Client story
Client Story
Where they started
The client's request was emotional and understandable: I want to live with a view of the Aegean Sea, on an island. The problem lies in the numbers. After the Greece Golden Visa reform, the most famous islands (Mykonos, Santorini, and other large ones) entered the premium zone with an entry threshold of €800,000. The client's budget was calculated for €400,000, and it seemed the island dream would have to be postponed.
Why the standard route did not work
But it is important to understand exactly how the premium zone boundary was drawn. It is not "all islands are expensive." The premium threshold of €800,000 is tied to specific locations and large, populated islands. Small islands, however - with population below the established threshold (approximately 3,100 inhabitants) - do not fall into the premium zone and are subject to the general level of €400,000. That is, one island differs from another: it is not about the word itself, but about the population of the specific island.
What BRIDGES had to solve
This opened up a solution. Instead of pushing toward an expensive premium island, we began searching for a small island - one that by population does not reach the premium threshold and therefore provides entry at €400,000, while maintaining that very island quality of life that was the whole point.
Why a standard answer would not do
At BRIDGES, we selected a suitable small island and property on it, verifying that by status it fell within the €400,000 threshold rather than the premium zone, and completed the transaction. The client obtained both an island and a Golden Visa - twice as cheap as a home on a premium island would have cost.
I specifically wanted an island, with a sea view - it was my dream. But I was told that islands now cost 800 thousand euros, and my budget is 400. BRIDGES explained that the expensive ones are large, populated islands, while small islands with fewer people go at the 400 thousand threshold. They found such an island and a property on it, verified the status, and completed the deal. As a result, I have a home on a Greek island and a Golden Visa for 400 thousand, not 800. I did not even know that islands were divided by population - and that solved everything.
