My husband has had his driving licence renewed at 70 and completed a series of eye and reflex tests. It is due to be renewed again this year. Does anyone know if it is a straightforawrd renewal or if the medical tests need to be taken again?
Does anyone else find it frustrating that answers on the forum are olten so old? If you are looking for up to date information you have to wade tgrough dozens of posts from 4 years ago.
With respect Ugo is an estate agent so has a vested interest. In my area Tempocasa is not charging any commission at all to buyers; only to sellers. I suggest all buyers check on the commission before they look at a property and if the amount quoted is too high walk away without viewing. Many properties have multiple agents.
Check and see if the agents are members of FIAAP and talk to the association which has a code of practice for its members. I would also check with the comune to see if it has a certificate of habitation as if it hasn't it is illegal to live there until repairs have been done to the satisfaction of the comune. If you talk to the technical department at the comune (take your Italian friend or a translator) you should be able to find out a lot about the property including any work that has been done, if it has had any antiseismic work etc.Also it sounds mad to someone English but make sure there is noone else with a financial interest in the property or with a claim to it. Flying freeholds are not uncommon ; also situations where a relative owns one or two rooms where they descend for the whole of ferragosto with sundry kids and animals. I have viewed properties where next door owned a bedroom and had knocked through to extend into one room and another where nonna owned a r couple of rooms downstairs and came every August with all the grandchildren! Caveat emptor.
I still think 5% is too high and I would call his bluff and threaten to walk away. It is a buyer's market at the moment with stacks of houses on the market. Many agencies are charging commission only to the vendor. Will he want to lose a sale and more importantly will the vendor want to lose the sale?
I love Italy and have lived here for nearly fifteen years but the real estate market here is the wild west compared with UK (which still has its fair share of cowboys). 18% off the asking price seems good to those used to a UK market but it is not a high discount for Italy. I know of a house sold .recently for 400,000 which was bought originally for 1,000,000. How long has it been on the market for? How much will it cost to renew the roof? You can get a free preventivo for the cost but make sure the tradesman is registered with the local comune and factor in the cost of the relevant building permit, cost of geometra's fees and be aware that often quotes in Italy do not include IVA. As you are not going to be an Italian tax payer and resident you will pay higher taxes than a resident who can offset costs against tax
The handheld shower is called doccetta and they have a range of designs at good prices at Iperceramica who sell online as well as at a range of stores. They seem to be more popular now probably because of the immigrant population who like to wash in running water.
You can't legally live in the house till it has its certificate of habitation from the comune but much to the horror of our architect we did for a month with no doors or windows as our rented property was sold from under us. Don't leave any valuables around (TV, cash etc) and keep quiet baout it.
Bear in mind unemployment is high in Italy at 10% , much higher in the young 32% last time I saw. Do you have any particular skills and speak good Italian? Otherwise it will be seasonal waiting on Tables!
For a gardener I now pay 12 euros an hour although I have previously paid 13.50 or 15 euros. The guy I use now was recommended by a neighbour and does 4 hours at a time in the late afternoon. Try asking in your local shop. use Google translate on your phone if you don't speak Italian. I found my cleaner by asking in the supermarket. She is the girlfriend of the guy on the deli counter. I pay her 8 euros an hour (what she asked for) although can be up to 11 euros in a more touristy area and don't expect anyone at all to work at Ferragosto!
Hi there; welcome to Italy and the wild world of estate agents. 5% is really high. You should only pay 3% no more. Make sure the agency is registered legally as an estate agent; it should be able to quote the registration number. You definitely as a first time Italian purchaser need someone to watch your back. I used a UK lawyer specialising in Italian property as this means you are covered by the law Society if they do something wrong. I strongly recommend you not to trust them without having someone check it out for you. I used the Italian Property Law centre in UK and a lawyer called Ugo Tanda who I believe now works in Rome. He was charming, efficient and cost £3000 15 years ago but worth every penny for the peace of mind. There are miriads of pitfalls in Italy we Brits are unaware of.Better pay a little extra and know the house is safely yours. There plenty of houses on the market and dozens of agents waiting to bite your hand off. Have you thought of hiring an interpreter?
Good luck
First make sure you insulate far more than you could imagine; think Swedish. Then think of your costs in UK and then at least double it or triple if you like to wear light clothes indoors. Otherwise you will be like Italians wearing three layers of sweaters and huddled round the fire in one room. Many costs in Italy are less but utilities are not amongst them. You need to look at the overall picture and balance it out but there is a reason large houses are cheaper pro rata. I live in Marche at 250 m above sea level in a house 340 sq m and my heating costs for GPL for the winter are about 3,000 euros up to 4,000 if it is a very cold year. This is for underfloor heating and a gas hob.Electricity I recomend you install LED wherever possible as it will make a substantial saving on usage. Otherwise prepare for a heart attack when you get the bill. Don't expect it to be cheaper in Summer if you have a pool as the pool pump uses a lot. On the other hand there is no IMU if it is a prima casa.
