Dimitris Melachroinos

In Greece, we use one word to symbolize the safety and security of living in a privately-owned home: keramidi (roof tile).

Asking prices for property sales and rental rates in Athens and Thessaloniki continue to rise, in the main, with just a few exceptions, according to a January survey carried out by online property ads platform Spitogatos.

Property prices in Greece posted an annual increase of up to 28 percent last year, while rental rates rose by up to 25.2 percent, with those figures recorded in Thessaloniki and Piraeus respectively. Across the country sale prices rose 8 percent while rents showed an average increase of 10 percent, according to data from the Spitogatos Property Index of property ad website Spitogatos.

Almost 70 percent of the residence permits issued to date through the Golden Visa program have resulted from investments in the region of Attica, while foreign investment in the local property market is soaring.