From
USA:
We have known
Geof and Lida since 1981 when we spent eight months living
on Skiathos and became close friends with their family.
We have since been back four or five times, always to
stay with them and to continue our friendship.
When we decided
to buy land on Skiathos a couple of years ago, we realised
that the only practical way to do that was to give Geof
an unlimited power of attorney to carry it out, and we
also opened a bank account there with Geof as a co-signatory.
We had several reasons for doing this. In the first place
we trust Geof completely, and that trust is based on twenty
years of friendship and seeing how he conducts himself
with both clients and Skiathitees. He knows everyone on
the island and is trusted by virtually all of them because
they know him to be honest, and to be more interested
in maintaining positive relationships than in gouging
the last cent out of everything for himself.
Secondly, given
the inevitable delays and red tape of doing business in
Skiathos, it is very difficult to accomplish a complete
transaction by going there oneself--unless you can stay
for weeks or months while people get around to doing what
they are supposed to do. Geof knows what to do, who to
nudge and remind, and can be trusted to keep your best
interests in mind. He also knows who is competent and
who is not.
I can simply
give an unqualified recommendation of Geof.
Bill Hutchinson,
San Francisco, California.
We cannot recommend
Geof Baldry highly enough. He was instrumental in helping
us organize our new life on Skiathos.
Besides showing us the perfect property and seeing us
through the negotiation and purchase, he ushered us through
the Byzantine legal system. He also introduced us to the
Architect/builder and other excellent professionals.
In short, if it weren't for Geof, our life on Skiathos
might not have turned out so ideally.
Anthea Sylbert
Richard Romanus
2014
was not a good year to sell property in Greece: recession,
changing rules, new taxes, stability absent, plus the
'normal' rocks and shoals.
One cannot hide on a small island; Geof need not. His
knowledge, reputation and intelligence is unparalleled.
Geof guided us through unimaginable obstacles (brand new
laws which were changing as we were in the process of
selling) .He was able to do this because he is straight-forward
in his dealings; whether it is a bank question or something
that only a notary, accountant or attorney can answer,
Geof knows the question and where the answer can be found.
If the above describes a person with a strong will, determination,
knowledge and a solid work ethic, that's Geof; but
there is another side too: the laid-back, easy going,
relaxed, multi-lingual jokester who loves company and
a relaxed lunch or evening, aka a good person to have
as a friend.
We recommend Geof without reservation and with the greatest
enthusiasm.
Bruce and Marcia Hunt, Marshfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
From
Germany:
Dear Geof,
This is to thank
you for your outstanding and professional support selling
my holiday home on Skiathos Island.
When I decided to sell in September 2003 you were recommended
by my neighbours as an estate agent with excellent reputation
here in Skiathos.
Your realistic evaluation of the property and your remarkable
knowledge about all the specific Greek rules and regulations
were most efficient and led to a very quick sale. Only
a few days after we first met you presented two possible
buyers already, although the house was not yet published
through the internet. This shows the efficiency of your
work as well as the enormous amount of trust from people
on the buyer's side. Furthermore you organized all the
required details like finding lawyers, sorting out tax
declarations, finding a date at the notary office and
many other things, to my full satisfaction. To manage
all this myself would have been just impossible because
I don't speak any Greek. Overall I must conclude that
this case was perfectly managed by you from day one up
to the last minute.
Your enthusiasm and total professionalism was deeply appreciated
and your effort must be commended by all means.
Good luck and all the best for your future projects.
Regards
M. Schuster, Hude /
Germany
Sehr
geehrter Herr Baldry,
hiermit mochte ich
mich fur hervorragende und professionelle Unterstutzung
beim Verkauf meines Ferienhauses auf Skiathos bedanken.
Kurzfristig habe ich mich im September 2003 fur den Verkauf
meiner Immobilie entschieden und habe von Nachbarn den
Tipp erhalten, Sie als Vermittler einzusetzen, weil Sie
auf Skiathos einen sehr guten Ruf geniessen.
