If you’re buying a home for year-round use, expect to spend a bit more. Greek houses can be chilly in the winter and it’s worth installing central heating, insulation — and doors and windows that fit. Some new houses are pretty flimsy and only suitable for fair-weather habitation.

Don’t buy on a main road — especially one through a village. Things may seem quiet in April, but at the height of summer it can take an hour to get through a bottleneck.

If you’re buying a plot of land, think about how your surroundings might be developed. “There are people weeping at Kokkino Horio,” one agent told me, “because they bought a nice secluded house to retire to, then someone built a block of studio apartments for rent right next door. So now they’re kept awake all summer by drunken louts shouting on the balconies.”

Beware of buying on a new-build estate. You may be shown a drawing of a cosy two-house plot, but these are often jigsaw pieces in a much larger development. The resale value of estate houses is very low and many are worth less now than when they were built.

If you’re going for a renovation, don’t try to cut corners on the basics. Make sure the roof and walls are solid and that the plumbing and electricity are sound. You can tile the floors and sort out the patio later.

Make sure you have shade. This is as important as running water in summer. If you don’t have a tree or vine pergola, fit an awning.

Put in the time. Don’t try to sew up a deal in a rush at the end of a two-week holiday. Come back two or three times if necessary.

In short, don’t do what I did. Don’t buy on impulse. Don’t buy without making sure you’ve got enough money to pay for it. Don’t try to manage things long-distance by e-mail. Don’t try to cut corners. If only I’d known then what I know now . . .

Last week it rained in Crete. And rained. And rained. In February there was the worst snowstorm in living memory. It was all too much for the roof of our Cretan farmhouse to bear. Three of the four rooms now have puddles on the floor. “It’s because of the cold,” said the builder, tugging phlegmatically on his moustache. “The roof freezes, then it melts, then it freezes again. So now there are cracks.” But what about all the layers of insulation and waterproof membranes we paid for? Massive shrug. “We tried to repair it for you, but really, you needed a new roof.”

If I’d been made of sterner stuff I would have raved and ranted and demanded my money back. Call me soft, but I simply caved in and told him to build a new roof. A proper pitched roof, with terracotta tiles. We’d find the money from somewhere. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the past year, it’s that you get what you pay for. At £30,000, we paid too little for the renovation and we’re paying the cost.

But it seems like a small price to pay when I’m sitting on the terrace gazing out over the valley. The house is almost habitable, after all, and Vasilios, my local estate agent, says it’s probably worth £73,000 — about 25% more than we’ve spent on it.

I’ve bought a new mattress, painted the old iron bedstead cherry red, and moved it into a corner well away from the leak. At night, huddled in my damp sleeping bag, I can hear the owls I dreamed of. And tree frogs. And singing from the taverna on the outskirts of the village. In time the roof will be sorted. The ravaged fruit trees will regenerate. I’ve decided to set my next novel in Crete and I’ve already written the first chapters. The adventure’s just beginning.

HOT SPOTS

A three-bedroom villa with a swimming pool is set in the mountains, near Georgioupolis and 50 minutes from Chania, is for sale for £286,000.
Crete Connections, 07763 384 285, www.crete-connections.com

A partially-finished property on the southeastern coast has two apartments — with 43,000sq ft for £210,220 or 10,750sq ft for £161,000.
Crete Home, 003 028 4302 4215, www.cretehome.com

A small but well-renovated house in Hamezi has a living area with open-plan kitchen. Steps lead to a bedroom, a shower room and a balcony.
Furniture included for £49,500 with www.crete-property.com

A two-bedroom village house three miles from Sitia is set in 2,000sq ft of gardens and the agent says it needs “only minor work”.
It is £36,125 with Crete Home, 003 028 4302 4215, www.cretehome.com

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