Italy Buying Guide Monthly Newsletter
March 2010

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In This Month's Issue You'll Find:

Message from Gianna

Take a healthy interest in the Medical System in Italy!

Recommended Resource – A new blog that concerns the cost of your overseas property (or cost to emigrate)

OGC Resource Centres March Top Tip: Always Use a Solicitor

Renting your holiday home out for some extra cash?

Protection for you and your Overseas Property

Come and collect your Full Version FREE Emigration Guide

Ciao for now…

Hello from a cold and snowy Liguria! I hope you were not trying to drive through France to get to Italy on Thursday the 11th of February. A risible amount of snow forced the unprepared motorway authorities to close the motorway between St Raphael and the Italian border for 8 hours – I know because I was trying to drive to Barcelona and got thrown off the motorway at Cannes.

You could say that there are worse places to be stuck in; however the A-roads were a mass of stationary cars stuck in the snow, driven by desperate drivers like myself. I was quite shocked at how little it takes for the French to completely shut off such an important road. They hadn’t bothered to throw a grain of salt down to keep any A-roads, city roads or motorway lanes clear. Plus Radio Traffic on 107.7 FM transmitted traffic reports in 1,000-mile-an-hour French that had my rusty A-level abilities stretched to the limit. If you need traffic advice when in Italy, then I recommend Isoradio on 103.3 FM. Not only does it warn you of traffic problems and suggest alternative routes, but it does so in perfect English as well as Italian. Another useful source is www.autostrade.it, where you can look at Italian motorway webcams in real time.

February is Carnival month throughout Italy. Every town has its own festivities: floats and parades, children running about spraying anyone and anything with shaving foam and coloured confetti and everyone in costume. The most prestigious Carnival is, of course, in Venice, famous for its magnificent period costumes and masks. It is such a blockbuster production that it even has its own website: www.carnivalofvenice.com. The masks themselves are works of art.

At the other end of the scale, Carnival in my own little corner of Liguria is a humble affair: adults and children dress up in anything that will make them unrecognisable and parade down the main street on the night of Mardi Gras behind a tractor decorated with mimosa flowers, towing a wire-frame papier maché effigy of Mr Carnevale himself (I think probably representing winter), who looks rather like a benign overweight clown. Once the tractor and cortege reaches the town car park – cleared specially for the occasion – Mr Carnevale is unloaded and set fire to, and we all dance around him with members of the town band – also in costume – improvising a few popular ditties. Once the fire dies down, we all decamp to a neighbour’s cellar to drink his new wine and eat ‘crustuli’ – pasta dough which is fried in oil and then served sprinkled with icing sugar and/or jam. It’s a great festival, shame it takes place on a freezing winter night!

While we are all bemoaning the weather – and it really has been a terrible winter Europe-wide – let’s cast a glance at spring, which is just around the corner, thankfully. There are some dates that might interest you in March, if you are interested in moving to Italy. One is the Dolce Vita show from the 11th to the 14th of March at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. Another is the A Place in the Sun Live exhibition at Earl’s Court on the 26th-28th of March. The last being of the Emigrate Show at Sandown Park in London and the OGC team will be at stand 94. It is on the 6-7 March – why not come and chat to us about your plans to emigrate or to buy a property abroad? We will be handing out our newly published Emigration Guide for free (normally £12.97) to the first 100 lucky visitors to our stand.  

Right – what does this month’s newsletter have for you? This month’s feature discusses health care in Italy, and I hope it will prove useful (or, on the contrary, I hope you won’t need to use it!) to you. Then something on your currency concerns and some top tips on renting your home abroad (should you want to do this). There is a bit about how the OGC has helped others, something about our Property Guide and I address your insurance concerns before signing off for another month.

Best wishes,

Gianna

Gianna Williams
Italy Buying Guide
The Overseas Guides Company
Italy@OverseasGuidesCompany.com
Phone 0207 898 0549

Take a healthy interest in the Medical System in Italy!

It is hard to say whether one system of health care is better than another. It seems to me that health services Europe-wide are in more or less the same state: featuring peaks of technological excellence as well as woeful troughs of negligence and lack of care.

