Offices
+36 70 421 32 63
Updated 9 October 2026BG-EXPERT

BRIDGES expert

Maria Stavru

Real Estate Analyst, BRIDGES

I work out the market for the client: what the property is really worth, which programme threshold applies to it, what rent is realistic and what it will sell for later. Thirteen years analysing property in Greece and Cyprus, at BRIDGES since 2020.

See the materials
Maria Stavru, Real Estate Analyst, BRIDGES
13 yearsanalysing the property market in Greece and Cyprus
since 2020at BRIDGES, numbers for every property
Athenslives in Greece, works out properties across the country and the islands
4 languagesGreek, Russian, English, German

Path

Tbilisi, Thessaloniki, Athens

Tbilisi, Thessaloniki, Athens. First property valuation, then market research for developers, now the numbers behind every BRIDGES client’s property.

  1. 1988Tbilisi

    Born in Tbilisi into a family of Pontic Greeks. In 1993 the family returned to Greece, to Thessaloniki. Russian at home, Greek at school.

  2. 2006-2011Athens

    Faculty of economics, specialising in real estate economics. Thesis on how holiday lets change prices in Athens’ old districts.

  3. 2011-2017Athens

    Six years at a valuation firm: reports for banks and buyers, comparing real deals, checking floor areas and the permitted use of premises. She learned to tell the listing price from the deal price.

  4. 2017-2020Athens and Thessaloniki

    Market research for developers: where to build, at what price to sell, who the buyer is. She saw the market from the inside and how a developer counts its margin.

  5. 2020BRIDGES

    Joined Igor Venc’s team so that every client property has its own numbers: market price, programme threshold, rent and resale.

  6. TodayAthens

    Real estate analyst at BRIDGES. Every property a client considers for the Greek Golden Visa or Cyprus PR first goes through Maria’s calculation.

Approach to cases

Six rules that do not depend on the country

Six rules Maria applies to every property.

  1. 01The deal price, not the listing

    We compare with real deals in the area over the last year. The listing price is the seller’s wish.

  2. 02The threshold by law, not by rumour

    The Greek threshold depends on the area, the island’s population and the type of property. We check which threshold applies to this exact address.

  3. 03Rent as it really is

    We count income from real leases in the building and area, minus tax, management and vacancies. We do not take the brochure’s 8%.

  4. 04Area and use are checked

    The square metres in the documents, the permitted use and the permits must match what the client sees. Otherwise the threshold will not count.

  5. 05The exit is counted at the entry

    We look at who will buy the property in five years and how long it will take. A liquid property beats a slightly cheaper one.

  6. 06The client sees the numbers

    The calculation fits on one page with sources. The client decides by the numbers, not by our word.

Talks and media

Exhibitions and meetings

Maria travels to property exhibitions and reviews properties with clients on the spot. You can book a meeting in advance.

Upcoming conferences

Maria online

BRIDGES on Instagram BRIDGES on LinkedIn BRIDGES YouTube channel

Beyond work

Spreadsheets, islands and grandmother’s kitchen

At BRIDGES I make sure the client buys a property by the numbers, not by the photos. I love the moment when a one-page calculation ends an argument: the client sees for themselves why this property is better than the one they liked at first.

I am a Pontic Greek: born in Tbilisi, raised in Thessaloniki, living in Athens with my husband and our little daughter. We still speak three languages at home, and my grandmother teaches her great-granddaughter Russian fairy tales.

Every summer the family discovers a new island, and I check property prices there while we are at it. I love cooking from my grandmother’s recipes, hike in the Peloponnese mountains and collect old maps of Greece.

NumbersGreeceIslandsFamilyOld maps

Situations

What people come with

These are the questions clients most often bring to Maria.

Which Golden Visa threshold applies to the property Is the developer’s or seller’s price fair A property on an island: 400 or 800 thousand eurosRenovation and conversion for 250 thousand eurosWhat rental income is realisticCompare several properties on one pageCheck the floor area and permitted use When and for how much to sell after residenceGreece or Cyprus: which pays off better for a status

Case stories

Three matters in Maria’s own words

How Our Client Obtained Greece's Golden Visa at the Preferential Threshold of €250,000 Through Property Conversion

Greece · Golden Visa

Where the 250 thousand threshold really lives

Leyla wanted to enter the Greek programme at the minimum threshold, but everyone talked about 400 and 800 thousand euros. The 250 thousand threshold exists, but only for converting commercial premises into housing or restoring a building.

I found and costed properties that meet the condition: a single unit of at least 120 square metres with permission to change its use. Leyla chose from three options with a full calculation of the works.