Ihre realistische Einschatzung des Verkehrswertes und
Ihre bemerkenswerte Sachkenntnis fuhrten zu einem au?erst
schnellen Kaufabschluss. Wenige Tage nach unserem ersten
Treffen
hatten Sie schon zwei seriose Kaufinteressenten angeboten,
obwohl das Haus noch nicht im Internet veroffentlicht
war. Dieser Umstand beweist die Effizienz Ihrer Arbeit
und spricht fur das grosse Vertrauen der Kauferseite zu
Ihnen. Daruber hinaus haben Sie die vielen aufwendigen
organisatorischen Details, fur die meine Griechischkenntnisse
nicht ausreichen,
( Anwaltsuche, Steuererklarung, Notartermin und andere
Behordengange ) zu meiner vollsten Zufriedenheit erledigt.
Insgesamt fuhlte mich wahrend der gesamten Verkaufsphase
rundum perfekt durch Sie betreut.
Ihr Engagement und Ihre Professionalitat haben mich uberzeugt
und ich mochte Sie hiermit unbedingt weiter empfehlen.
Fur Ihre Zukunft wunsche ich Ihnen viel Erfolg und alles
Gute.
M. Schuster, Hude /
Germany.
Einige
Male hatte ich geschäftlich mit Herrn Geof Baldry
zu tun. Er erwies sich als kompetent,vertrauenswürdig
und seriös.
Ich empfahl ihn deshalb Freunden,die ebenfalls sehr zufrieden
mit ihm waren.
C.Konstantinou
Skiathos im September
2006
From
UK:
Dear
Geof
Thank you for helping us with the sale of our villa in
Skiathos.
Thanks to the efforts of you and your team, everything
went smoothly with a minimum of fuss and disruption to
our lives.
I would happily recommend your services to anyone contemplating
buying or selling a property on Skiathos.
Regards,
Michael and Denise Nairn
Dear
Geof,
Just a quick note
to say thanks for all the help you gave us in finding
our Skiathos home.
It was excellent to find someone who not only gave good
advice, but also followed it through and made himself
available to help at any time.
I think it would have been pretty difficult to have done
this without your help. I would recommend your services
to anyone else looking for property on Skiathos.
Thanks and regards,
Kate and Andy Thurling
Hi
Geof,
We would like to
thank you for all your help in making our dream come true,
that dream was to buy a house & live in Skiathos.
We first starting
corresponding with back at the beginning of the year,
finally meeting you in June with a list of properties
we were interested in. After viewing several of those
properties we decided that the little town house was the
one for us.
With a lot of help
from you that finally became a reality on the 2nd September
2004.
We will be moving
to Skiathos all being well around the middle of October.
So once again Geoff
we would like to thank you for all the help and advice
that you have given us, and hope you can join us for a
celebratory drink when we have settled in.
With the kindest
regards,
Sally & Beccy
In
2003 we contacted Geof Baldry with a view to buying a
Villa here on the island of Skiathos for our retirement.
Geof arranged for us to see many villas, but we were unable
to find anything that suited us. We decided, eventually,
to buy a plot of land and build our own villa. Once again
Geof was very helpful assisting us in the search for the
perfect plot and showing us Villa designs to build. The
land was finally purchased and we retained Geof's services
as our agent, to be in charge of the building project
whilst we remained in England. Due to Geof's business
and language skills and his professional capabilities
we are now living in our villa here on the Island.
Thanks Geof, Anne and Max Kemp.
We
purchased a Villa in Skiathos in Sept 2005 through
Geof Baldry. The transaction took 3 months,
Geof guided us through the legalities, finance, tax
& setting up utility payments. We asked ourselves
when we first met Geof, "Can you trust a guy
who looks as though he does not even own a comb".
The answer is yes implicitly, he's not just an estate
agent, he is a dream maker.
