The properties that we’re highlighting in today’s spotlight are all located in Ikaria; in Maganitis, Agios Kirikos and Oxea respectively.

Ikaria is a Greek island about 20km south-west of Samos with a population of just under 8½ thousand. The island is named after Ikarus, who famously flew too close to the sun, falling and drowning in the sea… supposedly in this area.

Ikaria was brought to our attention just last week. Jon Snow is currently fronting a television programme entitled How to Live to 100. One of the places he travelled to was Ikaria where, apparently, locals live a whole decade longer than the European average. It’s one of only 5 Blue Zones in the world – regions with higher than usual life expectancy.

The local people that Jon met all seemed to be very healthy and content; they eat well, drink tea, exercise regularly. According to Dan Buettner, one of the Blue Zone researchers, “they have about 20 percent lower rates of cancer, 50 percent lower rates of heart disease and almost no dementia”.

As it’s a relatively small island, it goes without saying that there isn’t much property availability. We’ve found three that we like between €70K and €480K. Much of the real estate on the island is sold by area; that doesn’t refer to it’s location – but rather the square footage or metreage. Therefore, the cheapest of the properties that we’ve selected is 45 m² on one level and the most expensive is 205m² over 3 levels.

€70,000 – Detached house in Maganitis

45 m² on one level
on a plot of 61m².
150m from the sea

€120,000 – Detached house in Agios Kirikos

252m² on 2 levels
on a plot of 192m²
It consists of 2 independent houses. It is a traditional stone building in good condition and needs renovation.
5 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
200m from the square and the port of Agios Kirikos.

€480,000 – Traditional house with a view

A beautiful, authentic house with breathtaking views, in the mountains of Oxea.
On an amphitheatrical plot of 4,224m².
3 bedrooms
205m² on 3 levels