The government raised the minimum property investment threshold to as much as €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki and popular islands, a move that has significantly reduced the number of foreign buyers. Capital inflows into the property market dropped by more than 30 percent in the first quarter of 2025, compared with the same period last year.
Figures from the Bank of Greece show that foreign real estate investments reached €356 million between January and March, down from €520 million a year earlier. The Hellenic Association of Societes Anonymes and
Entrepreneurship predicts that inflows for the first half of the year could fall by more than half, leaving the 2025 total at around €550–600 million, compared to €1.15 billion in 2024.
The decline was temporarily softened by a short extension that allowed investors to complete purchases under the old rules, which required €500,000 for properties in central Athens and its suburbs and €250,000 for other parts of Attica. This led to a surge of 1,300 applications in the first two months of the year. However, that pace is not expected to continue under the stricter framework.
Business groups also argue that the market might have been supported if the government had clarified rules allowing residency permits for investments of €250,000 in properties converted to residential use. Even under that provision, however, restrictions remain: such properties cannot be used for short-term rentals and may only serve as primary residences or for long-term leasing.
