Is it really necessary to have neighbours around your holiday home? I am looking into getting a holiday home which I will stay in occasionally for work as well but might also rent out a little.
Can neighbours block you from renting out a holiday home? I am considering buying a second home in Italy and using it for myself from time-to-time but also renting it out on Airbnb.
Financing a renovation. I am looking into buying a holiday house that needs a thorough renovation (roof, floors/ceilings, installing kitchen/bathroom, heating, redo electricity, install septic, etc.).
Cost of renovation vs. final house value - any recommendations? I am looking to possibly restore a 19th century house in a Piemontese hamlet which was used to make wine.
Old house renovation question - ceilings! Does anyone know about the rules for renovating an older house in Italy in terms of ceiling height? I was told that the cellar ceiling is too low to be converted to "livable space".
Sadly, it has not progressed because when I went back to the realtor, I discovered that someone else bought the house! I thought I had more time because it had to be completely renovated but apparently someone else liked similar things that I did and put an offer on it the same day they visited it. I have been annoyed ever since and I have not been able to find another house with the same requirements - character, older with some stone, vineyard view, vaulted underground/partially underground wine cellar and on the smallish side, good location within a certain area and just outside of a village. Houses with these things tend to quite large in Piedmont and much more money than I can spend.
So I lost the house over 2 years ago and have been looking regularly ever since but nothing has come close. :(
The first link is brilliant. Thanks as I need knowledge here too. I found the 2nd one inaccurate for my area as it was indicating even the core of a developed village was "agricola" and some did not even have prices. But the other is great.Cheers.
Thanks. I certainly plan on paying taxes. :) The house has been abandoned since 1981 it seems. And the other neighbours's houses around have a nice upkeep so a friend of mine said that they might prefer an Airbnb situation than one where the house is falling down. It does share walls with two of the neighbours so if it is fixed up well, that might give them additional relief.But one never knows. I work in the wine business so a nice bottle of wine at their door every Christmas certainly cannot hurt either.
Yes, I have serious concerns that it will be more money than €1000. If I get an estimate before the work that seems fair, is there any way to be sure that a builder won't say that I need to pay for more in the end? That would be a disaster.
Thank you very much. So, when you say a minimum amount to restore, you mean one needs a house that is valued at €100,000 or more? It does not mean that one must take out a mortgage or loan of €100,000 or more. Is that correct?I am asking because if I put €100,000 into a house (and it is valued at that when the bank checks it), but after complete restoration, it will only be valued at €180,000, then I would not qualify because I would only need €80,000, not €100,000. Does that make sense? However, if the house must be worth €100,000 then it is more possible.Thank you!
Thank you. So if I understand correctly, one is able to get a mortgage to restore as long as the property is valued at €100,000 or more? And it would be possible to get such a mortgage even one year after the purchase of a house? Or would that then be considered a "re-financing", though it was not financed through a bank to begin with.I am looking at buying a house for €20,000, for example. The restoration costs plus all of the fees (estate agent, geometra, permits, etc) look to total around €180,000. If I put in €100,000 of my own money and the house is valued at that mid-restoration, then if I qualify financially, I should be able to get up to €70,000 to finish the restoration. Is that correct? What if the house will only be worth €160,000 at the end of the restoration? Does that mean I will not get a mortgage at all because mortgages must be at least €100,000?I guess I am confused as to what must be worth €100,000 or more. Thanks again.
