Buying a House Remotely: Useful Tips
8 Novembre 2021
Mortgage in Italy for non residents – Frequently asked questions
6 Dicembre 2021
Do you want to buy a house in Sicily?
A significant number of foreigners have made Sicily their home. There are communities in the East coast (Catania, Taormina, Naxos), and in the West coast of the Island (Trapani, Marsala, Cefalù, Palermo). Most of our client this year have shown interest in buying beautiful Sicilian Villas with a spectacular Seaview.
We have assisted many home-buyers so far, and we are very pleased to be still in touch with them and being updated on their new life in the Bel Paese.
You already know, if you have read our previous articles, what is the process of buying a house in Italy You probably already know what are the costs involved.
Now we wish to explain a few aspects which you need to check when you want to purchase a property in Sicily.
Sicily is an autonomous Region and rules may slightly vary from the rest of the Cuntry.
If you associate the word “Sicily” with the word “Mafia” (and this is quite funny when I speak to my foreign friends and clients), I want to give you a good news: the Mafia is not going to put you in trouble if you purchase a house here or if you decide to move to Sicily. Actually from the last news it seems that Sicily is one of the Italian region which has the lowest crime rates.
Let’s see the most important aspects and steps when looking for a property in Sicily.
Looking to buy a house in Sicily – initial searches
The starting process of buying a house here will be to search for properties and visit them in person.
There are several websites particularly loved by foreigners who are interested in buying a home in the Bel Paese. Some examples:
But there are also some interesting Italian channels, such as:
House viewing and initial steps
Once you have found one or few houses to visit, the question is: what to look for on a house tour?
In many cases home buyers buy properties sight unseen without visiting them. On the other hand many buyers have seen the property they want to buy at least once.
Your first visit is very important, as you have to put together a few aspects.
- Language barriere. Sicily is a welcoming place, and young people speak a bit of English. However, in many offices there are employees who do not speak a good language, therefore you will need someone who can accompany you during meetings or ready to help you in case of urgency. It happens many times that our clients called us on the phone asking what they had to do with water or electricity contracts. Most of all, our clients do need an interpreter when signing a final deed of purchase. Quite often they appoint us through a power of attorney. Even during your first visit there are many questions to ask, and it is always better avoiding misunderstandings in this delicate phase.
- Financial consideration: an attorney can calculate what are the costs of buying a property (tax, annual expenses, notary fees). We have made a list of all possible costs in this article. When buying a property in Sicily negotiations are very important. A local lawyer who knows the area and the language surely have stronger communication skills. Furthermore, before making an offer, we need to check any possible outstanding debts. What is you want to renovate the property? You need to have an overview of possible costs which you will have to afford.
- Making an offer: if you do not want to waste time as you really liked that property, you need to be ready to make an offer. You will be required to sign a contract and pay a deposit. This is a very delicate part of the process as many buyers believe that this step does not involve any particular obligation. This is completely untrue. Before you make an offer, decide if you want to add any purchase conditions, your attorney should review the offer before you sign it. Your offer should include: purchase price, down payment amount, home inspection, offer expiration, warranties, mortgage, and few other things depending on the type home you are buying in Sicily (condominium, villa, etc.).
- Speaking to the owner or to the Agent? It is always preferable to speak directly to the owner. This helps understanding feelings, however when a seller is represented by a real estate agency you should be speaking directly with the agent. In any case seller and buyer can comunicate directly since there is not an ethical code of conduct that obliges buyer and seller not to speak with each-other. It is obvious that both parties do not have to forget the legal obligation towards the agent who introduced the parties to each other.
- Lawyer or not? Which one? Even if it is not mandatory to hire a lawyer, it is highly recommended to chose one with expertise in Italian property law. An English speaking lawyer in Sicily can be of great help.
At Luxury Law our lawyers speak fluent English and can accompany you through the process of safely buying a house in Sicily by cancelling any possible language barriers.
Do you ned a real estate Solicitor in Sicily? Feel free to contact us at info@luxury-law.com, fill our form, or reach us on WhatsApp at +39 327 12 60 285
