SCALEA PROPERTY (REAL ESTATE) AGENCY. FORUM, PHOTO, VIDEO. SCALEA (CALABRIA ITALY). BUY OR SALE SEASIDE HOUSE, APARTMENT, VILLA IN SCALEA (SOUTHERN ITALY)

Normally buying property in Italy is arranged in two stages:

Stage One

Either directly or with the assistance of an agent (Mediatore/Agente) the foreign buyer will need to select the property, obtain some basic information and documentation and negotiate general terms of purchase (time and price). The buyer will be asked to sign a reservation agreement and pay a deposit (10% or 6000 Euros which ever is greater) to the agent. Also, at this stage you’ll need to open an Italian Bank Account and obtain Codice Fiscale. When this is completed buyer returns to his home Country.

Property checks and searches

At this stage it will also be necessary to organize a survey, local land registry searches, and all necessary checks with the local authorities (Commune), as far as local planning and building regulations are concerned. This work is usually undertaken by a local surveyor (Geometra) and Public Notary (Notaio), which usually organised by Agency. If these searches reveal any problems regarding the sale of the property then the sale cannot be completed and you will get your deposit back in full. Usually these checks and searches take around two weeks to carry out.

Checks carried out by Geometra:
— The property matches the Land Registry definition
— The property was not built without planning permission
— Any work done, have recieved approval and have had the relevant taxes paid
-The owners as Land Registry Office are same as stated by the vendor

Checks carried out by Notary:
-The vendor is the lagal owner of the property and is Entitled to sell the house
-There are no debts or mortgages on the house
-There are no written liens or burdens
-The vendor is aware that they must declare any outstanding private agreements regarding the
property, For example is the vendor has agreed to allow a highbour to build or extend within the
minimum laid down by Italian law or has given a friend a right of way across the property

Stage Two

The last stage relates to the completion formalities which normally take place in the offices of a Local Notary. Notaries have a special duty of drafting the Purchase Deed and to ensure the proper execution, registration, and payment of all Italian taxes ancillary to the completion.

The purchaser is liable to pay:

— ~~Translator fees at the Notary — from FREE to around 150 Euros, depends on property~~ AT OUR AGENCY FREE
— ~~The Geometra’s fees — around 350–550 Euros~~ AT OUR AGENCY FREE

IMPORTANT: Declared Value
Under Italian Law a property has a legal or declared value. The legal value is statutory value placed on the property by the Government. This value is generally considerably less than the actual purchase price (usually 2/3 of the market price) and it is this figure appear on the documents.

The amount of tax and notary charges a lot less than it appears at first sight and from our experience all charges should not exceed 10% of the purchase price agreed (this excludes budget properties priced below 30k euros where fees can reach up to 15–20% of the property price)