Wow. You have really done some analysis into the heating/cooking aspect. It would be great to learn more from you if indeed it does look like I will go forward with the house. I'd love to consider ideas like solar panels and whatever else to help improve the energy rating. The estate agent who is representing the house told me that it is one of the more important aspects now in terms of successful house sales and creating an attractive house for sellers. Again, I am not interested in flipping it but it is good to consider later down the road. Plus, if I do let it out, I would love to keep the utility bills to a minimum.One quick question which I forgot to ask is that the geometra quoted me €10,000-12,000 for the more technical side to permits. This would include doing the blueprints to the house, doing an energy analysis, and other things. I can actually copy and paste it here in Italian:e spese tecniche per ottenere il Permesso di Costruire sono di circa 10.000/12.000 euro comprensive di:-pratica edilizia, tavole grafiche, computo metrico, autorizzazione paesaggistica, relazione sugli impianti, autorizzazione degli scarichi reflui, relazione geotecnica, pratica strutturale per i solai e per il tetto, relazione tecnica per la linea vita sul tetto, attestazione energetica finale, agibilità e tutta la documentazione integrativa necessaria per l’ ottenimento del Permesso, comprensiva la direzione dei lavori architettonici e strutturali in cantiere;-Pratica sicurezza cantiere, compresa la redazione del Piano di Sicurezza e Coordinamento in fase di progettazione, la presentazione della notifica preliminare e il coordinamento in fase di esecuzione lavori con relativi sopralluoghi.- Redazione dell’ accatastamento finale.Does this sound about right? It is extraordinary that all of this has to be paid even before anything is renovated. It is in addition to the €100,000 quote for the renovation itself.Regarding your Irish architect friend who lives in Milan and Piemonte, I would be delighted to talk to him too. I have never bought a house before, let alone a house in tatters, in a foreign country where my language skills are limited. So, I need to do as much research as possible. If it is okay, I can contact you through your Facebook page or blog so we can continue talking that way.Thanks so much for your help! Robin
Hi again, Julia. I did look on both sites and your house is indeed lovely. It is so picturesque being right in the vines and on a hill! Your friend's house sounds interesting as well. And thanks for sharing cost price + renonation costs. The house I am looking at is being listed in the upper 20s but I would hope that I could get it for a bit less. The renovation costs are estimated at €100,000. There would be 96 m2 of livable space but I also want to redo other areas like the cellar which are not considered livable space. The price sounds about right if it costs €800-1000 per m2 to redo a house.The estimate also supposedly includes the installation of a septic tank and an underground GPL tank. I need to get more than one estimate though to compare because I am aware that people tend to be conservative and then say "whoops, it costs more than I thought" so I would need some sort of contract so this doesn't happen. Do you know how much GPL tank installations cost? I know in the US, gas companies will often do them for a song as long as you take out a contract on buying gas from them.If I do buy something there, it would be great to meet you and learn more about your area. It is true that wine is all over most of Piemonte - at least down there. Northern Piemonte is much more limited in this sense but the middle and southern areas make a lot of wine. I am actually American and live in Switzerland. I moved to Switzerland after living in London for 10 years. I cannot afford an outhouse in Switzerland, so I thought it would be nice to get a house in an area that I love and is more affordable. I am also looking at France but Piemonte is closer to where I live at the moment, and is only an hour's drive to the beach. I love that. Where I am looking in France, it is beautiful but land-locked and further away from the sea. But I speak better French than Italian and am more familiar with French regulations.Thanks again!
Might you have official prices for the Barolo villages too - Monforte d'Alba, Barolo, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, etc.? I'd love to compare them to Dogliani. I know they are more but how much more?Cheers!
Comments posted
Sadly, it has not progressed because when I went back to the realtor, I discovered that someone else bought the house! I thought I had more time because it had to be completely renovated but apparently someone else liked similar things that I did and put an offer on it the same day they visited it. I have been annoyed ever since and I have not been able to find another house with the same requirements - character, older with some stone, vineyard view, vaulted underground/partially underground wine cellar and on the smallish side, good location within a certain area and just outside of a village. Houses with these things tend to quite large in Piedmont and much more money than I can spend.
So I lost the house over 2 years ago and have been looking regularly ever since but nothing has come close. :(
The first link is brilliant. Thanks as I need knowledge here too. I found the 2nd one inaccurate for my area as it was indicating even the core of a developed village was "agricola" and some did not even have prices. But the other is great.Cheers.
Thanks. I certainly plan on paying taxes. :) The house has been abandoned since 1981 it seems. And the other neighbours's houses around have a nice upkeep so a friend of mine said that they might prefer an Airbnb situation than one where the house is falling down. It does share walls with two of the neighbours so if it is fixed up well, that might give them additional relief.But one never knows. I work in the wine business so a nice bottle of wine at their door every Christmas certainly cannot hurt either.
Yes, I have serious concerns that it will be more money than €1000. If I get an estimate before the work that seems fair, is there any way to be sure that a builder won't say that I need to pay for more in the end? That would be a disaster.
Thank you very much. So, when you say a minimum amount to restore, you mean one needs a house that is valued at €100,000 or more? It does not mean that one must take out a mortgage or loan of €100,000 or more. Is that correct?I am asking because if I put €100,000 into a house (and it is valued at that when the bank checks it), but after complete restoration, it will only be valued at €180,000, then I would not qualify because I would only need €80,000, not €100,000. Does that make sense? However, if the house must be worth €100,000 then it is more possible.Thank you!