In Italy, as in the UK, people complain about waiting times, often choosing to go private in order to have the same operation, done by the same doctor, in a week rather than having to wait six months on a waiting list. You can go to A&E (pronto soccorso) and be seen within 10 minutes or after 4 hours of waiting – it seems to be a matter of pure luck. Last month a Eurispes report was published that showed that 56.3% of Italians are dissatisfied with their national health service.

But every case seems to be a one-off experience: when I thought I had broken a rib, the care I received in hospital was excellent, immediate and I was sent home with reassurances, no bill to pay and a CD-Rom of my X-rays. When my husband had a tiny piece of gravel stuck in his eye, we waited three hours at 2 in the morning, only for the doctor to give him a cursory glance and tell him he probably had conjunctivitis and was sent home (he was properly treated at another hospital the next day, where the doctor on call took all of two minutes to examine him and take the offending object out of his eye). On another occasion, I had to wait for the doctor on call to stop playing Space Invaders (or some such game) on her computer before she could tend to my needs, with a clear expression of exasperation for having been interrupted in what must have been a winning streak that morning.

The fundamental difference between the Italian health service and the UK health service is the role of the GP. A GP in Italy does little more than distribute flu jabs, fill in repeat prescriptions and refer patients on to specialists for further tests. He or she will treat things like flu or laryngitis, prescribe antibiotics and cures, but generally speaking people head straight for A&E when they feel ill. GP practices don’t seem to have the same role in preventative medicine either. I’ve never had a letter from my GP practice reminding me that it’s time to have a check-up or repeat my tetanus shot etc, while my rural practice in Herefordshire was constantly sending me such reminders. Here in Italy we seem to be left to fend for ourselves most of the time.

A friend who is a retired paediatric nurse was amazed when I told her of how new mothers in the UK are visited by medical staff to check on how mother and baby are getting on. The care of the very young and the very old is left to the family. It’s a vicious circle: the state assumes the family will take care of itself, so it doesn’t bother and therefore the family is forced to take care of itself, and so on.

The upshot of this is that if you buy in Italy and decide not to become a resident, you aren’t really losing out all that much. As a UK resident, if you really need urgent care you can simply go to the hospital and get seen there, like Italians do. All you will need is your EHIC (what used to be the E111 form). You will have to pay a “ticket”, or fee, as everyone does, which is normally a small fee, depending on how many tests you have had.

If you become a resident in Italy, then you can go to the local ASL (national health service) offices and ask to register with a local doctor. You can actually get a list of English-speaking doctors from the British Embassy in Rome’s website:
http://ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/when-things-go-wrong/if-you-need-doctor/

Make sure when you go to ASL to bring every form of documentation you own: identity card (if you’re a resident you’ll have one and they are pretty useful), codice fiscale, marriage certificate etc. When my husband and I went to register at the ASL office we took with us a folder of documents and we still managed to forget to bring one of the forms they wanted to see… Just bring everything and hope for the best.

You are welcome to phone the OGC Resource Team if you have any questions on this or any other Italy related topic – they are standing by to take your calls. After years of talking to people buying in Italy they are a real font of information. Alternatively if you want someone to help you find a property, you could fill in this short form:
http://www.ItalyBuyingGuide.com/property.htm

In both cases the OCG Resource Team will call you to discuss your needs in detail. And remember – at no time are you under any obligation to use our recommendations and our service is free of charge.

Recommended Resource – A new blog that concerns the cost of your overseas property (or cost to emigrate)

I have exciting news about a new way that you can get current, updated educational articles about what the currency markets are doing.  Why should you care?  Well – if you’re going to emigrate or buy a property overseas you will most likely need to change your GBP into the local currency.  When doing this there are specific ways to save money and avoid risks…The new blog was specifically created to help educate people about how to go about those ‘ways’.

To view the recent monthly forecast on what the rates are doing and will be doing, check out:

http://smartcurrencyarticles.blogspot.com/2010/02/january-has-been-interesting-month-for.html

There you will find both a regular monthly newsletter and other articles that are aimed to educated the general public on avoiding exploitation by the banks. The information will give you a run down on what’s happening with the economy, both in the UK and worldwide, discussed in layman's terms that are both helpful and simple to understand. You will also find Charles Purdy’s conclusions as to whether now is a good time to buy, sell or hold tight on your euro or US dollar each month – Charles is the director of Smart Currency and has been dealing with currency, and indeed investing in property abroad himself, for many years.

