BUYING PROPERTY AS A FOREIGNER
Renting country houses in Italy is fun, but what about owning that country home? What about knowing that you can leave every day life at any time and relax in the Tuscan countryside? Nice, right?
Well, if you are thinking about buying property in Italy, follow our useful tips and advice.
In Italy, there are no restrictions on foreigners buying property. You can purchase anything if your money is officially documented.
Mortgage loans, unfortunately, are not really an option, as Italians don’t often give mortgages to foreign buyers.
Read FEES, TAXES, AND NOTARIES IN ITALIAN REAL ESTATE
PROPERTY BUYING PROCESS
The Italian real estate sales process is usually in favor of the seller. Therefore, hire a licensed and registered real estate agent to help you with your search.
Once you find your perfect house, you will have to make an offer. Then, you will pay 1.5% of the purchase price up front.
Note that at this stage, the offer is only binding for the buyer. If your offer is accepted, the next step will be signing a sales contract, or compromesso.
At this point you will have pay a second down payment. However, before doing that, make sure you ask an architect or surveyor to inspect the property.
Because many properties are old, this inspection is a necessary step. Last, the final contract, or rogito, is signed by both sides in front of a notary. Here the buyer settles in full with the seller.
Read BUYING PROPERTY IN ITALY ON A TIGHT BUDGET
VAT & FEES
Fees and taxes usually increase the total cost of the property by 7–15%. Of course, this varies according to the type of property purchased.
For example, when buying a new property, the VAT is at 10%. When buying property that has been resold, the taxes are instead 10% of the “valore catastale”.
This “valore catastale” does not depend on the commercial value and is issued by the government. In both cases, tax percentages decrease if the buyer registers for Italian residency within a year and a half of the purchase.
Additional costs include the realtor, surveyor, lawyer and notary.
We’ve explained the process in less that 350 words. Pretty simple! Still interested in buying that Tuscan villa?
I am an Italian consultant, based in the country and with many years of international work experience. I am able to appreciate the requirements of an international clientele and how to best obtain their goals.
Nest Sourcing service is available to potential buyers interested in purchasing a property in Italy. The process is simple and cost-effective:
YOU choose at least THREE properties, I INSPECT and REPORT to you
To request a free consultation: