutely essential in order to be competent at this job. To keep up to date and continue his professional development, he follows relevant e-learning courses at any given opportunity. For many years Leonidas also subscribed to the Halkidiki Real Estate Agents' Association, which required attending meetings where they informed members about any changes in the Greek law affecting the profession.
In addition to his academic background, Leonidas also has valuable first-hand experience of construction having personally been through the house-building process himself when they built their own home in 2013. Over the years, he has also project-managed numerous refurbishments including bathrooms, kitchens, windows and is currently involved in the complete renovation of an old derelict property belonging to his family, converting it into some apartments for rent.
Leonidas or “Leon” for short, has been fortunate to live permanently in Kassandra Halkidiki for more than 20 years so he is a real expert in the local area and very well known! He grew up mostly in Thessaloniki but his maternal family are born and raised in Halkidiki so every summer even as a child he would spend a lot of time in the area and when he finished his obligatory national service in the army he decided to move for good and live by the sea, settling down in Nea Skioni. In order to improve his English, for a short period he took on an extra summer job at a local hotel then managed by a British company, which is how he came to meet his English future wife who was visiting Halkidiki on holiday. Today Leonidas and his partner Claire together with their daughter Isidora live all year round in Halkidiki.
As they are living permanently in the area, it's no trouble, especially off season during the quieter period to help clients for example with decorating, a renovation, ordering furniture/appliances, receiving a delivery, installing new equipment etc. When a property is nearby they are also happy to go and do an occasional “check” during the winter or after bad weather and report back for your peace of mind because understandably it can be worrying to leave a house unattended for a significant length of time.
Why is our Halkidiki Real Estate agency called Hellenic Living?
As a name for our Halkidiki real estate business we decided upon “Hellenic Living” because we truly believe that the more time someone spends in Halkidiki and are exposed to the very traditional cultures here the more they adapt to Hellenic living, which means the Greek way of life!! Halkidiki real estate can also be considered an investment in health and well-being. Over the years, siga siga “slowly, slowly” as the common Greek phrase goes, people who have a property in Halkidiki find that they start to follow a different, healthier regime here and learn how to relax. The pace of life is slower, with less urgency and stress. Locals for example can wile away hours over their food and drink be it a lunch in a seafood tavern by the sea sipping ouzo and enjoying a tasty mezze or just drinking a cold “frappe” coffee, these things are never “quick”. A day in the life of a Greek starts earlier, before it gets too hot. They go for daily walks and swims (it's not uncommon to be questioned how many times you've been in the sea by the baker!). Everyone follows the unwritten rule of siesta time in the afternoons when all work stops from 2pm until 5pm and people have complete downtime either resting or going to the beach. The diet is healthier, naturally delicious with REAL fresh LOCAL produce like fish and Greek salads. It's not necessary to dress to impress. More time is spent outdoors in the fresh air. The lifestyle nowadays in the cities and also abroad, is much more busy and demanding and there is often no such luxury of time to pause and enjoy. The idea of being able to swap for a simpler way of life is a dream for many but we see that people who buy a property in Halkidiki, a second home, and a place to escape to when their schedule allows instead of jetting off somewhere new on holiday all the time, do learn and acclimatise. As a new face becomes familiar with the locals, they also make new friends and acquaintances and become a part of the community even when they come and go. Hellenic living can literally resuscitate a life so people often don't want to go back to reality and plan to stay longer each visit.
What can Halkidiki Real Estate do for you?
We are specialists in Halkidiki real estate and it is our job to help people to buy and sell Halkidiki properties or a plot of land. We promote Halkidiki real estate but we also provide prospective buyers and tenants with valuable first-hand information about the area thus enabling them to make a well-informed choice. The aim is to offer a personal, professional service to guide and support clients through the process of sales and lettings in Halkidiki, Northern Greece. We make a point of being familiar with our entire Halkidiki real estate portfolio and will show you personally around as much as we can that closely match your search criteria.
For every Halkidiki real estate listing on our website we provide a general overview including the most important details, but understandably some people may wish to know more in order to decide whether to explore an option further and visit Halkidiki for a viewing. We especially appreciate those from abroad need to travel far to view the options, which requires time, effort and expense. For this reason it is not our policy to charge for showing properties. We want to be helpful so will happily answer more specific questions, go to take extra photos of the surroundings and send the exact location, however upon such a request we will kindly ask you sign and complete a simple document with your details, to record the property or properties we have introduced to you. Please be assured that there is no commitment or obligation should you not wish to proceed with the purchase of any of the named options in the future. This form was issued by the Halkidiki real estate association and is the same document you will be asked to complete when you meet with any registered agent in the area and they show properties in person.
When you have decided to purchase some Halkidiki real estate your next step is to select which legal professionals to use to carry out the procedure of transferring the ownership but if you are new to the area we can recommend several local, experienced notaries and lawyers for you to choose. The same applies if it is land you are buying, we have many good engineers and architects in the area who we can refer. During a contract, which is written and read out by the notary in Greek we can also organise for an interpreter to be present.
Leonidas is someone who will go the extra mile to help so when you buy or rent Halkidiki real estate through us we will not desert you after the contract is signed. One of the first jobs you need to do when you take ownership is to connect up or transfer the utilities into your name and we will assist our clients with this obligation. Anything else property related you need, our customers only need to ask. If you want any cleaning, decorating, gardening, building or repairs done to the property and you don't know anyone in the area we are happy to introduce you to local workers.
Conversely, do you own some Halkidiki real estate and wish to sell? You can contact us to have an informal chat or arrange an appointment for us to meet, see your property or plot of land and give you our professional opinion of what it's worth. Our valuations are realistic prices based on the features, condition, our knowledge of the area and recent sales in the local market. Likewise, we will gladly discuss rental prices if you might like to add your property to our list of Halkidiki rentals for longer-term arrangements over the summer season.
Halkidiki real estate is not just a job for us with set, regular office hours. This is our livelihood and we work as necessary from 8 until late, 7 days a week, 365 days a year so you will always find us available.
