Buyer's agent in Greece: a written contract, or no fee.

Is a buyer's agent a registered role in Greece?

Greek agents register with their local chamber of commerce, which enters them in its register of estate agents and in the General Commercial Registry (GEMI). The notarial deed must declare whether an agent was involved, with the agent's GEMI number. A buyer's agent in Greece is simply a registered agent who has signed a brokerage contract with you.

Ask for the GEMI number before you sign. The fee rules in full: Greece real estate agent fees.

Who pays the estate agent in Greece, and how much?

Whoever signed the brokerage contract, due when the main sale contract is signed. Law 4072/2012, article 200, makes the fee freely negotiable with no legal minimum. Buyer guides quoted on our cost page report about 2% per side plus 24% VAT. That is a reported norm, not a rule; the figure in your contract is the only one that counts.

Every other cost, from the 3.09% transfer tax to the Cadastre fee: Greece property buying costs.

Can a Greek agent act for both buyer and seller?

Only if the contract says so. The brokerage contract must state expressly whether the agent may act for the other party as well. If it does not, and the agent does, the client may refuse to pay or reclaim the fee. So if you want an agent working only for you, write that into the contract you sign.

It costs nothing to use: one sentence in the contract you sign.

What does a buyer's agent do in Greece?

Helps you find and negotiate, then coordinates the sequence: a Greek tax number (AFM), usually a Greek bank account, a lawyer's title check at the Cadastre and building-legality check, an optional preliminary contract with a deposit commonly 10%, the transfer tax return, the notarial deed paid by bank transfer, then Cadastre registration.

Two location rules to know first. Non-EU/EFTA buyers need a permit in designated border areas. A rise in transfer tax from 3% to 15% for non-EU buyers was announced in September 2026 and is not law. The full process: buying property in Greece as a foreigner.

What do the notary and the lawyer do in Greece?

A notarial deed is required to transfer property, and since 1 January 2024 the notary runs the transfer through a digital real estate file, pulling tax, engineering and Cadastre certificates. A lawyer is not legally required in every case but is standard practice for foreign buyers. Reported fees: notary 0.80% up to EUR 120,000 plus 24% VAT, lawyer about 1%.

The two records you deal with: the AFM and the Hellenic Cadastre explained.

Where does independent research fit when buying in Greece?

Before the brokerage contract. Brinkman Data analyses every listing for sale in your Greek city and budget, checks rents against real lets, adds the transfer tax and fees, and sends you the five worth buying with a spreadsheet of every listing. It is not an agent, takes no commission and is paid only by the buyer. $499, delivered in 5 days.

Buyer guides put total acquisition costs at 7% to 11% of the price. Golden visa buyers face hard filters too: EUR 800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands of more than 3,100 inhabitants, EUR 400,000 elsewhere, in a single home of at least 120 m2. See Greece golden visa property.

The order that works: research first, then an agent to view and negotiate, then the notary and your own lawyer. The full comparison: how to find a property to buy abroad. What an independent analyst does: independent property analyst. A real report, page by page: the sample report.

Header photo: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.