The legal fees usually charged by a lawyer are approximately CY500 and cover the review and alteration if required of the Sale Agreement, revision of the General Agreement (which regulates the use of common areas, where applicable) and submission to the land registry for specific performance.Stamp duty is due at the time of signing the contract. This is levied at the rate of CY1.50 per CY1,000 up to CY100,000 and thereafter at the rate of CY2 per CY1,000. The purchase contract must be stamped within 30 days of its dated signature or a fine will be imposed.

Non-Cypriot citizens requires permission from the Council of Ministers to purchase property in Cyprus. If this has not been yet obtained then the purchaser should now apply to the council for the permission. This normally takes between 8 and 14 months to be granted, and without this the Title Deeds of the property cannot be made available to the purchaser.

Try to check whether there is any road or other scheme which affects your property or the locality in general. It is advisable that you buy a recent Lands' and Surveys' plan (a whole sheet) for the property you intend to buy, since on these plans many proposed public projects such as roads etc are shown. It is best, if you suspect any schemes in the area you wish to invest, to see the District Inspector (at the District Officer's Office) and/or pay a visit to the local Planning Office.

Property owners in Cyprus are advised to make a will in Cyprus to cover their Cypriot estate. A Cypriot will speed up the process of obtaining probate in Cyprus.Inheritance Tax is payable on a Cypriot estate and rates are on a sliding scale depending upon the value of the estate. Full professional advice should be obtained with regard to making a Cypriot Will and Inheritance Tax planning.

Development of land into villas in estates is now very common in the Paphos area, mainly on the hills between Paphos and Polis. Projects are developed to take the form of villages with the individual villas designed in traditional architecture. There are, of course, cases where the purchaser may have a good say in the design of his villa. The same type of projects are now being carried out in Limassol and to a lesser extent in the Larnaca area.