Could this be the place?

Now that we have kind of laid out the whole case for the need for the ministry and the reasons we have chosen Corfu let me share with you some info on a specific place we have found and tell you why we think it would be perfect for our needs.

We are looking at a house (over here they call them Villas) on the southwestern coast of Corfu.  The 30 year old house sits on a lot that is 4000 square meters (about 1 acre). The western border of the property is the Ionian Sea.  It is perched on a bluff that looks out over its own private waterfront.  There is a path down to the sea, but it is very overgrown so we have not yet been able to get down to it, but it looks like there is a small pebbly beach.

The Villa itself is quite large – the upper portion has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a good-sized kitchen, and a large open room that has dining room, living room and a sunken area in front of a fireplace.  Below this main portion of the house are two self-contained apartments and a large central common area.

This house sits at the end of a narrow road, and to get to it you have to drive through some magnificent old olive groves and past an old fortress.  It is about 40 minutes from Corfu Town (driving gently) and about 30 minutes from the airport.  About a 15 minute walk to the south is a long (about 5 KM) sandy beach and a saltwater lake.  To the north are more rocky outcroppings and small pebbly beaches.

It is quiet. 

It is peaceful.

It is spacious enough for us to have multiple families at the same time, if necessary.   It offers privacy both to us and to our guests, yet is homey enough for great fellowship and encouragement.

The asking price is 400,000 Euros (currently about $525,000).  We are told that a year ago it was listed at 800,000 Euros but the price has fallen due to the economic crisis in Greece.  We currently have a lawyer and realtor checking out the property to ensure that all of the legal documents are in order and have a civil engineer look at the property to determine what repairs will need to be done.  The house has been sitting empty for about 4 years now, so there will be some “fixin’ up” that will need to be done.

Just to offer some comparisons for you, here in Tirana our 3 bedroom apartment (1200 sq ft) on the 4^th floor of a building near the center of town would probably sell for about 200,000 Euros.  A 300 square meter villa (3 bedrooms only) outside of Tirana towards the mountain is listed at 400,000 Euros, an empty piece of land in the south of Albania, near Saranda, is listed at 450,000 Euros for only 3000 square meters.  Those are Albanian prices and not on the sea! 

Everything that we have seen tells us that the price on this property we are looking at is excellent.  The house itself would allow us to live on site and have room to host up to three families at the same time in a peaceful environment that still offers activities for all ages.  Will you join with us in praying that God will give us this property?  We have a burden and now we have a potential place where we can see that burden met.  Now we need prayer partners and donors!