Philip and Pat Hawker
England
Hello
Geof
We would like
to thank you for all the help you gave us to buy our Villa
in Skiathos. You were with us every step of the way while
we were there, also by e-mail whilst in the U.K., not
only guiding us through all the legal transactions, but
actually being by our side translating everything
as we do not speak Greek yet.
I do not know how we would have bought a property in Skiathos
without you. You went way beyond your call of duty
as an Estate Agent, making the whole process a joy and
great learning experience.
Things like electricity, fuel for heating, buying a car,
recommending a Lawyer (who was excellent), meeting the
Notary, finding an Accountant, locating shops to buy items
for the Villa would have been difficult without your help.
I would recommend you as an Estate Agent to anyone contemplating
buying a property in Skiathos.
Thank you again Geof.
Regards Margaret and Brian Poole
October 2006
Dear
Geof
To-day, the 16th March 2007, we finally got the e-mail
we had been waiting for. The one that has at last made
our dream come true. We are the proud owners of a home
in Skiathos. This is mainly down to the man with the brown
satchel. This is the description Geof gave to us on meeting
him.
Without you Geof, Yannis and all the other people involved,
your hard work and determination, we would not have been
able to do this.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and can't
wait to be there.
With fondest regards
Sue and Steve Krauth (Birmingham U.K.)
aka Mo and Balconies
I have
known Geof Baldry and his team at Skiathos Property for
four years.
Geof acted for me during my purchase of a villa on the
island.
The integrity and professionalism shown by Geof and his
team has at all times been of the highest standard and
beyond reproach.
I have no hesitation in recommending Skiathos Property
as a safe pair of hands for anyone considering such a
purchase.
Steve Dillon, UK.
In
June 2010 we arranged to meet Geof Baldry whilst on holiday
in Skiathos to look at possible holiday homes. From the
very first email correspondence before flying out he
was very helpful. When we met him in his office he took
the time to find out the type of property we were interested
in and after viewing five we settled on one. Through all
stages of the process he advised us of the best way to
do things in Greece. He knows all the right people to
get things done quickly and with the least effort. He
was able to advise us on opening a bank account in Greece,
obtaining a Greek tax number; he helped with the Public
Notary and finding a helpful solicitor and accountant
who all spoke excellent English. We met again on Skiathos
in late September and within two days of arriving we had
signed the sales contract and moved in the following day.
If you are thinking
of buying a home on Skiathos Geof is the man to speak
to.
Ian
& Stephen
London
Geof
Thanks so much for all of your help regarding our house
purchase. It all went smoothly thanks to your efficiency
and clear explanation of procedures. It was also
great to know that we could completely trust someone in
a different country who speaks the language. In
addition to this, thanks for your advice regarding tax
and building services -all very valuable. We would
recommend you without hesitation.
Roger & Nicola
From
Holland:
Hallo
Geof,
We
hebben elkaar leren kennen rond het jaar 2000. Lange tijd
hebben we gezocht naar een geschikt stukje grond om onze
droom te verwezenlijken. Door gezamenlijk de juiste mensen
bij elkaar te brengen en het nodige doorzettingsvermogen
hebben we uiteindelijk een prachtig resultaat bereikt.
Om
een dergelijk project te realiseren hebben we kunnen rekenen
op jouw goede en betrouwbare adviezen. Het bouwen van
een huis op een grote afstand is niet eenvoudig maar door
goede communicatie via internet konden we het maximaal
haalbare bereiken. Door een traject van 4 jaar bouwen
hebben we een heel goed, eerlijk en intensief contact
gekregen met elkaar. Griekenland is voor ons een totaal
andere cultuur, jij hebt ons, misschien onbewust
geleerd om daar op goede wijze mee om te gaan en dit op
de juiste wijze te waarderen. Wij zullen je dan
ook zeer positief adviseren naar ieder die op dit eiland
iets wil verkopen, kopen of bouwen.
Geof,
bedankt wij hebben hebben het gevoel er een goede vriend
erbij gekregen te hebben.
