EU buyers snap up local realty

• 28 May, 25

Investors from countries in Western Europe have increased their purchases by up to 103%

Buyers from the European Union are becoming the driving force of foreign investment activity for the acquisition of real estate in Greece.

This trend had already been evident since 2024, despite the unfavorable macroeconomic environment and the increase in interest rates, but this year, thanks to the easing trajectory of monetary policy, it is taking on even greater significance.

In a new analysis from a company specializing in promoting holiday homes in Greece to foreign buyers, it was observed that during the first four months of this year, there was a sharp increase in property sales to international clients compared to the same period in 2024.

“After collecting data for the month of April, we find that we have recorded an increase in sales to Dutch buyers by 91%, to Belgians by 103% and to Germans (which of course also include Greek expatriates) by 64%,” says the company’s CEO, Giorgos Gavriilidis.

Based on the analysis of the Greek company based in the Netherlands (Utrecht), most buyers are looking for holiday homes with a purchase cost of 250,000-600,000 euros, with most of them moving between €350,000 and €450,000.

The most active investors are the Dutch and then the Belgians. Approximately 50% of buyers from these countries have an investment orientation and choose to exploit their holiday home for the time they are not using it themselves. On the contrary, buyers from countries such as Germany and France are more oriented toward use for themselves, though some of them also aim to rent it out short-term.

Buyers from northwestern Europe (e.g. Dutch, Belgians, Germans, Swiss and French) prefer to purchase a holiday home on Crete, in the Ionian Islands, the Peloponnese and Rhodes. Some of them also choose some of the Cyclades islands, where they can find good investment opportunities.

Based on data from the Bank of Greece for 2024, buyers from EU countries spent €1 billion on the acquisition of real estate in Greece, a figure that was 52.5% higher than in 2023.

Cre: ekathimerini