Assisting
YOU with your plans to Buy a Property in Italy
"Step-by-Step
Educational information on how to avoid risks, save money
and ensure that you know all the FACTS about safely buying
a property in Italy"
Dear Reader,
(If you don't feel like reading, just give
us a call on 0207 898 0549 or from outside the UK +44 207
898 0549)
So…you’re
considering plans to buy property in Italy?
You’re
not alone! Reports state that millions of Brits are emigrating,
buying a second holiday home and/or investing their surplus
money in property in Italy. One newspaper recently announced
that 'Record numbers move out of 'fraught' Britain.'
With the
prospect of a better life and more for our money, many of
us are considering either a ‘Big’ move or a sunny
destination to escape to! (especially after the UK summer
that never was - 2007)
With
all this in mind, it's important to realise that Buying Italian
property is a HUGE Decision!
I say
‘Big’ and 'HUGE' because making the decision to
buy a property in Italy or any overseas destination is no
small matter. In fact, if potential property buyers actually
knew about the hundreds of steps involved and that one OVERLOOKED
STEP can cause a disaster, they might think twice.
The problem
that most people face when buying Italian property is that
there is not one source of information that helps them from
start to finish - ensuring EVERY step is covered. And I mean
EVERY step - starting from the initial idea of buying a property
all the way through to sitting on the patio of your new property
and enjoying your new lifestyle.
This
lack of information can cause people to unknowingly miss an
important step which can cause huge upset, a loss of money,
time and even detriment to one’s health.
I know
this first hand, as you can read in the secion 'A
Bit about the Authors' which can be found below.
I
searched high and low for information and support that would
help potential property buyers through the start to finish
process of buying a property overseas. And on my
search I looked for one source - not a million different books,
websites and magazines.
I
wanted to find a source of information that provided the following:
1. What
to do before you buy a property?
2. How
to ensure you view properties with legal and good companies?
3. What
to do when viewing properties to make sure you make the right
decision?
4. How
to ensure that you buy a good property?
5. How
to protect your property purchase and investment?
6. How
to discover ALL the costs (hidden costs, taxes, etc.)
7. Where
are the best areas or up-an-coming areas to buy a property
in?
8. How
to pay for the property purchase – English, Italian
or other mortgage?
9. How
to set up finances to ensure that there is enough money for
the property purchase and to live off of.
10. How
to reduce the likelihood of losing out due to currency exchange
fluctuations?
11. Is
it important to learn the Italian language?
12. What
to do in between signing contracts and completing?
13. How
good is the healthcare system?
14. What
to do upon completion to make sure that you get exactly what
you think you’re going to get?
15. What
to do after you get your property so that it becomes a home
or a rental property?
16. How
to rent the property out?
17. How
to sell in the future if you decide you don’t want the
property any more?
18. And for
investment…how to analyse one opportunity over another,
look at the key factors that influence investment deals and
all the steps involved investing in property in Italy.
19. And
everything in between
Books,
Websites, Magazines and Italy property shows gave me information
at various stages of the process...but none of them seemed
to cover everything.
I read
a few property books and they were okay…but I found
them a bit boring, theoretical and written by people that
haven’t really gone through the process of buying an
overseas property themselves. Furthermore, they didn't seem
to have local tips or things that people need to look out
for.
And the
only other information I found was from property agents and
I wasn’t impressed with much of what I found. The information
was written to sell property and not to paint the full picture.
Yes...it's
true that you can find tonnes of information for free on the
Internet, but you can also find a huge amount of garbage that
takes ages to weed through.
I wanted
to find a source of education, so I could 'do my homework,'
about what the Italy property buying process is, how to make
sure I do things correctly and overall how to ensure that
whole process went as best as it could.
I couldn't
find one source to provide me with what I wanted...
...a
start to finish INDEPENDENT, NON-BIASED. TRUTHFUL RESOURCE
on Buying Italian properties...
