Home / Fees & Terms
Pelagos acts exclusively for buyers. This page sets out how we are paid, in plain language — the same terms we are glad to put in front of any client, lawyer or family office who asks to see them before we begin.
Most advisers in the Greek property market are paid, in whole or in part, by the seller. That is the normal, licensed way estate agency works here — and it means the person advising you on price is often being paid by the person you are negotiating against. Pelagos is built differently. We take instructions only from buyers, and our fee is paid only by you. It is the structural reason our advice can be independent, and it is worth setting out exactly how it works.
| What actually matters | Traditional dual-agent broker | Pelagos independent representation |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays them | The seller, usually — even when "helping" a buyer | You, and only you |
| Whose interest they serve on price | Structurally incentivised toward a higher sale price | Structurally incentivised toward the right price for you |
| Access to off-market inventory | Limited to their own listed stock | The whole market, including off-market |
| Legal & title risk exposure | Often glossed over or deferred to a seller-affiliated lawyer | Independent lawyer of your choosing, required on every purchase |
| What it costs you upfront | Appears "free" — the cost is priced into the sale, and into what you don't know | Transparent retainer and success fee, agreed in writing before work begins |
None of this makes a traditional broker dishonest — it makes them structurally aligned with someone other than you. A retainer and success fee paid by you, and by no one else, are the price of removing that conflict entirely.
Each mandate combines two elements: a retainer, payable when you engage us, and a success fee, payable on completion. The retainer is deducted in full from the success fee — it is a commitment to the mandate, not an additional cost stacked on top.
Our core service: a retained, exclusive search — market mapping, off-market sourcing, shortlisting, accompanied viewings, valuation analysis, negotiation, and coordination of your lawyer, notary and other advisers through to completion and handover.
The mandate is retained and exclusive, and runs for a defined period agreed at the outset. The retainer secures that exclusivity and reflects the work undertaken from day one. It is credited in full against the success fee on completion. If the search concludes without a purchase, the retainer is retained in respect of work already done, and no further fee is due — there is no penalty for walking away from a search that no longer fits.
For clients who have already identified a property and want independent representation: opinion on value and title risk, negotiation strategy and execution, and management of the transaction to completion. The same structure applies — a retainer on engagement, credited against a success fee on completion — set at a lower level, since the search itself is already done.
Support around your purchase is quoted as a fixed fee once scope is agreed, so you know the cost before the work begins rather than after:
Foreign exchange is arranged through our established partner, Lucid Foreign Exchange, a CISI Chartered specialist. We receive no commission on your currency transactions unless separately disclosed to you in writing.
We do not publish our fees. Every mandate differs in scope, geography, complexity and duration, and a headline number published on a website tends to describe none of them accurately. What we do instead is set the whole of it out in writing — retainer, success fee, and every fixed fee that applies — before you commit to anything, and before we begin any work.
The full fee schedule and our Terms of Business are available on request, to you or to any adviser acting for you. We send them the same day they are asked for, and we are glad for your lawyer, accountant or family office to review them before you speak to us again.
We accept no vendor or developer instructions, so no seller-side party has any influence over our advice to you.
Any seller-side commission share ever offered to us is declined, or disclosed to you in writing and credited fully against your fee.
Purchase funds move directly between you, your lawyer and the notary. We are never in a position to hold or handle your money.
We do not charge a percentage of the discount against an asking price — a model that rewards the wrong incentive and is open to abuse.
Our fee is only part of the picture. Legal fees, notarial fees, transfer tax and land registry costs are contracted directly between you and the relevant Greek professional, never through us. As a guide, these typically add 8–10% to the purchase price in total — transfer tax of approximately 3.09%, notarial fees of roughly 1–2%, land registry costs and independent legal fees; we map the precise figure for your specific purchase at the outset of every mandate, so nothing arrives as a surprise.
Every mandate is governed by a signed Engagement Letter and our Terms of Business. We are glad to share both, together with our full fee schedule, before you commit to anything.
Request Our Fee Schedule & TermsWho pays Pelagos Private Office?
You do, and only you. We act exclusively for buyers, accept no vendor instructions, and take no undisclosed commission from any seller-side party. This is what allows us to give advice with no conflict of interest.
How much does Pelagos charge to find and buy a property in Greece?
A retained search carries an engagement retainer, which is credited in full against a success fee payable on completion. Advisory-only mandates, where you have already identified the property, are charged on the same basis at a lower level. We do not publish the figures, because scope and complexity vary considerably between mandates. The full fee schedule is provided in writing on request, and always before any engagement begins.
Does Pelagos ever take a fee from the seller or their agent?
No. Where a seller-side commission share is ever offered to us, we either decline it or disclose it to you in writing and credit it against your fee in full.
What happens if I don't buy anything?
The retainer is retained in respect of the work undertaken, and no further fee is due. There is no penalty for walking away from a search that no longer fits.