Especially in Italy, it is advisable or necessary to call on the skills of various professionals when purchasing your dream property.
The most important person here is of course the notary. Roughly speaking, the notary checks the ownership of the property at the land registry office and concludes the purchase contract with both parties.
In addition to the notary, the so-called “geometra” (surveyor/architect) plays an important role. He checks whether the property corresponds with the documents deposited in the land registry and the municipality. He surveys land and buildings to match the actual condition of the property. Unlike the notary, this is not mandatory, but highly recommended. Usually on behalf of the buyer.
The real estate agent is not only an important link between the different parties and the above mentioned persons but also an important control authority. He is also the only one who evaluates a property impartially. He takes care of the stress-free process from the viewing to the signing of the contract and, if desired, beyond. In Italy, real estate agents are specially trained and certified to do this.
In recent years, there is another new figure, the property manager (PM). Here one should urgently distinguish between PM with a real estate agent’s licence and PM without this training/approval. Both can assist in the organisation, for example, purchase of a property. But in contrast to the pure PM, the real estate agent, as mentioned above, has undergone training and passed an examination at the Chamber of Commerce, has liability insurance and is allowed by law to take on several tasks that the PM without a real estate agent’s licence cannot take on. For example, a pure PM is not allowed to mediate between two parties (e.g. when renting).
Why should you use a recognised and registered estate agent when buying a property in Italy?
There are more and more people who would like to fulfil their dream of buying a property in Sardinia. To avoid this becoming a nightmare, we explain here some of the advantages of buying through an estate agent.
First of all, we would like to point out that most of the following information on the advantages only applies if you choose an estate agent with Italian training and a branch office. Why is this so? Unlike most other European countries, real estate agents in Italy must undergo training and then pass several examinations before the Chamber of Commerce. The training includes, among other things, property evaluation, contract law and building law. This might not be mandatory in other countries where, a simple registration without any training and examination is sufficient. Italian real estate law with all its aspects (land registry, cadastral office, contract law, etc.) is different from that of other countries. Here it is absolutely essential to have precise expertise. It should be noted that in Italy, licensed real estate agents are subject to numerous obligations during a transaction, which benefits the safety of both seller and buyer. In addition, all licensed estate agents in Italy are required to have professional indemnity insurance. Always ask to see the estate agent’s licence. If you have already bought your property through an unlicensed agent, you are exempt from paying the commission, but you have no protection in case of mistakes or misuse. Unfortunately, there are also many unregistered estate agents in this area. Ask to see the licence and insist on the mandatory entry in the purchase contract that the purchase was made through the estate agent who served you!
We would also like to address the aspect of costs. Many of our clients who are still undecided ask themselves whether the commission is an additional cost that can be waived. We can unequivocally deny this. On the contrary, the costs are usually higher without a reputable estate agent.
Here are the advantages of buying with the help of our real estate agency:
- As an international agency, we speak your language. This way you avoid the interpreter and save the costs. It is obvious that especially when buying a property in a foreign country it is important to eliminate all misunderstandings.
- Uncomplicated purchase: We are already there for you before the purchase and take care of all the necessary administrative procedures required for a purchase: e.g. issuing the Italian tax number, possibly opening an Italian bank account, link between buyer/seller and notary. You avoid constant travelling back and forth. You save a lot of time and money.
- You buy your dream property at a fair price. Through our experience and training we are able to determine the actual market value of a property. Not only because we are committed to impartiality, we will not deprive this price from you, but because you deserve to be treated fairly. There are sellers who do not want to work with estate agents to achieve above market value prices. Your trust in us, saves you money.
- The building laws in Sardinia are complex. We inform you in advance whether you can carry out any alterations. We experience again and again cases that buyers have to realize after the purchase that they cannot reach their goal because the desired changes are not permitted.
- If you wish, we will also be happy to assist you after the purchase has been completed. A network of trustworthy, professional companies is at our disposal; whether it concerns the design of your garden or interior or exterior fittings. We are also happy to include your home in our holiday home brokerage. See Property Manager