How to really find your ideal home in Italy
This is a super popular topic in the real estate world that has already been covered extensively and will continue to be.
Yet, I am convinced that the following lines will help you develop a new perspective and finally find the answers you were looking for, especially if you are in the market for a house to renovate or customize.
The same old advice? No thanks!
The internet and social media are full of videos, posts, and articles in which various Italian real estate agencies offer their point of view as well as their advice on how to find or choose your ideal home.
These are a few real examples I found:
- 5 steps to find your home
- How to find the right home easily
- Finding the ideal home in 3 concrete steps
- 7 tips to find your new home
If you analyze this content, you notice how repetitive it is.
“Start with why”
“Think about your future needs”
“Look for the house you need, not the one you dream of”
“If you have to move, would you be able to sell it quickly?”
“What spaces do you need?”
What a professional actually does
I’ll be frank, I see it differently, and I’ll explain why.
First of all, I think buying property (whether it is your home or investment) is a mix of intuition and technical information, in variable proportions depending on our personality.
Therefore, I think only you can recognize which house has that spark that makes you fall in love with it, the one you are even willing to risk and do something crazy for.
The job of the professional is to help you with the operational part of the purchase, providing you with all the technical information and numbers you need to make your final decision and continue with the operation.
Ergo, the professional assists you with the technical and executive matters, but you have to choose which house to buy, free from external conditioning.
From the way traditional Italian real estate agencies tackle the subject, it might seem that the job of a professional is to “make you see reason,” bringing rationality where it is not required.
I admit that on more than one occasion, I have seen customers buy a house that I would have never bought myself, but they would not change for anything in the world. That is because, luckily, we all have different taste!
What does it mean to “find our ideal home” nowadays?
Finding your truly ideal home today, especially if you are looking for one to renovate or customize, does not mean buying the house that your professional consultant likes best but finding the one that you love, making your choice with the support of the technical and numerical information that allows you to make an informed purchase.
Then why do Italian real estate agencies insist on telling their clients what they think is best for them instead of providing them with the technical and objective information they really need?
Why don’t they ever talk in-depth, for example, about the total budget of the operation, i.e., purchase + work, and focus on your needs rather than your personal preferences?
Here’s what I’ve found over several years of fieldwork.
First of all, you should know that in Italy, despite popular beliefs (and expectations), real estate agents are usually not experts in construction.
The average good real estate agent undoubtedly knows all the bureaucratic issues and commercial dynamics concerning a sale and has a general knowledge of real estate but has no specific skills in the technical-building field, except for a few rare exceptions. To tell you the truth, the legislation itself is responsible as it does NOT require real estate brokers to know anything about “construction.”
Therefore agents are not trained (and have no intention to fill that gap) to go too deep into the technicalities or the data regarding operations involving renovation in a building.
That is clear when we consider that the work of a real estate agency ends on the day of the notarial deed (commonly called “transfer of ownership”). Everything that will happen subsequently regarding construction and renovation is not within their competence.
Each professional has their area of expertise
For this reason, Italian real estate agents undoubtedly play a valuable role in the sector and are a reference for those who are selling property.
In my opinion, however, they are not the best resources to rely on if you are the buyer trying to “find the ideal home in Italy” (especially if the property you are going to buy will need renovation).
As I previously stated, the perfect home is the one that satisfies the buyer’s needs and preferences regarding the location they intend to live or invest in, along with a series of technical and objective information that only a competent professional would know.
As for everything that a buyer needs to know from the professional (and therefore technical and numerical aspects), do you agree that the final budget (purchase + work) is definitely one of those important factors that affect the final purchase decision?
So:
- How can real estate agents who know practically nothing about construction find your ideal home? Considering that they would never be able to make a legit estimate (if not by merely guessing) of what the purchase and renovation work will amount to, it is very unlikely;
- How can you trust their advice if they don’t even take into account important aspects such as your budget or what will happen after the purchase?
- How can an agent find your ideal home if they don’t know the total cost of the operation or what the final result will be after the renovation work?
Remember that once you buy the property and pay their commission, you and your wallet will be the only ones responsible for anything that happens next.
What do you need to REALLY find your ideal home in Italy?
To find your ideal home in Italy, you need a professional who knows the local real estate market but is also knowledgeable about the issues that can come up during construction. You need to be able to rely on said expert both in the quotation phase (before the purchase) and during the renovation work (after the purchase).
Without the expert’s support, the operation will be a complete gamble both in terms of budget and final result.
That is exactly the working model I developed with my company Result. I started this business to help those like you who are thinking of buying a property in Italy to renovate or customize it so they can embark on that journey relaxed.
If you want to know more, click here to see how we work or contact us if you have any questions. I will be happy to reply to you personally.
Let’s do it!
Alessio Piccinato
[Technical Manager and Founder of Result – Integrated Real Estate & Renovation Advisory]
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- buying house
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