Anyone ever owned property in Italy?

[Sulac]

Hi there,

 

I am posting this on behalf of my friend who has recently been widowed and is only 47 years old. She moved out here four years ago and her husband became ill with cancer and subsequently died.

 

She owns a property in Italy (which is in her name) and is keen to sell it to release some capital but is trying to do it from a distance.

 

I know in England that you can sell your own property privately through a number of companies who charge a minimal amount but will advertise the property on RightMove etc. I think the one I remember from Britain is Houseladder and Thelittlehousecompany

 

Does anyone know if this sort of thing exists in Italy? Her brother in law lives local to the property and could show people around.

 

Any advice appreciated - or if you know of Italian organisations which may help please let me know?

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Sulac

[newjez]

Hi there,

 

I am posting this on behalf of my friend who has recently been widowed and is only 47 years old. She moved out here four years ago and her husband became ill with cancer and subsequently died.

 

She owns a property in Italy (which is in her name) and is keen to sell it to release some capital but is trying to do it from a distance.

 

I know in England that you can sell your own property privately through a number of companies who charge a minimal amount but will advertise the property on RightMove etc. I think the one I remember from Britain is Houseladder and Thelittlehousecompany

 

Does anyone know if this sort of thing exists in Italy? Her brother in law lives local to the property and could show people around.

 

Any advice appreciated - or if you know of Italian organisations which may help please let me know?

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Sulac

Has she not thought about keeping it as an investment and renting it out? The exchange rate is not fantastic at the moment?

[Sulac]

Yes I know it is not fantastic, I think Italy has had some of its own economic woes.

 

She really needs to release some cash. When they moved over from Italy, her husband became ill within six months and as they hadn't been here that long, they had to pay for quite a bit of medical treatment. He never was able to work because he wasn't well enough and so she became the sole income earner.

 

She is an Oz and she married an Italian, and so is more familiar with Oz than Italy and I think in trying to sort everything out she just wants to release capital as she needs too.

 

She's had a real tough time...

[BacktoDemocracy]

Hi there,

 

I am posting this on behalf of my friend who has recently been widowed and is only 47 years old. She moved out here four years ago and her husband became ill with cancer and subsequently died.

 

She owns a property in Italy (which is in her name) and is keen to sell it to release some capital but is trying to do it from a distance.

 

I know in England that you can sell your own property privately through a number of companies who charge a minimal amount but will advertise the property on RightMove etc. I think the one I remember from Britain is Houseladder and Thelittlehousecompany

 

Does anyone know if this sort of thing exists in Italy? Her brother in law lives local to the property and could show people around.

 

Any advice appreciated - or if you know of Italian organisations which may help please let me know?

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Sulac

I know nothing about Italy but would just suggest the following, is now the time to sell, the spring or early summer might be better and after 4 years the property might sell for a lot more if it is tarted up a bit, I know that costs money but she does have smeone on the ground to organise and check, just a garden clean up and some strategic decoration in and out can add 1000's and aid a sale.

 

I don't know how sales work in Italy but in some countries people still go to the local agents so it might be wise to find out how it works in the local area.

[Grecia]

Hi there,

 

I am posting this on behalf of my friend who has recently been widowed and is only 47 years old. She moved out here four years ago and her husband became ill with cancer and subsequently died.

 

She owns a property in Italy (which is in her name) and is keen to sell it to release some capital but is trying to do it from a distance.

 

I know in England that you can sell your own property privately through a number of companies who charge a minimal amount but will advertise the property on RightMove etc. I think the one I remember from Britain is Houseladder and Thelittlehousecompany

 

Does anyone know if this sort of thing exists in Italy? Her brother in law lives local to the property and could show people around.

 

Any advice appreciated - or if you know of Italian organisations which may help please let me know?

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Sulac

 

Not Italy, but I and my immediate family have bought and sold several properties in France - plus three "near misses" where the properties had hidden defects and we had to extricate ourselves from the purchase. Looking at this article, the Italian system seems to be a mixture of the French and UK ones: http://www.detulliolawfirm.com/property-selling-guide/

 

I've found the most important thing is to get a good bilingual property lawyer (although my French is pretty good). The one I use currently charges EUR 300 an hour and is worth every penny. He has saved me many times over what I've paid him in fees. Even if her Italian is perfect, it would probably be helpful to your friend to use someone who is used to dealing with non-residents. It is no problem being out of the country when the sale goes through, either - you simply give power of attorney to your lawyer to sign the contract for you.

 

There aren't any 'budget' estate agents in France that I know of (the sector is heavily regulated), so I'd be surprised if these exist in Italy. If her BIL can show people around, why can't he let the local estate agents in to give a valuation?

[Sulac]

Thanks for all your help, I will certainly pass on your comments.

Sulac

[kate24]

A friend of mine inherited a house in Italy, selling it was an absolute nightmare. And it sold for about 80000 euros less than her relative paid for it- think €110000 selling for €30000. There were so many expensive and ridiculous hoops to jump through, she only managed it because she was friendly with locals who helped her along with it. Also took a year to go through.