Comments posted
With respect Ugo is an estate agent so has a vested interest. In my area Tempocasa is not charging any commission at all to buyers; only to sellers. I suggest all buyers check on the commission before they look at a property and if the amount quoted is too high walk away without viewing. Many properties have multiple agents.
New? Or knew? Or old? If you are going to comment please make it coherent.
Check and see if the agents are members of FIAAP and talk to the association which has a code of practice for its members. I would also check with the comune to see if it has a certificate of habitation as if it hasn't it is illegal to live there until repairs have been done to the satisfaction of the comune. If you talk to the technical department at the comune (take your Italian friend or a translator) you should be able to find out a lot about the property including any work that has been done, if it has had any antiseismic work etc.Also it sounds mad to someone English but make sure there is noone else with a financial interest in the property or with a claim to it. Flying freeholds are not uncommon ; also situations where a relative owns one or two rooms where they descend for the whole of ferragosto with sundry kids and animals. I have viewed properties where next door owned a bedroom and had knocked through to extend into one room and another where nonna owned a r couple of rooms downstairs and came every August with all the grandchildren! Caveat emptor.
I still think 5% is too high and I would call his bluff and threaten to walk away. It is a buyer's market at the moment with stacks of houses on the market. Many agencies are charging commission only to the vendor. Will he want to lose a sale and more importantly will the vendor want to lose the sale?
I love Italy and have lived here for nearly fifteen years but the real estate market here is the wild west compared with UK (which still has its fair share of cowboys). 18% off the asking price seems good to those used to a UK market but it is not a high discount for Italy. I know of a house sold .recently for 400,000 which was bought originally for 1,000,000. How long has it been on the market for? How much will it cost to renew the roof? You can get a free preventivo for the cost but make sure the tradesman is registered with the local comune and factor in the cost of the relevant building permit, cost of geometra's fees and be aware that often quotes in Italy do not include IVA. As you are not going to be an Italian tax payer and resident you will pay higher taxes than a resident who can offset costs against tax
The handheld shower is called doccetta and they have a range of designs at good prices at Iperceramica who sell online as well as at a range of stores. They seem to be more popular now probably because of the immigrant population who like to wash in running water.
You can't legally live in the house till it has its certificate of habitation from the comune but much to the horror of our architect we did for a month with no doors or windows as our rented property was sold from under us. Don't leave any valuables around (TV, cash etc) and keep quiet baout it.
Bear in mind unemployment is high in Italy at 10% , much higher in the young 32% last time I saw. Do you have any particular skills and speak good Italian? Otherwise it will be seasonal waiting on Tables!
For a gardener I now pay 12 euros an hour although I have previously paid 13.50 or 15 euros. The guy I use now was recommended by a neighbour and does 4 hours at a time in the late afternoon. Try asking in your local shop. use Google translate on your phone if you don't speak Italian. I found my cleaner by asking in the supermarket. She is the girlfriend of the guy on the deli counter. I pay her 8 euros an hour (what she asked for) although can be up to 11 euros in a more touristy area and don't expect anyone at all to work at Ferragosto!
Hi there; welcome to Italy and the wild world of estate agents. 5% is really high. You should only pay 3% no more. Make sure the agency is registered legally as an estate agent; it should be able to quote the registration number. You definitely as a first time Italian purchaser need someone to watch your back. I used a UK lawyer specialising in Italian property as this means you are covered by the law Society if they do something wrong. I strongly recommend you not to trust them without having someone check it out for you. I used the Italian Property Law centre in UK and a lawyer called Ugo Tanda who I believe now works in Rome. He was charming, efficient and cost £3000 15 years ago but worth every penny for the peace of mind. There are miriads of pitfalls in Italy we Brits are unaware of.Better pay a little extra and know the house is safely yours. There plenty of houses on the market and dozens of agents waiting to bite your hand off. Have you thought of hiring an interpreter?
Good luck
First make sure you insulate far more than you could imagine; think Swedish. Then think of your costs in UK and then at least double it or triple if you like to wear light clothes indoors. Otherwise you will be like Italians wearing three layers of sweaters and huddled round the fire in one room. Many costs in Italy are less but utilities are not amongst them. You need to look at the overall picture and balance it out but there is a reason large houses are cheaper pro rata. I live in Marche at 250 m above sea level in a house 340 sq m and my heating costs for GPL for the winter are about 3,000 euros up to 4,000 if it is a very cold year. This is for underfloor heating and a gas hob.Electricity I recomend you install LED wherever possible as it will make a substantial saving on usage. Otherwise prepare for a heart attack when you get the bill. Don't expect it to be cheaper in Summer if you have a pool as the pool pump uses a lot. On the other hand there is no IMU if it is a prima casa.