abruzzo

[vedaandmatt]

Originally Posted by stefanaccio

Agree with other posters. It is hard to get a handle on things from far away. My advice is to make a trip of a month or so and get the lay of the land....

Hello!
of course yes....that ios what I am doing...a month?that would be impossible!! I am travelling in and out the Country for 3/4 days every 2/3 months...until I find the right one!

[Veronica]

Originally Posted by Davidw34

Hi we just purchased a house in the area near Vasto and made a few good contacts (and bad ones) in the 18months it took us to complete. If you can work out how to send me your email address I will try and help.

David please pass on your information on the forum so that other people can also benefit from your exerience. That is what these forums are about, to help others. (As long as you dont actually name any bad companies)

[gsimon]

May I strongly recommend Casa-italia.dk,Kasper and Anya Karlsson, from Denmark originally, speak fluent english and italian: I arrived first week of May, settled at precisely the cost they estimated on day 1 by May 28, after receiving price from electrician and plumber for the work I wanted, that is nearly complete and should be ready for our arrival in 10 days. Nearly constant emails/photos from Kasper, can't salute him enough. True, things are slow while people await money from earthquake and fewer buyers, so what better time to buy, win-win.

[dario]

the best area would be Pescara / Teramo as it would be easier to find work.

The best bet would be to google, "case Teramo" (means houses in Teramo), or Pescara, and go form there. You'll find a lot of sites.

regards,


Dario

[stefanaccio]

Strongly concur with Dario. There are plenty of houses available at a reasonable price in the province of Teramo. Finding employment there is likely going to take some effort however...

Casale

[Genzana]

We bought a house inland and - while everything came off okay in the end - the experience of dealing with the estate wasn't a pleasant one. Some things I wish I'd done:
- No matter how nice they seem, don't trust them!
- If you don't speak Italian, keep talking until a local person who speaks English steps forward. Abruzzans are great at taking expats under their wing and keeping them out of trouble!
- Do independent research about the property - speak to the neighbours and make sure what the estate agent tells you is true.
- If the agents fees are too high, bargain them down.

About living here...
We've been living in Italy for 3 years. I freelanced until the recession and then luckily got a full time English teaching job. My boyfriend has had less luck perfecting his Italian (it's still not good enough for many jobs) and has only ever got bits and pieces of work, mainly labouring (he's a biologist). We've loved the life and the people here, we really feel part of the community, but, sadly, we can't make ends meet. We're leaving in a few months.

[shell07813]

We moved here over a year ago and love it here. I would agree with all other posters. If you buy a house off an internet site you will generally pay double and then they will make you use their builder etc etc. Who will again sting you and never finish the project, we know loads of people who have been burnt like this. The best way to buy is to get to know people locally everyone and his dog has a house/ruin/land to sell to you. Visit bars/cafes etc. Good luck.

[vedaandmatt]

Oh...sorry to hear that!...where did you buy your house?
Veda

Originally Posted by Genzana

We bought a house inland and - while everything came off okay in the end - the experience of dealing with the estate wasn't a pleasant one. Some things I wish I'd done:
- No matter how nice they seem, don't trust them!
- If you don't speak Italian, keep talking until a local person who speaks English steps forward. Abruzzans are great at taking expats under their wing and keeping them out of trouble!
- Do independent research about the property - speak to the neighbours and make sure what the estate agent tells you is true.
- If the agents fees are too high, bargain them down.

About living here...
We've been living in Italy for 3 years. I freelanced until the recession and then luckily got a full time English teaching job. My boyfriend has had less luck perfecting his Italian (it's still not good enough for many jobs) and has only ever got bits and pieces of work, mainly labouring (he's a biologist). We've loved the life and the people here, we really feel part of the community, but, sadly, we can't make ends meet. We're leaving in a few months.

[vedaandmatt]

grrrrrrrr I am still searching for the ideal property........I am in the Vasto area at the moment and searching for the right one....is there any one who wants to sell the purchased one???
I gotta go now, I have an appointment with an agent...I have met her already and she seems nice and good at what she does..please ppeps...fingers crossed for my hubby and myself!!!

I will get back with news and opinion on what seen!!

Bye for now
Veda

[vedaandmatt]

...by the way...the agent I am meeting works for Sweet Italy Estates.com...please report if had good or bad experiences.

Much appreciated

Veda