Charles received a wonderful email from a gentleman named C. Scott recently.  It was in response to this monthly newsletter – that, and of course the wonderful service that Colin received when he actually used Smart to transfer his currency abroad.

Here’s what Colin had to say: 

Dear Charles,

Many thanks for your fact-full, monthly round-up of currency matters. After using SMART for my euro transfers during 2007, I can only reiterate my thanks to you and your professional colleagues, who not only saved me in excess of £14,000,(if converted via my bank!) but were absolutely spot in with the forward rates for the euro!!

I am now, after a few grey hairs and language barrier issues with Greek builders, the proud owner of a 4 bedroom monster stone house in a beautiful part of Crete! I cannot stress enough how safe and secure I felt with the knowledge that my hard earned savings were in such professional hands. I have just received a ticket to the exhibition "A Place in the Sun" at Earls Court, so if anyone asks me about currency transfer I shall be pointing them in Smart's direction!!

Many Thanks ...and kind regards

Colin.

If you haven't opened a Smart account yet it’s the number 1 recommendation that the OGC makes when it comes to saving money and avoiding unnecessary risks.  Call on freephone 0808 163 0102 (+44 0207 898 0541) or fill out the online Account Form at:
http://www.smartcurrencyexchange.com/applyOnline.aspx

OGC Resource Centres March Top Tip: Always Use a Solicitor

Speaking to our many readers on a regular basis as we at OGC do, it is not surprising that many of them eventually come to feel like close friends. I am in regular contact with one such couple and, over the years, I shared with them many of the highs and lows of buying a property abroad.

When I first spoke to them they had bought a home in Crete, with lovely views of the sea, and were excitedly planning regular visits accompanied by their grandchildren. You can imagine their horror when they visited their property as it neared completion only to discover that a block of flats had been erected in front of their home, totally obscuring their view. I must say I was utterly heartbroken on their behalf.

So…our recommended lawyer to the rescue! Sadly he found that the contract they had signed meant that they were locked into the purchase of the house – how I wished he had been able to look at this earlier…But he did check the rest of the contract to make sure all was well and then offered his services on an ongoing basis – they needed to use him for making out a Greek will for instance.

The story has a reasonably happy ending in that they have become accustomed to the house and plan to extend the patio – the grandchildren love it! The key point however is that it’s absolutely 100% necessary to get yourself a solicitor – no matter what country you’re buying in. Even if it’s not “normal procedure to use a solicitor”, you’ll want to make sure your money and assets are protected. If you need a recommendation, the OGC Resource Centre may have someone on our books in the area you plan to buy in.

The couple mentioned above sent this to me:

My wife and I would like to wish you all the very best in your venture into a new way of life with your family...I would also like to thank you and OGC for introducing me to Smart Currency who have been very helpful and as specially the lawyer who we can't thank enough for his invaluable professional help. We did ask him to accept payment for his advice but he politely refused so if you know of anything suitable as a gift his favourite tipple maybe!

Kindest Regards

Names withheld

Perhaps we can help you too?

Please contact the OGC Resources Team – you’ll get them on 0207 898 0549. You are under no obligation to use our recommendations and there is no cost involved.

Renting your holiday home out for some extra cash?

You may have bought a property abroad to stay yourself during holidays.  You may however from time to time consider renting it out. Here are a few vital tips to remember:

1. Think about employing someone to make sure the gardens and the pool are kept looking immaculate.  There is nothing more off-putting than a dirty pool and a messy garden.  You will need to factor in an extra cost for someone to keep on top of maintenance if you are not there to do it yourself.

2. It is essential that bathrooms and kitchens are clean and well stocked. Inexpensive and easy to replace cutlery, crockery and glassware are essential in the kitchen plus toilet paper and towels in the bathroom.

3. If your property is suitable for families, most now expect there to be a washing machine - and a dishwasher is necessary too. Would you want to spend half your time washing by hand or washing up after each meal when on holiday?

4. Get a decent kitchen stove. My preference is for an electric stove – people can’t leave the gas on and cause an explosion.

5. When renting out, remove all objects that are precious to you. Trust me, they will be the things that get broken first – sod’s law! Many people put a lock on a cupboard or a loft and put all valuables safely hidden away.

