Best Way to Buy a House in Italy
(CNN) — Ownership a cheap property in Italy is an bonny prospect for many travelers, especially with the e'er-growing number of towns offering upwardly homes for next to nothing through regeneration schemes.
While some have been dauntless enough to take the jump and snap up a house ranging in price from one to a few yard euros in a rural Italian village, others are likely to have been deterred by the fear of something going wrong.
Only are there whatever cherry flags potential buyers should exist looking out for when deliberating over purchasing such a habitation? And how exercise y'all know when you're treading on slippery grounds?
When it comes to offering advice and invaluable tips on this particular subject, no one is meliorate placed than those who've actually washed it themselves.
In January, Italian town Biccari made headlines when it began selling off both battered one euro homes and ready-to-occupy houses in need of just minimal fixes -- the latter existence the nigh successful.
Mayor Gianfilippo Mignogna chose to offer upwards the homes in a bid to revive the ailing boondocks, which has seen its population dwindle over the years as numerous residents left to find piece of work in Italy's cities or in other countries.
Here three of those who bought, or helped to purchase, ane of the turnkey backdrop recount their experiences.
'Inherited' problems
Mariano Russo bought a ready-to-occupy property in Biccari, Italy earlier this year.
Mariano Russo
Mariano Russo, an Argentinian with Italian roots, purchased a cozy 55-square-meter, two-floor house in Biccari for €7,000 (effectually $vii,800).
Russo'south abode was refurbished when it was sold -- even the walls were freshly painted -- and has a panoramic terrace, while the entrance is situated on a picturesque alley of the town's historic centre. Bated from the purchase price, the notary for the purchase human action cost him an extra €three,000 ($3,400).
"Information technology'south already livable. Nosotros might just modernize the grid running water system and heating, mayhap fix parts of floors," says Russo, a manager of Argentine republic Per Il Mondo, an organization uniting Italian-Argentinians across the world.
"The structure is solid, even though it's an onetime house in that location's no mold on the walls and the roof is in a perfect shape."
According to Russo, the buying process was very smooth thanks to the back up of the local surveyor in charge of the projection.
"It's crucial to have someone that guides you along the way, we were lucky to have this agent," explains Russo, who plans to alive in Biccari with his married woman and two daughters for much of the year.
"He prepared the paper piece of work for us and helped us pay the holding taxes. He made certain the dwelling house was costless from any prior debt, which is something you don't desire to detect out later on yous've bought it."
However, Russo about establish himself getting stuck in the labyrinthine nightmare others have establish themselves in when purchasing a an Italian property with multiple owners.
Russo's 55-square-meter, two-floor turnkey property cost him €seven,000 (around $7,800).
Mariano Russo
This home had ii owners -- sisters who lived in different cities. Both had to outset agree to the auction, and then on the final price.
Thankfully the pair were on good terms and things turned out well. Only this isn't always the case.
Co-ordinate to Italian police force, fifty-fifty if a property has ane,000 unlike owners, each person must agree on the sale, otherwise it can't go ahead. And let's only say Italy has its fair share of bickering relatives.
Therefore buyers, with the help of the town hall, must stave off the hazard of an unknown heir popping up out of nowhere further down the line to claim back the sold property.
Russo notes that it'southward also important to make certain that there are no awaiting mortgages on the holding and all minimal fixes or renovations completed past previous owners have a legal let for which the cost has already been paid. Otherwise the new possessor will have to settle information technology themselves, or face legal consequences.
Buyers should also be aware of any damages to tertiary parties that may have been caused by the home'southward old owners before signing the purchase act.
For instance, if a damaged water pipe has flooded a neighbor'due south kitchen, or a fallen tile roof has croaky a edifice adjacent to the holding.
Even previous remodeling could exist an issue if it wasn't properly approved or retrospectively authorized via a so-called building amnesty.
"One sister couldn't exist present the twenty-four hour period of the human activity so she delegated the other one to sign-off on her behalf," explains Russo.
"We fabricated sure everything was OK with the auction. The sisters had remodeled the house in the by, taken downward a wall to unite 2 rooms, but the building amnesty had been settled.
"This must all show upwards in the papers, before the sale. Nobody wants any terminal minute problem."
If such a remodeling has not been communicated to the town hall, which is a legal requirement, the new buyer could detect themselves in a situation where the purchase human action -- and the sale -- is alleged cipher.
The right middleman
Rolf Bauer has purchased a 150-square-meter house in the rural Italian town.
Comune Biccari
Finding an efficient agent was a key factor for Rolf Bauer, a retired engineer from Frg, when choosing a bargain home in Biccari.
