We are always getting emails asking what happened to some of the people we have helped to find a home in our magazine or through our TV series. Here Richard Way revisits one of our successful buyers who bought their property in Cyprus.
The entertainer Bernard Hatch and his partner Joy Reader from Liverpool bought a one-bedroom apartment in Tersefanou near Larnaca in Cyprus for £36,000 just over a year ago after appearing on our TV show. Was their bargain too good to be true? Seems not, says Bernie, 68.
“We have had our apartment since January 2017 and everything has gone pretty smoothly I am very happy to say. We furnished it, with help from Ikea in Nicosia, and set it up and enjoyed a few weeks out last winter and spring. Everyone who visits really likes it: the generous size is a real bonus and they look after the development very well.
“Our plan was to rent it out during the summer months to help cover the running costs – the community charges around €650 a year – and we find it very hot indeed ourselves in peak summer. Although we only just started this, it’s going OK. Our estate agent helped us set up a Facebook page for the rentals and also put it on Airbnb. She also manages the rentals for us, including arranging a cleaner after guests. We charge around £30-£35 per night.
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“We’ve also really enjoyed spending time there ourselves and have begun to explore. We love Mackenzie beach – we were sitting on it eating ice-cream in December it was so warm – and when we go out next we are exploring Limassol. Many friends have come out to stay and also my daughter and her young family. They got married here a few years ago and were the reason we discovered Cyprus, so it’s lovely they can enjoy it at half term.
“The apartment has really been good for the family. My brother came over a while back and we took them to Larnaca marina which is close by, with shops and restaurants. He was surprised it was so nice: it reminded him of Monte Carlo.”
Has it gone up in value with property prices in Cyprus generally on the rise? “No idea, I am not bothered, as I am not whether a golf course gets built on the development or not [there was one planned]. It’s a great little bolt-hole for us either way."