Thank you. So if I understand correctly, one is able to get a mortgage to restore as long as the property is valued at €100,000 or more? And it would be possible to get such a mortgage even one year after the purchase of a house? Or would that then be considered a "re-financing", though it was not financed through a bank to begin with.I am looking at buying a house for €20,000, for example. The restoration costs plus all of the fees (estate agent, geometra, permits, etc) look to total around €180,000. If I put in €100,000 of my own money and the house is valued at that mid-restoration, then if I qualify financially, I should be able to get up to €70,000 to finish the restoration. Is that correct? What if the house will only be worth €160,000 at the end of the restoration? Does that mean I will not get a mortgage at all because mortgages must be at least €100,000?I guess I am confused as to what must be worth €100,000 or more. Thanks again.
Wow. You have really done some analysis into the heating/cooking aspect. It would be great to learn more from you if indeed it does look like I will go forward with the house. I'd love to consider ideas like solar panels and whatever else to help improve the energy rating. The estate agent who is representing the house told me that it is one of the more important aspects now in terms of successful house sales and creating an attractive house for sellers. Again, I am not interested in flipping it but it is good to consider later down the road. Plus, if I do let it out, I would love to keep the utility bills to a minimum.One quick question which I forgot to ask is that the geometra quoted me €10,000-12,000 for the more technical side to permits. This would include doing the blueprints to the house, doing an energy analysis, and other things. I can actually copy and paste it here in Italian:e spese tecniche per ottenere il Permesso di Costruire sono di circa 10.000/12.000 euro comprensive di:-pratica edilizia, tavole grafiche, computo metrico, autorizzazione paesaggistica, relazione sugli impianti, autorizzazione degli scarichi reflui, relazione geotecnica, pratica strutturale per i solai e per il tetto, relazione tecnica per la linea vita sul tetto, attestazione energetica finale, agibilità e tutta la documentazione integrativa necessaria per l’ ottenimento del Permesso, comprensiva la direzione dei lavori architettonici e strutturali in cantiere;-Pratica sicurezza cantiere, compresa la redazione del Piano di Sicurezza e Coordinamento in fase di progettazione, la presentazione della notifica preliminare e il coordinamento in fase di esecuzione lavori con relativi sopralluoghi.- Redazione dell’ accatastamento finale.Does this sound about right? It is extraordinary that all of this has to be paid even before anything is renovated. It is in addition to the €100,000 quote for the renovation itself.Regarding your Irish architect friend who lives in Milan and Piemonte, I would be delighted to talk to him too. I have never bought a house before, let alone a house in tatters, in a foreign country where my language skills are limited. So, I need to do as much research as possible. If it is okay, I can contact you through your Facebook page or blog so we can continue talking that way.Thanks so much for your help! Robin
Also, did you just publish a book on house buying in Italy? If so, I bought it last week. :)
Hi again, Julia. I did look on both sites and your house is indeed lovely. It is so picturesque being right in the vines and on a hill! Your friend's house sounds interesting as well. And thanks for sharing cost price + renonation costs. The house I am looking at is being listed in the upper 20s but I would hope that I could get it for a bit less. The renovation costs are estimated at €100,000. There would be 96 m2 of livable space but I also want to redo other areas like the cellar which are not considered livable space. The price sounds about right if it costs €800-1000 per m2 to redo a house.The estimate also supposedly includes the installation of a septic tank and an underground GPL tank. I need to get more than one estimate though to compare because I am aware that people tend to be conservative and then say "whoops, it costs more than I thought" so I would need some sort of contract so this doesn't happen. Do you know how much GPL tank installations cost? I know in the US, gas companies will often do them for a song as long as you take out a contract on buying gas from them.If I do buy something there, it would be great to meet you and learn more about your area. It is true that wine is all over most of Piemonte - at least down there. Northern Piemonte is much more limited in this sense but the middle and southern areas make a lot of wine. I am actually American and live in Switzerland. I moved to Switzerland after living in London for 10 years. I cannot afford an outhouse in Switzerland, so I thought it would be nice to get a house in an area that I love and is more affordable. I am also looking at France but Piemonte is closer to where I live at the moment, and is only an hour's drive to the beach. I love that. Where I am looking in France, it is beautiful but land-locked and further away from the sea. But I speak better French than Italian and am more familiar with French regulations.Thanks again!
Might you have official prices for the Barolo villages too - Monforte d'Alba, Barolo, La Morra, Serralunga d'Alba, etc.? I'd love to compare them to Dogliani. I know they are more but how much more?Cheers!