Michael From Essex
I’m Michael from Essex and I bought my apartment in Paphos two years ago now. It was something I had always wanted to do especially because I love the sunshine and the lifestyle that comes with it. When I sold my house in North London after my divorce I had enough money for my flat in Essex with some left over to invest in property abroad. I chose Paphos because I had been there the year previous with some of my friends and we really enjoyed it. The people were so friendly and we had a great time.
I bought my apartment off a local developer and everything seemed to be going fine. It was only after the signing of an off-plan contract that some difficulties arose. It seemed that we had gotten our wires crossed and some of the things I had asked for were not in the contract.
It was my own fault and I should have had somebody go over the contract before I signed it. Anyway we got over those hurdles and I got my apartment a little behind schedule but that is quite normal and it happens no matter where you are buying even if you are buying in Britain. There are always delays on new builds and if there wasn’t it’s very surprising.
My apartment is in a complex with 20 others so it’s quite small and all my neighbours are British too so I’ve made quite a few good friends in my short time here. We have a communal swimming pool but hey there is only 20 apartments so it’s never full. I strongly recommend purchasing a property in Paphos if you are looking to buy abroad.
It’s cheap here, the weather is amazing, and you don’t need to speak a foreign language. The only thing I will say is that make sure you get someone to check over your contracts before you sign them. My problems were small but they could have been a lot worse so make sure you do this one thing, it could save you a lot of time and money.