Thursday, 14 July 2011

How To Buy Property In Italy

By Jane Haselmere


Buying property in Italy to most people seems like a daunting prospect, but in reality it is not really that hard. All you really need to do is to find yourself a good Italian estate agent to help you to find your way through the local rules and regulations and find the best properties.

As with pursuing any property sale, start with the area you would like to live in and a house you would like to buy. Once you have found your dream home, make a verbal offer on the house with the help of the estate agent you have chosen to work with.

If the homeowner accepts your verbal offer your estate agent will draw up a contract. There are two options; the best is a contract that is signed by both parties while they are physically together. If this is not possible because you have to return to your own country then the documents can be signed by you and sent to the vendor for them to sign. The contract states the agreed price who is buying the property and who is selling the property. A 10% deposit is necessary at this point to secure the sale.

You are obliged to find a local notary to complete, check and witness the contract and to draw up the final deeds. The initial contract needs to be registered by the seller within a month of it being signed for the contract to be legally binding. Both parties should be present at the notary's office when the final deeds are drawn up.

On average, the fees accrued when buying a house in Italy are approximately 15% of the property price.

If you cannot easily travel back and forth to Italy using an on-line Italian property agent is a good option. They often represent many estate agents across Italy and can narrow down a few properties for you to visit and view when you can finally get to Italy.




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