So...In
2004, I and my business partner decided to start a company
that fills this gap in the property market. We decided to
set up a service that provides INDEPENDENT and NON-BIASED,
TRUTHFUL information and assist property buyers with support,
resources and on-going information to help them on their overseas
property buying journey. And I mean the FULL journey –
not just buying the property.
We decided
on our mission:
To
support clients through the entire Italian property buying
process
In
order to deliver our mission, we created educational property
guides for various countries (Italy being one of them) and
have a team of staff members that contribute to the guides,
write newsletters and assist people that need help finding
professional and legal property professionals.
Due to
the fact that we've written and published property buying
guides for various overseas destinations, we have a HUGE knowledge
base and a large network of property professionals.
So...within
this site, you'll find information on the following:
1. Italy
Property Buying & Investment Guide
The educational
property guide covers the start to finish process of buying
a property in Italy. Every step is outlined starting with the
initial idea to buy a property in Italy. This guide is for anyone
thinking about or currently in the process of buying property
in Italy.
More
information about the Italy Property Buying Guide
2. Smart
Overseas Property Buyer Finder Form
If you haven't
yet found the property of your dreams and you'd like to chat
with someone that knows the property buying process, quality
Italy property agents and other helpful resources, please fill
out our form. We have excellent relationships with several outstanding
property agents in Italy who are experts in Italian properties.
Smart
Overseas Property Buyer Finder Form
3. Smart
Overseas Property Buyer Resource Form
Are you
looking for a solicitor, Independent Financial Advisor, Currency
Exchange Specialist or anything else? Fill out our form and
we'll call you to let you know who we know!
Smart
Overseas Property Buyer Resource Form
So...
If there is anything we can help you with regarding your plans
to purchase a property in Italy, please buy our guide, or
fill out one of our forms so that we can assist you to find
good, legal property professionals!
My work
associate and co-author of the Italy Property Buying Guide,
Gianna Williams, is full of helpful tips, resources and experiences
based on her moving to Italy over 6 years ago. Between Gianna,
myself and the rest of The Overseas Guides Company team, we
are here to help you with your plans to purchase a property
in Italy.
Big Smiles,
Kim Brown
& Gianna Williams
Italy Buying Guide
The Overseas Guides Company
A
Bit about the Authors of the Italy Property Buying Guide and
Website - Kim Brown and Gianna Williams
My
name is Kim Brown, and I am the author of the Italy Proerty
Buying Guide, along with my colleague Gianna Williams.
Thank
you for purchasing the Italy Property Buying Guide: PLEASE
take the time to read this short letter as I want you to know
what the guide is all about and my motivation for writing
and publishing it.
As mentioned
on our website, I think that buying a property in Italy is
a fantastic idea. Anyone in their right mind would like a
slice of the Italian lifestyle. The fantastic climate, wonderful
food and stress-free environment are just a few of the positive
aspects about Italy. And when you consider that you can often
buy a beautiful detached home with some land for the same
price as a 1 bedroom flat in many major towns in the UK, the
idea becomes even more attractive.
HOWEVER,
there is a BIG problem that potential buyers face when buying
or investing in property in Italy. The problem is that there
are hundreds of steps when planning, visiting, buying, and
completing on the property purchase and if one step is missed
HUGE problems can arise. Overlooking one of the essential
steps could cause a loss of money, time and even the detriment
to one’s health.
I know
this first hand.
A few
years ago my parents-in-law lost well over £20,000 in
purchasing their overseas dream home, having made many really
poor decisions due to a lack of knowledge and overlooking
important steps. Sadly, because of the stress, my mother-in-law
is no longer with us and my father-in-law has moved back to
England, wondering how things could have gone so terribly
wrong.
They unintentionally
hired a ‘cowboy’ property developer, failed to
retain a solicitor, lost ££££’s
buying currency from a bank and not a currency specialist
(like Smart
Currency Exchange) and ultimately paid well over the market
price for their property. My father-in-law now has a property
abroad that he can’t sell and has had to take out a
mortgage and move back to England, where he now lives out
his life as a widower. Yes - their story is extreme. I guess
it’s the things like this that happen in our lives that
make people like me do something about it.