"I like the village vibe, I believe fate sent me hither. I drove over to Puglia this summer to pick a habitation and information technology was the commencement town I stopped in. Information technology was perfect," says Bauer, who paid €30,000 ($34,000) for his renovated firm.
"I immediately found the surveyor's function, he was neat. Having the right person who helps you pick the house most suitable for you is very important."
He opted to purchase in Puglia as opposed to Sicily, where various towns are selling homes for i euro.
"Sicily is too far downward due south, plus I never wanted a i euro home," he explains. "It requires too much work."
Bauer, who owns other properties in Europe, found the agent'south charges -- under €500 ($560) -- to be well beneath those he'southward incurred in other countries.
As he's taken up residency in Biccari, Bauer doesn't accept to pay property taxes, which was another selling betoken.
Bauer's 50 square-meter house is spread over 3 floors and offers panoramic views
Comune Biccari
"I realized you have to practice something with money, employ information technology to relax and enjoy life," he says. "I'm a collector of houses, and in Biccari I establish a warm place where I can live several months per year. I hate common cold weather, here I probably won't even need to prepare the heating."
His 150-square-meter business firm is spread over 3 floors, with panoramic views, and features vaulted ceilings, an open kitchen, a big cellar and a rock staircase leading to the front archway.
Bauer completed some of the minor work, such as retiling the floors, upgrading the electric system and putting in a new shower, himself. He plans to turn the upper floor bedchamber into a veranda.
Dissimilar nearly buyers, Bauer didn't source any of the furniture, appliances, or even the calorie-free bulbs, locally.
Instead he had them shipped in from countries like Germany, where he says prices, and sometimes quality, can be improve.
"It depends on what you lot desire, and whether y'all have contacts of suppliers in other places like I do. It's always skilful to have a look around and compare stuff," he says.
Bauer, who is a nifty squash histrion, has already been living in his new Biccari abode for two months, and is very much enjoying the feel.
Although the language has been somewhat of a bulwark -- Bauer does non speak Italian -- he'due south been relying on translation apps and then far, and has establish that locals volition often brand the attempt to try to empathize if they are interested in talking to him.
Notary issues
Aksana Klimavets with Biccari mayor Gianfilippo Mignognai, helped a buyer snap up one of homes.
Comune Biccari
The procedure of buying a cheap Biccari dwelling was a fiddling more complicated for Aksana Klimavets, a Russian interpreter based in Italia who assisted a Moscow businesswoman in buying an old dwelling hither for €15,000 (around $16,800).
Tucked away on a narrow cobblestone aisle, the three-floor house was fully refurbished at the time of the sale, with freshly painted white vaulted ceilings, marble staircases and a panoramic terrace overlooking a tiny piazza -- the onetime owners even left behind a stroller.
But according to Klimavets, finding an available notary to witness the signatures on the deed was incredibly hard, while the sale procedure took several months.
"When we did manage to find a notary we were told to transfer the money straight away just before the deed, which is impossible given strict Russian rules on outgoing international payments that take many days," she explains. "The bank needs to check and authorize, and this delayed the sale."
In order to speed up the process, Klimavets' customer decided to wire the coin to the notary well in advance of the rescheduled meeting to sign the agreement, which meant ownership the firm unseen.
One time this was settled upon, the client flew in from Moscow to sign the deed and discovered that the notary had accidentally added the wrong accost.
"Luckily we double-checked or we would have ended upward buying someone else's property," adds Klimavets.
This fully refurbished Biccari dwelling sold for €fifteen,000 (around $16,800).
Comune Biccari
When she and the buyer somewhen met with the owners, they discovered that, not only did the business firm have five heirs, it had been inherited several times over.
"That home has a really long history, during the act meeting, the notary read to us the listing of past owners and now nosotros're in contact with one heir to transfer utility bills," she explains.
After overcoming this hurdle, the new owner then had to get through the process of opening a bank account in Italia, which tin exist particularly difficult for those from Russia, before beingness able to pay any bills or bask her vacation retreat.
Only despite these many challenges, Klimavets says her customer has fallen in love with Biccari'south clean streets and pristine surroundings.
"For Russians, Puglia is a height destination," she adds. "At that place'due south the [international] airport in Bari and the tomb of St. Nicholas, which is a Russian-Orthodox pilgrimage site."
The buyer, an unnamed business organization woman, is looking forward to being able to brand the nearly of her new property, and plans to add more than windows and another fireplace.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-cheap-home-buyers-tips/index.html
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