Outcome: Greek Golden Visa at the 250,000 euro threshold

Read the full case

How a Small Greek Island Opened the €400,000 Threshold Instead of €800,000 for Golden Visa

Greece · Golden Visa

A sea-view island home for 400, not 800 thousand

Inna dreamed of a house on an island, but he was told islands now cost 800 thousand euros, and his budget was 400. The high threshold applies to large populated islands, while small ones keep the old one.

I checked census data to see which islands fall under the 400 thousand threshold and shortlisted properties with good summer rent. Inna chose a house on a small island with a ferry from Piraeus.

Outcome: Greek Golden Visa with an island home at the 400,000 euro threshold

Read the full case

How a Turkish Citizen Obtained Greek Residence Permit Directly Through Investment

Greece · residence

Neighbours from Turkey and an apartment in Thessaloniki

A couple from Turkey wanted Greek residence: close to home and with the EU open. A Turkish passport applies directly, without a second citizenship, so everything came down to the property price.

I compared Thessaloniki districts by deal price and rent and chose an apartment that meets the threshold and lets all year round. Accounts, the deal and the filing went through without pauses.

Outcome: Greek residence for the couple, the apartment let

Read the full case

Reviews

What Maria’s clients say

Client reviews from matters Maria ran: who the client is, where they are from, which programme - and a link to the full case.

BRIDGES client reviews

AnnaAnnaInvestor
Dominica · Citizenship

I wanted the investment to work. Maria worked out the eco-resort’s returns and checked the project. A Dominica passport and a share in a resort that brings income.

Read the case
VitalyVitalyInvestor
Greece · Residence permit

Maria showed that commercial premises for a coworking space could be converted into housing to enter at the 250 thousand threshold. The key was to finish the conversion before filing, and we did.

Read the case
DmitryDmitryInvestor
Grenada · Citizenship

Maria showed how a share in a Grenada resort gives both a passport and rental income, and what happens on exit. Everything matched her calculation.

Read the case
All client reviews →

Materials

30 materials written by Maria

BRIDGES knowledge base materials signed by Maria: Greek Golden Visa prices and thresholds, rent, islands and district comparisons.

CitizenshipProperty in Vanuatu: how a foreigner buys a house when the land belongs to communitiesSeptember 2026Programme comparisonsDubai or Abu Dhabi in 2026: where to live, work and buy propertyJune 2026Real estateHungary Real Estate 2026: Returns and Risks for InvestorsJune 2026ResidencyCost of living in Bulgaria in 2026: budget, rent, productsJune 2026ResidencyReal estate in Bulgaria for Russians in 2026: how to buy, payment, risksJune 2026ResidencyReal estate in Bulgaria 2026: prices, purchase by foreigners, regionsJune 2026ResidencyOff-plan property in Cyprus in 2026: purchase under constructionJune 2026ResidencyReal estate in Northern Cyprus in 2026: prices, title risks, is it worth buyingJune 2026ResidencyProfitability of rental property in Cyprus in 2026: how much you can actually earnJune 2026ResidencyBuy an apartment in Dubai in 2026: prices, from the developer, step by stepJune 2026ResidencyCost of living in Dubai 2026: rent, food, family and single budgetJune 2026ResidencyDubai Marina Property 2026: Buying an Apartment, Prices, Rentals, YieldsJune 2026ResidencyPalm Jumeirah Real Estate 2026: Villas, Apartments, Prices and the Luxury MarketJune 2026ResidencyProperty in Dubai on installments 2026: payment plans, post-handover, no mortgageJune 2026ResidencyProperty management in Dubai 2026: how to manage remotely, profitability, commissionsJune 2026ResidencySecondary property in Dubai 2026: buying a ready home and how it differs from off-planJune 2026ResidencyCommercial Real Estate in Greece 2026: Hotels, Retail, Offices and YieldsJune 2026Residency6 Mistakes When Buying Property for the Greek Golden VisaJune 2026ResidencyCorfu Real Estate in 2026: Villas and Houses on the Green Island, Prices and RentalsJune 2026ResidencyGreece property prices 2026: by city and island, trends and forecastJune 2026
Showing 20 of 30

BRIDGES sections

Where this practice applies

Property for investment programmes Residence by investment Property and deal checks Property management Client cases How BRIDGES works

Team

Who runs the work alongside Maria

A matter is never run by one person: the legal position, the filing, the documents and the work on the ground each have a named owner.

Igor VencIgor VencReal Estate Managing DirectorChoosing the property and running the dealAnna KovalevskayaAnna KovalevskayaHead of LegalLegal check and the Golden Visa fileIrena SokolovskaIrena SokolovskaHead of European PracticeThe European office and clients in EuropeDmitry NagyDmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantTax on rent and resale

All BRIDGES experts

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Or message us on WhatsApp or Telegram

Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL
Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice