130 Buying in Le Marche

We are moving to Le marche soon. However my parents bought the house not me so I have little purchasing advice to give. However, I have some knowledge of the Pesaro area.

Anna...

The Marche has a lot ot offer and I would advise you stage your visits to see the following areas:

Montefeltro in the north/Pesaro-Urbino
Monte Conero (Ancona)
Maceratese
Fermano
Ascolano

Each area has its own attractions/drawbacks but my advice to you is to take your time visiting the region and explore each of its Provinces before buying.

Of course it very much depends on what you are looking for and the type of landscape you prefer. For example, the Montefeltro is spectacular but the landscape is wilder and more rugged than the gentler rolling landscape of the Provinces of Macerata, Fermo and Ascoli.

The other thing to do is to visit during different seasons so that you can get an idea of the climate, although the climate north of Ancona (if you stick to coastal areas) is more humid. The best climate is to be found south of Acona.
If you like the mountains then head for the heartland near the Sibillini. There are a number of striking towns and villages along this range of spectacular mountains.

If you need any further information about the region, have a word with ENIT (The Italian State Toursit Office) in London.

BY the way, I've written an article on the Marche which is appearing in the April issue of Italy. This might provide some insight into the territory.

If you need any further info let me know.

Best regards

Charles

Anna

My husband and I bought a farmhouse in need of restoration in June 2003 and we finished the restoration work late last year. We are situated in the province of Ascoli Piceno (soon to be the new province of Fermo) which is quite close to the Sybillini Mountains. The area is very italian and does not have the attractions of bright lights and big cities that Tuscany and Umbria has to offer. This was the attraction for us. The region has quite a few foreigners who own property, however, it is largely still a farming community. Our neighbours are all farmers and few if any speak any english. The climate is very good. The winters are cold, although at New Year this year it was around 12 degrees, until the worst snow for decades arrived in late January! The summers are fairly long and hot. We are about halfway between the mountains and sea which is ideal as the Sybillini are quite maginificent and the seaside resorts are typically italian and very charming. On the whole the region is very italian, the shops are traditional (not catering for tourists), there are numerous festivals and markets throughout the summer and autumn and there always seems to be something going on in one or other town square at the least excuse. It is also the centre of shoe and bag production for Italy and there are numerous outlets where there are bargains galore. The locals are extremely friendly and accomodating and will help you out no end so long as you are respectful of their traditions and values.

The downside, and there are always some, is that the shops do close from approx 12.30 to 4pm each day, you do need to speak italian (but then why buy in italy if you cant!), when it rains it really seems to rain, the mountains have their own weather system which do include storms.

We didnt look at any other area of Le Marche, we simply drove down the SS210 and thought "this is the place for us". It really is a slice of real italy, warts and all, and we love it more and more each time we visit.

Good luck with your exploration of Le Marche. It would be nice to hear some feedback, via the forum, when you have visited some of the regions.

I would agree with the other replies. We moved to Montalto, Ascoli region last year and are very happy with our choice. Half way between mountains and coast is great for us. Not too many foreigners here so we are a bit of a novelty for the locals especially as I'm English and my husband is German. I could talk about the area for ages as I love it but you must explore and take time to breath it all in. Our local community, especially our neighbours have been great. My Italian is poor but they still take time to chat, and always have time for you, especially if it's advice on planting vegetables. Yesterday, a man with a sack of potatoes told us all about when to plant them....according to the position of the moon. When do you have a conversation like that in England? We also have 3 young children and they have settled in really well. If you're in the area you are welcome to come by for a chat and a cup of tea.

a good place to start looking....and i ve mentioned it before is the coastal resort towns..... i know ipercoop...a sort of big supestore has this free magasine on offer.... giving lots of details of property coastal/inland.... but also because there is such a large property market along the coast you will find hundreds of different agents.... lots having rural offices as well.....its a good reseach base for prices and quality of service....many of the offices also have an english speaking member of staff....

the thing is if you dont like what one has on offer walk down the street and look in another.... they know this so competition is often present and could well work for you..... look at a few places with different agencies and get a good idea of prices and whats on offer...

...this will then give you a good reference base for making a choice when you do eventually find the right place about how much you should be paying

The very fact that there is, as John says, a large market along the coast means that property prices are higher.