Due to
my in-laws’ disaster and the inherent lack of REAL,
TRUTHFUL, EDUCATIONAL and NON-BIASED information and resources
in the marketplace, my business partner and I decided to start
a company that produces guides and services that help buyers
through the ENTIRE process of buying a property in Italy.
Throughout
this property buying guide, on our websites and other literature,
my contribution, suggestions and advice are based on the general
concepts of buying a property abroad. Any information pertaining
specifically to Italy has been written by my co-author Gianna
Williams, so please read her introduction that follows.
While
reading the property buying guide, if you discover a way to
improve it or have any feedback or case studies that may be
of interest to our readers, please email them to us! Further,
if you’d like to interact with other Italy Property
Buying Guide readers, please visit our forum at: http://www.IBG-forum.com
I wish
you the absolute best with your property plans.
Kindest
regards ever,
Kim
Gianna
Williams
Hi, my
name is Gianna and I am delighted to be able to work with
a great team here at The Overseas Guides Company.
So now
that you know who has written the Italy Property Buying Guide,
here is a tiny bit about myself. My parents are Italian but
I was born in Sydney, Australia as my father had been transferred
there by his company. After seven years in Australia, we moved
to Chicago, Illinois, and then seven years later we moved
to central London. While I was growing up, my parents never
lost touch with their relatives at home and we spent every
summer with my grandparents in Italy.
Wherever
we lived, we spoke Italian, the food was Italian, and our
attitudes were Italian. So it is no surprise really that as
an adult I was left with a longing to ‘go home’.
Six years ago, I finally gathered my courage and moved back
to Italy. I bought a property in the Ligurian countryside,
in the foothills of the Alps, 20 minutes’ drive from
the Riviera and just over the border from Provence.
How did
I decide on the area? Well, my parents had moved back to Italy
some years before and had decided on Bordighera, on the Ligurian
coast. When I visited them, particularly in the winter months,
I loved how warm and sunny it was there, even in January.
I loved the food and I loved picking oranges for our breakfast
from their tree – and that was in January! – and
I adored going out for day trips on their little boat as far
as Cap Martin and Monte Carlo.
I also
loved the fact that there were two or three ski resorts just
a couple of hours’ drive away. And, best of all, with
what our property in Herefordshire was worth we could buy
a house outright and have still something over.
Today
I live in a beautiful setting, surrounded by forested hillsides
with a thriving medieval village nearby for groceries and
basics. The village is home to a strong-knit community of
friendly, warm-hearted people who have rapidly become our
friends. We make our own sun-dried tomatoes, our own wine
and our own olive oil, which we trade with local hunters for
a delicious piece of wild boar in the hunting season –
who needs more?
I love
living in Italy, my whole lifestyle has changed for the better,
and I can say, hand on heart, that I don’t miss Britain
at all – well, okay…apart from the curries…!
However, I would be less than honest if I said it was all
completely without its problems.
Buying
a property in Italy and/or emigrating is not an easy thing
to do at the best of times, let alone when you emigrate to
a country that has made complicated bureaucracy a national
pastime! Yet the rewards are there – you just have to
be prepared. My purpose here is to let you in on the benefit
of the knowledge I picked up along the way. I made many friends
and learnt a huge amount, not only about the property buying
process (I work part-time in a local estate agency) but also
about how everything “works” in Italy. Things
like getting property builders, sorting out utilities, bank
accounts, the taxes and so on – and I am going to pass
some of this on to you.
I sincerely
hope our Italy Property Buying Guide information helps you
with your plans. Remember that Kim and I are always here to
guide you along the way, so please feel free to email us with
any questions you have about buying a property in Italy and
you can be certain that we will do our level best to help
you live the dream.
My very
best regards to you!
Gianna
Williams
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