Beach living shore is fun

May 18 2008 Laura Davidson

Cyprus holds special memories for Karen and Derek McLachlan - they got married there, they own a holiday home there and now they want to move there.

The couple reckon they will be living the dream if they sell up in Scotland and make a full-time move to the sunshine isle.

If they get their way, they will be relocating within two years.

Derek, 38, said: "Karen and I both love beach holidays and the weather here really gets us down.

"We're happiest when we're in Cyprus and whenever we come back from a holiday there, we immediately start planning our next trip.

"We love it because the weather is fantastic for the majority of the year.

"It's also good that it feels like a home from home. They drive on the same side of the road as us, which makes driving easy and that's a huge bonus."

Derek, a traffic signal installation engineer, and admin worker Karen, 43, tied the knot in Cyprus on September 10, 2001.

When their kids, Kara, six, and Lucia, three, came along, the island was their first choice for family holidays.

It wasn't long before the couple, of East Kilbride, began to think about putting down permanent roots.

Derek said: "We started going to property exhibitions and toying with the idea of buying somewhere but it's a big commitment and it took us a few years before we really decided it was now or never." The couple booked an inspection trip with Pafilia in June 2005 and found their perfect property in Paphos.

Their one-bedroom pad at the Pafia 4 development in Kato Paphos had been built three years previously and was being sold on by its first owners.

It cost £70,000CY (£94,300), including all the furnishings.

Derek said: "It was perfect for us. We didn't want to buy off-plan because we didn't want to wait for building work to be complete.

"I suppose we're impatient but we wanted somewhere we could go and rent out straight away.

"It was a huge bonus going to see the finished apartment and saying, 'We'll have that one.' "We knew exactly what we were getting. We felt happy buying through Pafilia too because there's an office in Paisley, so we knew we'd have a point of contact close to home."

The couple put down a £1000 deposit on their inspection trip, with 10 per cent of their purchase price due 30 days later.

The full balance was paid when they picked up their keys in September 2005.

Karen and Derek funded their purchase 50/50 - they paid half from savings and took out a Cypriot mortgage for the rest.

Derek said: "Although it's just a one-bedroom apartment, it's larger than a lot of others we saw.

"There's a large lounge with an archway through to the kitchen and a big family bathroom.

"The double bedroom has two single beds and we have a double sofa bed in the living room.

"There's a communal pool for residents to use and location wise it's perfect for families. We're a 10- minute walk to the nearest beach, 20 minutes from the harbour and 15 minutes from the old town."

The couple's flat has been a sound investment - it has increased in value by 10-15 per cent in less than three years.

Derek said: "Karen and I look on this place as our first step on the property ladder in Cyprus.

"If we moved out there, we'd rent out our house in Scotland for a year to see how we get on and buy somewhere bigger in Cyprus.

"We've already looked into the school situation for the girls and we'd need to secure jobs but it's definitely our goal to get out there in the next couple of years.

"We love Scotland but we could have a brilliant life in Cyprus."

To rent the family's apartment, email Mkarawara@aol.com or call 0782 568 0933.

FACTFILE

Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, is the third most popular destination for British home buyers after Spain and France.

Despite being a small town, Paphos enjoys many benefits of city life such as a modern infrastructure and telecommunications system, excellent medical and educational facilities, sports and leisure activities and a European banking system.

Cyprus has a double taxation treaty with the UK, meaning retirees living there pay just five per cent tax on their pension and other income over £2000, plus there is no inheritance tax imposed on residents.

Although the official language is Greek, around 90 per cent of Cypriots speak English. The commercial banking and law systems are based on the British system, medical services and education are both of a very high standard and crime rates are low. Other benefits include that you drive on the left hand side of the road and fuel prices are a third cheaper than the UK, as is the general cost of living.

Cyprus is now a full member of the EU, which means fellow Europeans can freely move there to work or set up their own business.