Almost three years ago, when George Kontaroudis and Meg Metzger, a Brooklyn couple, bought an 800-square-foot house on the Greek island of Skopelos, there was good news and bad news, and it wasn’t subtle.

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Ms. Metzger and Mr. Kontaroudis with their daughters, Thalia (left) and Artemis. Credit...D. Andrianopoulos

Good news: The century-old house, which sat on the lush island where the 2008 movie “Mamma Mia” was filmed, was listed for a mere 41,000 euros (about $42,300).

Bad news: It had a mysterious boulder taking up much of the ground floor, and an ad hoc sheet of plywood instead of a front door. These inconveniences went far to explain why the property had languished on the market for almost a decade. (The couple ultimately paid 36,000 euros — about $37,120.)

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The renovated house has green shutters. The entrance is in a niche beyond them. Credit...D. Andrianopoulos

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A pine staircase rises from the first to the second floors. Credit...D. Andrianopoulos

Good news: Mr. Kontaroudis, 44, who grew up in Athens, spent his childhood summers on Skopelos, and the property was a short walk from where his parents still own a home. The couple could give their children, Thalia (now 6) and Artemis (now 2), the same halcyon experience as their father (minus the chance to try out as extras in “Mamma Mia,” an opportunity the 20-something Mr. Kontaroudis turned down without regret because “I was too cool,” he recalled).