Israelis seek refuge in Greek Airbnb

At the same time, real estate purchase deals by Israelis that were supposed to take place in the coming days are canceled one by one or''are put on "pause" until a new notice.

The Airbnb shelter Georgios Kanellopoulos, a board member of STAMA (an association of short-term rental companies), says in an interview, "The fact is that since last week we have had cancellations from Israelis who booked our vacation properties long before, and apparently because of the war they can't come. On the other hand, there has been an increased demand for Airbnb type properties from people seeking refuge in Athens, away from the war." Most, Mr. Kanellopoulos said, are looking for properties in central Athens. Other Israelis on vacation in another country are using Athens as an intermediate point and renting through Airbnb until they know what's next. He cites the example of a couple who were in Italy when''real estate in the center of Athens and the southern suburbs even before the war started. According to Kosmas Theodoridis, president of the European Real Estate Union, real estate contracts have been canceled one after another in recent days, "For example, I had a very large real estate contract canceled that was going to be purchased by an investor from Israel, but as soon as he was drafted into the army, the contract was canceled. Some are already drafted and some are waiting, and even if someone is not drafted and is safely away from the war, it is still difficult to make an investment during the war," explains Mr. Theodoridis.