6. Furniture should be strong, solid and robust.  Ikea type is great, but ‘cheap as chips’ will probably turn out to be false economy.

7. You know how many people can stay in the house – in fact, when you rent it out you will no doubt specify this. Make sure there are enough chairs, crockery etc for the number of people that will be renting.

8. Spend a little extra on strong, firm yet comfortable mattresses. There is nothing like a really good, comfortable night’s sleep to make someone hasten to return or to recommend your property to friends and family.

9. Create an area and attractions guide. You’ll want to map out where the best pubs and restaurants are plus all the unmissable walks…This is just the sort of thing that makes people return time after time.

10. Throw in a welcome pack for each visitor; supply basic essentials like milk and bread together with some details of nearby shops, doctors, garages etc. Adding a bottle of the local wine cost very little but it will really endear you to your guest! (Letting agents will do this for you in you are not around)

11. You need to make sure that you are fully insured for visitors in your rental property. This is an absolute must.

12. Always ask for testimonials and feedback. That way you can correct any shortcomings and promote you property to prospective renters.

If you want a home with these qualities already built in, then I suggest you run them by your estate agent from the beginning of your search if you have not yet bought. And if you need any help – with estate agents, IFAs, insurance brokers or suchlike just call the OGC Resource Team 0207 898 0549 - there is no cost or obligation to use our recommendations.

Protection for you and your Overseas Property

Let’s face it, there has been a real backlash against having your money in the bank, and even pension schemes no longer give the security they once did. More and more people are turning to the tried and tested option of property – more specifically, property abroad. Property in the UK is an expensive commodity and, looking around, it becomes clear that you can get far more for value for money outside the UK.

So far so good, but buying abroad brings its own set of problems, and one of them is insurance. Good insurance is absolutely essential, both if you are living in your new home on a permanent basis or if you are only holidaying there. Add to the mix the fact that you may be renting it out and it has the potential of becoming a bit of a nightmare.

But you can relax…we have the name of an excellent UK company that specialises in insuring homes abroad. First recommended to us by one happy OGC reader and then another and another. I’m sure we’ve now received hundreds of recommendations to this same company. Not only that, but all policies, claims etc are in English – for me that is absolutely vital.

TO find out more information, simply follow the link below and fill out the short quote form. It will take 2 minutes and you are never under any obligation to use the service.

Come and collect your Full Version FREE Emigration Guide

We at the Overseas Guides Company would love to meet you personally – it’s great to put a face to the many people that we talk to on the phone every day. We will be at stand 94 of the Emigrate Show at Sandown Park in London on the 6-7 March – why not come and chat to us about your plans to emigrate or to buy a property abroad?

Subject to final confirmation, on each day there are expected to be about 20 presentations given by migration experts on the various destinations, so it really should be very interesting.
Every visitor is entitled to a free copy of the Emigrate annual publication and Show Guide.

We will be handing out our newly published Emigration Guide for free (normally £12.97) to the first 100 lucky visitors to our stand. (For the full low -own of what can be found in the new Guide go to: http://www.emigrationguide.com)

It is reckoned that last year over 200,000 skilled workers and professionals left the UK for pastures new and for years we have been working to ensure that such a move is a well researched, safe and happy one. Many are the pitfalls that await the unwary and that’s what we hope to save you from: unprofessional, less that trustworthy people who may not have your best interests at heart.

From years of chatting to people who have successfully done what you plan to do, and indeed in many cases having done the same thing ourselves, we are in a position to support you with recommendations and assistance. There is no cost and you are under no obligation to accept our recommendations but you never know – it may just prove the best decision you ever made.

I have a number of tickets to give away – the tickets are usually priced at £12 so it’s quite a saving. They are available on a first come first served basis, with maximum 2 tickets per person. Give the OGC Resource Centre a call on 0207 89 80549 and I will post them to you.

Ciao for now…

Lovely talking to you again. These newsletters are written to help you so if there is anything that you would like to see addressed in a newsletter please drop us a line or call the OGC Resource team at 0207 898 0549 and we will see if we can include it in the future.

Best wishes …and roll on the warm weather!

Gianna

Gianna Williams
Italy Buying Guide
The Overseas Guides Company
Italy@OverseasGuidesCompany.com
Phone 0207 898 0549