You will also find that many Marchigiani have sold properties in the heartland to move to the coast. Moroever, most of the best buys near the coast have been snapped up. This has tended to push prices up...in some cases 2000 to 4000 euro per square metre.

If you are prepared to go 15 to 20 Km inland you will find that prices are generally more affordable...but it really depends on what you are looking for and what your overall budget (to include the cost of renovation) is.

Charles

We are anxiously awaiting the contracts for our house near Amandola. We like Le Marche enormously and look forward to living there full time - builders permitting. So far few problems tho we are aware that time cannot be too fixed a plan. do we move everything out/do we buy in Italy/do we buy an Italian car/or buy one on the continent before coming over/ so many questions but good luck and keep in touch. Janet

HI

I visited Marches in 2003 travelled from Grottamare through Ripatrasone and then found Montalto (heaven), which has left a lasting impression on both myself and my husband.

We had a coffee in a bar in the centre and found the locals very friendly.

We are hoping to buy a property this year but don't find much that is on offer around the Montalto area.

Will be there at end of May so e-mail me [email]reaton100@hotmail.com[/email] and perhaps we could call in and see you.

Best regards

Eileen and Richard Eaton.

[QUOTE=Debby]I would agree with the other replies. We moved to Montalto, Ascoli region last year and are very happy with our choice. Half way between mountains and coast is great for us. Not too many foreigners here so we are a bit of a novelty for the locals especially as I'm English and my husband is German. I could talk about the area for ages as I love it but you must explore and take time to breath it all in. Our local community, especially our neighbours have been great. My Italian is poor but they still take time to chat, and always have time for you, especially if it's advice on planting vegetables. Yesterday, a man with a sack of potatoes told us all about when to plant them....according to the position of the moon. When do you have a conversation like that in England? We also have 3 young children and they have settled in really well. If you're in the area you are welcome to come by for a chat and a cup of tea.[/QUOTE]

I live in the Province of Ancona - not a bad area.
There are still a few bargains to be found in this area - about 50-70 km inland from Ancona.
The positive point about this area is that you have the nature but you also have the train line Ancona- Rome so if you need a city fix it can be just one train raide away.

[QUOTE=Annie T]We are looking to buy in Le Marche and would be interested to hear from anyone who has recently made this journey. Thanks.

It is very interesting reading all the comments, thank you all. We have been over twice and, like the forum contributor who fell in love with Montalto, we have been smitten by the medieval hill-top towns in the area between Fermo and Sarnarno and are hoping to close a deal. Can't say where in case it tempts fate and it falls through!! I'd like to know how you found 'your' property, through an agent such as those advertising in 'Italy' or other means?[/QUOTE]

We live just over the border from Le Marche near Teramo in the Abruzzi. It's ashort drive for us to Ascoli Piceno, a place we love. It has a huge piazza and a very pleasant park in the centre of the city as well as lots of interesting alleyways and shops. Sarnano and San Ginesio are a little further into Le Marche and both are stunnign locations. Because of their height they stay greener than the coastal areas of Le Marche and Abruzzo and are particularly attractive in spring.

We didn't use an agent, although we did take a week to look at seeral properties offered by agents in the area. Our low opinion of agents got lower and lower during that week as "our" agent who insisted on being called "James" took us from overpriced ruin to hopeless pile of stones all at ludicrous prices, none of them with any land and many adjacent to areas marked for industrial development. Ultimately we bought the house that we first saw and fell in love with which we bought direct from the owners.

I would advise you to get to know an area and talk to local people first, if they like you they will point you towards people in the area who want to sell land/property. This way you can avoid the unscrupulous agents who charge both parties for their services.

...with your property deal Anne. Thanks for your kind comments about the Monastery Apartment, glad you enjoyed your stay. Let us know when you have bought your house! How exciting....

john, could you recommend any agents in abruzzo. We are renting in le marche at the moment and I would like to look at some properties there as well....[QUOTE=adriatica]a good place to start looking....and i ve mentioned it before is the coastal resort towns..... i know ipercoop...a sort of big supestore has this free magasine on offer.... giving lots of details of property coastal/inland.... but also because there is such a large property market along the coast you will find hundreds of different agents.... lots having rural offices as well.....its a good reseach base for prices and quality of service....many of the offices also have an english speaking member of staff....

the thing is if you dont like what one has on offer walk down the street and look in another.... they know this so competition is often present and could well work for you..... look at a few places with different agencies and get a good idea of prices and whats on offer...

