Housearounditaly

[abruzzoliz]

Originally Posted by estherina34

we buying in nusco avellino near naples in the south....

Hi, sounds interesting, glad you didnt have to deal with them. Needless to say i am happy with my holiday home but I know i spent over 100,000e more on the whole project (ie buying and doing up) than i needed because of mistakes caused by them and i could have done better. I have had to look at all the positives! Good luck and enjoy. liz

[estherina34]

hi liz,did you buy from the agent in avellino please...and who did you deal with if u did please?thank u

[abruzzoliz]

Originally Posted by estherina34

hi liz,did you buy from the agent in avellino please...and who did you deal with if u did please?thank u

no i bought in abruzzo, tocco da casauria, through HAI, and thats why wouldnt recommend! i have sold half the house now to try and recoup something and used a lawyer in Tocco, a lady who does have some english and who i trust, but a bit out of your area. i see someone has recommended an english speaking one who covers whole of italy. I think its diabolical a company advertises to take the hassle out of the buying process in italy and you end up in a worse situation than if you had tried to sort things yourself. buyer beware they say. The people who bought most of my house are bilin and the wife is italian. They might be able to help but only in translating and trying to sort things out, not from a legal perspective. My lawyer does not have fluent english. If you speak to Nikki direct at HAI if you still have to deal with them - as she is the boss - and make a big fuss and just say how you feel andyou feel she is in breach of contract if you feel you are not having the service you are paying for. Ive done all that and it helped slightly to move things on but obviously no compensation in the offing!

[estherina34]

bless u chukkie..
im waiting on a recommended geometra from my cousin in italy....but will bear yours in mind...thank u...

[miolas]

Did a lot of viewings with House Around Italy in 2007 (4 trips...), but ended up buying from an Abruzzo Houses (see google for website). The latter agency based in Navelli is very reliable and professional with excellent work ethics :-) Did not have major promblems with HAI, but we had to pay an extra 1000e fee as we took so much of their time. A bit weird, now looking back.. And I wonder even legal? Im sure the association of real estates in italy might have their word to say with that... Oh well, what is past is past, but I would recommend at least to look around to get a point of comparation. Keep your eyes & ears open and stay firm ;-)

[miolas]

PS. One more thing came to my mind, and not a minor one. The House Around Italy fee was around 10% (they never gave exact figures via email, which is not a good sing..). Apparantely the max legal real estate fee in Italy is 4%. I never got a break-down of what the 10% fee included & consisted of(e.g. their scout fees, banking specialist, notary etc), though requested several times via email. The sea of house markets in Italy is big and there are VERY different kind of fishes. Make sure you catch the right one... Good luck ! :-) PS2: Once you have found a good agent, remember to ask receipts for everthing.

[estherina34]

thank you for your email...all info is useful!!

[miolas]

Hi Estherina! I dont know if this comes too late / is still relevant, but just wanted to share my understanding on Italian real estate law. As I have understood it, the Compromesso is not a binding legal document for either party, only the Acte Finale is. I.e. if you have not singed the latter one, not too late to draw your decision back and look around still. You can ask an Italian lawyer about this, but this is how we understood it, compromesso is a pre-liminary agreement to buy & sell, but not binding as such. If there have not been any special clauses added in written to the compromesso (e.g. sanction fee if either party decides to not go to Acte Finale), there should not be any finanacial consequenses either.

[miolas]

This is the italian association for real estate agents I earlier mentioned. The members of this should be reliable and have good work ethics. Pages also in English. Hope this helps.

F.I.A.I.P. - Federazione Italiana Agenti Immobiliari Professionali

[Chukkie]

I have to correct some of the things written above. Most importantly the compromesso ( more correctly the contratto preliminare) is 100% legally binding. I have no idea where you got information to the contrary. Repeat, the compromesso is legally binding. Secondly, there is no 4% maximum on agents fees. Italian law is quite clear and an agent can charge you as much or as little as they wish - but first of all they have to tell you before it's too late and, second, they have to work within the market. Depending on the price of the property somewhere between 3% and 5% is normal. On very cheap properties a minimum standard fee would be reasonable. There are so many good agents out there, why even bother with organisations who charge extra for viewing trips? Italian agents need to be licenced and looking for a member of FIAIP is a good idea - but like any big organisation they can have their problem members too! If you are also looking at UK based agents make sure they belong to the NAEA or the RICS.