9207 Hello

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Hi All[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]New member here – although I have been checking out this website for months so have become familiar with a lot of you from your posts. Thought it was time to join in. Living in Galway, Ireland but love all things Italian.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Hoping at some stage to buy a small place in the Lunigiana region as hubby and I are into hillwalking.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Planning on going out there early June to look at a couple of places. If we do decide to purchase would be grateful for any advice or info you can give with the whole buying process – have been reading up a lot on websites but still good to get first hand accounts from people who have gone through it.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Category
Introduce Yourself - Piacere Conoscerti

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 11:04

Hello Galway Girl! Welcome to the Forum in an official way, as you have been with us for a long time, according to your message.
Lunigiana is a beautiful region, we also had a look around but we finally settled for Bagni di Lucca as it suited us better.
My advice is to visit the region, inspect as many properties as you can, look at all the real estate agents who work in the area and also have a look at other surrounding areas as you never know what is going to interest you.
This process can take just one trip or several, but don't settle for the first property you are offered. It has to be right for you.
You should decide beforehand how much you are going to be able to spend in the purchase and any improvements needed. Unless you find a house which has been renovated just as you would have done it yourselves - and this is very rare - keep in mind that you are going to have to spend money on fixing quite a few things. Kitchens, and you may have seen several threads on this topic, are a big problem as it is customary for the previous owners to take it with them... something really surprising, but it is true.
Don't believe in the "small expenditure for just some cosmetic touches" explanations. It all costs money. When you are given a very rough estimate, multiply the amount by two and keep a contingency sum of at least 30-50%. Then you will not have nasty surprises.
The purchase process is a fairly straightforward affair, particularly for houses. When agricultural land is involved it can be a bit trickier.
Make a low offer, about 70 to 80% of the asked price, particularly if the house has been in the market for a while. Then, you can always improve it if you think it is worth it or if you definitely fall in love with it, it does happen.
We found the watermill we finally bought just when we had practically given up on our project. We acted very quickly and, after paying a deposit, we went straight into "rogito" or final settlement without going into the initial "compromesso". It went very quickly and we even gave a power of attorney to our agent to act on our behalf. We went to collect the keys about a month later and after our geometra had coordinated some basic repairs which were urgently needed. Everything was perfect and we had no problems. We walked into a house with the electricity and the heating connected and the agent arranged for a cleaning team to leave everything sparkling. It all worked well for us... I don't know whether it was luck, a good agent, or a combination of several factors. If you want to see a bit of what happened have a look at my thread "The old mulino is finally ours" in the General Chat about Italy section.
I am sure that you will get help and support from other members, so keep on asking questions and we will answer them the best we can.
Best wishes and keep us posted.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 11:07

Welcome to the forum.

I am sure you will get plenty of advice when you need it. Good luck in your house hunt and I hope you enjoy your visit to Italy.:smile:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 12:03

[B]Gala Placidia thank you very much for your informative reply - much appreciated. [/B]

[B]Nielo thank you also for your good wishes.[/B]

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 15:34

Hi Galway Girl,
Reminds me of a song by a Belfast boy, 'Looking for James Joyce's Grave' by Andy White. Incidentally, he is in the process of buying around here. Bear in mind that the Lunigiana is on both sides of the Liguria / Tuscany border. In our experience the Ligurian side is better value as long as you're not too close to the actual coast. That's where we have settled for the last 3 1/2 years and loving it every bit. If you need any other help just ask. Good luck

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 05:12

[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Hi Heiko & Susan[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Thanks for your reply and advice on the Lunigiana region.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Andy White – interesting – must look up the song 'Looking for James Joyce's Grave' don’t know that one.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 12:23

Here's Andy White's homepage: [url=http://www.andywhite.com/]andy white homepage[/url]
[quote=Galway Girl;86696][COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Hi Heiko & Susan[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Thanks for your reply and advice on the Lunigiana region.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]Andy White – interesting – must look up the song 'Looking for James Joyce's Grave' don’t know that one.[/FONT][/COLOR]
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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/12/2008 - 04:20

Welcome Galway Girl

We moved here three and a half years ago from deepest Kerry and we love it. My wife has opened a shop in the village and we really feel part of the community. Sorry your not nearer but the best of luck in following your dream.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 05:28

Hi Marche Pools and Gardens
Good to hear from you and thanks for your good wishes.
Best of luck with your shop - if we are ever out that way we will certainly drop in.

ps. congrats in the football yesterday (Kerry beat Galway by 5 points):no:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/25/2008 - 12:13

Hi Galway Girl

We are in Lunigiana and there are others on the forum here as well. Its a wonderful area and easily accessible from Pisa airport (or Genoa or Parma) with the autostrada so close. We bought in summer 2006 and found it surprisingly painless. When you are going over, drop us a PM and if we are there, you are welcome to come and visit and we can share our experiences.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/28/2008 - 11:11

Thanks for getting in touch Coppicer - good to hear from you. Great to know that there are others out there who have bought in the Lunigiana region. This Forum is excellent - seems it is full of friendly and helpful people. Will drop you a PM before we head over - you might be able to give us a few recommendations on places to visit, restaurants etc.