Tot
straks! Astrid en Eric
Ελληνικά
Αγαπητέ
Geof
Αφού
πέρασα πολλά καλοκαίρια διακοπών στην Σκιάθο, ιδιαίτερα
τα τελευταία επτά χρόνια, κάποια στιγμή αποφάσισα να αγοράσω
ένα ακίνητο στο νησί.
Ετσι
σε συνάντησα και σου ζήτησα να με βοηθήσεις σ’ αυτήν την
αναζήτησή μου, πράγμα που αποδείχθηκε κάτι όχι και πολύ
εύκολο, αφού οι απαιτήσεις μου άλλαζαν, λίγο ή πολύ, χρόνο
με τον χρόνο.
Επί
αρκετά χρόνια λοιπόν, υπομονετικά και αντικειμενικά, με
πραγματικό ενδιαφέρον και εξαιρετική γνώση όλων των υπέρ
και κατά της κτηματαγοράς του νησιού, με συμβούλεψες και
με βοήθησες να βρώ, τελικά, το οικόπεδο που ονειρευόμουνα.
Η βοήθειά σου ήταν επίσης σημαντική σ΄όλη την διάρκεια
των διαπραγματεύσεων, μέχρι και την τελικη υπογραφή.
Επιπλέον,
παρ’ότι η σύζυγός μου είναι αρχιτέκτων και είμαστε μέτοχοι
μιας κατασκευαστικής εταιρίας, ξέρω ότι, όταν έρθει η
ώρα να χτίσουμε στο οικόπεδό μας, θα μπορώ να στηριχτώ
στις συστάσεις σου για επιλέξω τους κατάλληλους ντόπιους
εργολάβους.
Σ’ευχαριστώ
Geof, για όλη σου την τιμιότητα και τον επαγγελματισμό
σου.
Σ’
ευχαριστώ ακόμα πού, στη διάρκεια της πολύχρονης επαφής
και γνωριμίας μας, έγινες κάτι πολύ παραπάνω από μια απλή
επαγγελματική γνωριμία ; ένας φίλος.
Δημήτρης
Σίμος
Πολλες
φορες συνεργασθηκα με τον Geof
Baldry επαγγελματικα
.
Εδειξε ανθρωπο που γνωριζει πολυ καλα την δουλια
του, ανθρωπο εμπειστο , ειλεκρινη
και συνεπη.
Τον συνεστησα σε πολλους φιλους ,οι οποιοι εμειναν ευχαριστημενοι
.
Konstantin
Konstantinou
From Ireland:
Dear
Geof,
What can we say, this has to be the most professional
service we have ever had from an estate agent, in any
of the countries we have looked at over the last few years,
and we have been looking. You really know your business
and with help from Jackie we had such a good experience
with your office.
You knew when to call and who, and approx. how long in
Greek Time things take. Everything just went so
smoothly, lucky for us. Everybody has good and bad
days but with you there never seems to be a bad day. We
have passed the word around here and hopefully you will
have more Irish business.
You could teach some of the Irish estate agents a few
lessons.
Once again a big thank you and see you next year.
Regards,
Mary & Vinny
Dublin
From
South Africa:
We met Geof Baldry
in 2006 when we walked into his office off Papadiamanti
Street and announced that we were interest in buying a
house on the island.
He took a good look
at the “tourists” and was convinced that we were indeed
interested in acquiring a property on Skiathos and not
just any Greek island. Geof is very passionate about Skiathos,
has lived there most of his life and knows just about
everybody!
His welcoming yet
professional approach in assessing and establishing our
requirements, recommending select properties and his subsequent
advice on the various banking, legal and tax requirements
in Skiathos/Greece was invaluable.
He literally fulfilled
his promise that “he would be there for us every step
of the way” and gave a new meaning to the words “service
excellence”.
We recommend Geof
without any hesitation whatsoever to any future investors.
They will not only acquire the services of an honourable
businessman but also a good friend.
George and Hetti
Vassiloudis.
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