...this will then give you a good reference base for making a choice when you do eventually find the right place about how much you should be paying[/QUOTE]

We have had our verbal offer accepted on a house near Amandola and are just awaiting confirmation that the Vendor/s have accepted the Proposta.

Have to say this is a lovely part of the world and we just really like the mountains and all that it has to offer.

Hoping that we might complete everything by the summer and would love to hear from anyone in the area, especially those who know the ropes - we hadn't intended to buy quite so soon and are on a steep learning curve esp with the language!.

Robert

[QUOTE=arty]We have had our verbal offer accepted on a house near Amandola and are just awaiting confirmation that the Vendor/s have accepted the Proposta.

Have to say this is a lovely part of the world and we just really like the mountains and all that it has to offer.

Hoping that we might complete everything by the summer and would love to hear from anyone in the area, especially those who know the ropes - we hadn't intended to buy quite so soon and are on a steep learning curve esp with the language!.

Robert[/QUOTE]
Hi Robert,
just a couple of common sense advices:
- remember that you need a written agreement to bind yourself and the vendor
- do not pay anything before you're sure the vendor is the real and only owner
- consider all the aspects of the purchase, including, i.e. the hypotetical costs of a renovation
- have a look at this site for a general vision of buying in Italy:
[url]www.notariato.it/eng/home.aspx[/url]

There are a lot of threads on the forum if it's necessary or not to use a lawyer or a notary is enough.
Anyway, lawyer or notary, a legal advice is really useful and do not hesitate to look for it.

I'm sure all will go in a "no problem" way, so good luck :)

It's great to see how many people love this beautiful region!
Actually my family also chose Le Marche (I was born in Milan) 25 years ago when it was really really off the beaten track!:D
Hope to meet some of you sometimes!

We came across Marche around 12 years ago as my brother was working in Ancona, so it was a natural choice to buy here, and in the end we decided to completely relocate.

We fell upon (quite by chance) wonderful San Ginesio, and one of the nicest parts of Marche - we think. The locals made us part of the community and the locaation of our place is just perfect (just by sheer luck) as we had no idea when we fell in love with the location that we were half an hour from mountains, sea and just 5 minutes from our medieval San Ginesio. To cap it all I later discovered the designer shoe factories and so many places of interest and beauty.

For me Ancona and Portonovo are my other favourite places - can't think of anywhere that I'd rather be.

Welcome to Marche, and please contact us if we can help in any way.

We are buying near Amandola, just on the edge of the Sibilini National Park - lovely mountain views. Knew when we flew out a few weeks ago that we wanted this area, but didn't expect to almost drive straight from the Airport to the house we have decided to make an offer on.

Very excited and looking forward to making new firends both Italian and English. Would love to hear from anyone in the area and at this stage any advice as to the minefield of bits we will need to sort out.

Robert

We have a house near Servigliano. We love the area because it is so uncommercialised and untouristy. We had looked in other parts of Italy and then read about Le Marche and had to investigate further. We immediately felt at home and after many more trips we found the house there. We still have lots to learn about the area but we love going to the 'lake' at Fiastra, the mountains and the beach at San Benedetto was great three weeks ago.
Can anyone suggest where to go for the handbags and shoes though? I haven't discovered this little joy yet.
We are enjoying the discovery of this area.

Want to know where to buy shoes and handbags in this region? Read this thread..

[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=3672&referrerid=2092[/url]

No question goes unanswered on this Forum!
[ATTACH]578[/ATTACH]

We bought our place 4 years ago and are not too far from you, relatively speaking. Having been through the purchase and renovation and having helped others do the same, we are glad to offer our assistance if needed.
Buona Fortuna

[QUOTE=arty]We have had our verbal offer accepted on a house near Amandola and are just awaiting confirmation that the Vendor/s have accepted the Proposta.

Have to say this is a lovely part of the world and we just really like the mountains and all that it has to offer.

Hoping that we might complete everything by the summer and would love to hear from anyone in the area, especially those who know the ropes - we hadn't intended to buy quite so soon and are on a steep learning curve esp with the language!.

Robert[/QUOTE]

we have bought in le Marche in Santa Vittoria - near Amandola. There are lots of extremely nice people around of all ages - we are senior citizens but know others of 30 and so on. thoroughly recommend a visit. If you leave a private message it will get back to you.