Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sotos]

Internet speeds are about 4Mbit, and will cost about 43 euros / month plus your phoneline rental of about 15 euros.

That is for ADSL with Cyta, which is available in all cities and most villages. Cyta has speeds up to 12Mbit. A cheaper ADSL option is Primitel, but it is available only in main urban locations. An even cheaper option is Cabernet but it is only available in cities, and even cities are not fully covered by them. With cablenet you can get triple play all inclusive (tv, telephony, internet) for 43euro for 10Mbit, 73euro for 20Mbit and 100euro for 40Mbit.

[supporttheunderdog]

Does the guy realise he could be in a war zone?

[kurupetos]

Does the guy realise he could be in a war zone?

Do you?

[supporttheunderdog]

oh yes - with 40,000 troops illegally occupying 37% of the place I call home and the Occupiers' bully-boy tactics, very much so.

[Kikapu]

Hi folks,

In looking at the Cyprus govt website, it would appear we would go under the category F visa, as I have a U.S. government pension that would probably total around 3500 Euros a month. I also will want to work over the Internet for clients in the U.S., which should provide a decent income in addition to the base. Does this sound like a reasonable option? My wife is a housewife, so I need to make all the money

May I ask when are you able to start collecting on your generous US Government's pension of 3,500 Euros ($5,000) per month, since you are ONLY 40 years old ?

[diablogun]

Hi Kikapu,

It is a combination of payments from the military and government for Service-connected disabilities.

Supporttheunderdog,

Regarding the war zone, I am not worried about actual war, but I do wish Turkey would eventually show some reasonableness in their actions--it is apparent they continue to be aggressive. I agree that it is an occupation.

Sotos,
In your opinion, what is the best village around Limassol with walkable schools and a nice environment?

[diablogun]

Today there are many very well priced houses, but if you are not looking to come for a couple of years then who knows.

When we talk about Cyprus we are talking about the legal south and not the illegal occupied area that Turkey is hold by force of arms.

Internet speeds are about 4Mbit, and will cost about 43 euros / month plus your phoneline rental of about 15 euros.
Larnaca is not so much villages but different areas of it so to speak and are all within 10 minutes of the centre.

Limassol is different as the villages tend to be a bit more mountainous. And some are with 20 min of the centre. Eitherway, cyprus is quite small and a 20 min drive would usually get you to most places. They all have their own village schools so if you want to walk them, you need to be at least in the village rather than the outskirts.

Custom builds come in many shapes, sizes and prices. For the price Sotos is looking at would give him a better quality home of a couple of hundred m2. But you can do cheaper. The land price will depend very much where it is and the zone in which it is in. Residential zoned land is much more expensive than agritultural land.

Hope that helps

Thanks again I hope the houses stay within a reasonable price band over the next couple of years.

[Kikapu]

Hi Kikapu,

It is a combination of payments from the military and government for Service-connected disabilities.

Got it...thanks, and sorry to hear about the terms of your "pension" !

[Jerry]

Hi folks,

I am from the U.S., and planning a move to Europe, and am trying to decide where would be the best fit. I am 40 years old, with 1 child and 1 on the way, so I want to settle in a country that is family-friendly. My wife is Russian (though a U.S. citizen) and got me thinking about Cyprus.

In looking at the Cyprus govt website, it would appear we would go under the category F visa, as I have a U.S. government pension that would probably total around 3500 Euros a month. I also will want to work over the Internet for clients in the U.S., which should provide a decent income in addition to the base. Does this sound like a reasonable option? My wife is a housewife, so I need to make all the money

Anyway, I am planning a 2-week trip in April to check things out. My children I would want to put in Greek schools, as the whole purpose of this endeavor is to get my children fluent in as many languages as possible, in addition to living in a good place with access to much of the culture and history that fascinates me.

By the way, is Cypriot Greek completely understandable, and vice versa, with Greek Greek?

Also, what are the better areas to live that may be more relaxed and cheaper? I do not usually like the most crowded places for living--though do not like the "sticks" either. I would want to find a place that I could have the biggest house that I could get either built or acquired almost new.

Finally, in the long run, in coming under the F visa, is citizenship an option after 5 years? There does not seem to be anything against it from the government regulations, but as always I know that people that have been through this sort of thing are the best to ask.

In advance, I thank you for your time and wisdom.

Diablogun, I'm a semi-Cypiot who lives in the UK. I'm visiting Cyprus next week (as a tourist, the Turks nicked our house). I've been looking to buy for a couple of years now and whilst I do not want to say anything to put you off buying, be very careful. Make sure you get proper independent advice. I very nearly bought a new apartment near Larnaca and knowing what I know now I'm glad the deal did not go through. Personally I would only buy a resale property that has been standing for a few years but I'm sure there are many well built new ones on the market - the problem is unless you have a cousin in the business you may get stitched up.

This chap is an expert on buying in Cyprus and he will take questions on his website.
http://www.cyprus-property-buyers.com/intro/about.htm

[Sotos]

Sotos,
In your opinion, what is the best village around Limassol with walkable schools and a nice environment?

There are 3 levels of schools: elementary (6 years), Gymnasium (3 years), Lyceum (3 years). Only relatively big villages have an elementary school, very few have a gymnasium, and only a few big ones have a Lyceum ... and these biggest ones are not exactly picturesque, not any better than a city. You can find a list of schools here (in Greek) http://www.schools.ac.cy/. One nice village that has elementary and gymnasium (but not lyceum) is Omodos, but it is quite far from Limassol, about 35 minutes drive. An alternative would be villages close to the city that have only elementary school, such as Pareklishia, Pyrgos and Agios Tychonas. If you only care for elementary school and you don't mind being further from the city then Trimiklini, Pissouri, Agros, Platres and Kalo Chorio would be good options. (all these villages should have ADSL)