10 Things to Before Bro

8/6/2019 10 Things to Before Bro

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10 things to know before

buying, renovate or selling your property in Italy

Paolo Bulletti

PaoloBullettiEstateProjects

Property Professionals

Surveying



Buying or selling a home in Italy or to proceed to a renovation

can be an activity that engages time and energy especially if performed abroad.

Regarding technical aspects, problems of language, mentality

and bureaucracy (particularly complex in Italy) become very

important, and this is why it is always advisable, to contact an

architect or surveyor to do things well and on short time.

But for those who do not want to leave that all to a professional

and wish to be a part of the procedures, I prepared a list of 10

things to do before you buy, sell or renovate a property in order

to save time and avoid late surprises, often when things are

made and there are already bills to be paid.

10 things to know before buying, renovate or selling your property in Italy

© - 2010 Paolo Bulletti - www.estateprojects.com



Before buying

1 - Initial verifications

1.1 Tests on the building. Control checklist:

- Roof: can be very expensive to make it new. Is there thermal

insulation?- Façades: in a condominium it can be obligatory to renew them. When were they made? Or when it is expected? Are therecrackings?- Frames: they greatly affect thermal and acoustic insulation of the building. Do they work properly? Double glazing may benecessary?

- Mechanical systems: detect possible anomalies- Humidity: difficult to remove. Check the walls facing North andEast- Condo charges- Renovation works already approved by the condominium





In country houses

- Access road: foreseeing the conditions in the event of heavy rains,are there water drainage units?- Electricity and phone: if don’t exist is good to know that it willtake months to get them and you will have to pay the set up of theline on poles or buried.- Drinkable water: make sure that it comes from the publicaqueduct. That of the wells is not safe either from the point of view of hygiene, nor for the quantity.- Septic tank: does it exist? Is it made according to the rules of law?Otherwise it will necessarily be replaced.

1.2 Verifications on the saleability

Not always a building is saleable when they propose it to us. To bepossible it must have a regular liveability license and be proofed thecadastral and urban planning conformity, certified by an architect orsurveyor, contained in the “Relazione Tecnica di compravendita” a





technical report necessary for the sale (see paragraph 9).The advice is to never take for granted that those who sell the property

can really do it. Just a small modification compared to the originaldesign, created without the regular permits, can block the sale.

1.3 Expenses exceeding the cost of the property

I always suggest you better have a quote of all the expenses that youshould support before you even start looking for a home. I have had

clients, often youngs, who after buying the apartment did not have any more money to restore it.In the figure you have available it should be considered, besides thepurchasing price, expenses for:

- The commission for the Real estate agency - The taxes that you pay the Notary - The fee of the Notary - The Technical Report of Sale (see p.9) and the Energy Certification (see p.10)- The move- New furnishings





2 - Examine the Zoning Planning

To know in advance what will happen in future years, ahead, behindand around the property we want to buy my advice is to review the“Piano Strutturale Comunale “ the Municipal town plan (it shows whatcan be built and where) and the “Piano Paesaggistico Regionale“ theLandscape plan of the Tuscany region (it indicates the constraints andrestrictions for the preservation of the territory).

3 - Examine Constraints and Limitations

To examine “Regolamento Urbanistico Comunale“ the town planningrules to find out if the property you want to buy is subject toconstraints.There are areas and buildings in which you can do everything, you can

do something or cannot do anything.The main constraints to the realization of your ideas may be:

“Vincolo archeologico” - Archaeological constraint.“Vincolo paesaggistico-ambientale” - Landscape/environmentalconstraint.





“Vincolo idrogeologico” - Hydrogeological constraint.“Aree a rischio idraulico e di frana” - Areas with potential

hydraulic and landslide risk.“Aree boschive” - Woodland areas.

Before renovating4 - Characteristics of building works

Check with the “Regolamento Edilizio“ the municipal buildingregulations if you can do what you have in mind, by which procedureand what times.One of my American customers was very ill when he discovered that inthe house bought in the Siena’s countryside he could not demolish a

wall to create floor-to-ceiling windows like in California.

The “Regolamento Edilizio“ is the set of rules governing the buildingactivities within a municipality, in relation to what establish in theZoning plan.





5 - Facilities if you are resident in Italy

5.1 Tax deduction

The Government grants fiscal deductions, that must be requested before the beginning of the works, for the amount of:

- 36% for maintenance, renovation and restoration of the building(see our text here on the AngloInfo at

http://tuscany.angloinfo.com/countries/italy/buildingtax.asp)- 20% for the purchasing of furniture, computers, televisions andhousehold appliances high energy-efficient if the house is underrenovation- 55% for works improving the energy efficiency of the building,including roof and window frames, and replacement of heatingsystems.

It is important to remember that VAT on renovation work is 10%.





5.2 Extension of residential buildings

The Government has arranged a law of limited duration, called the“Piano Casa” House Plan that allows increases in volume.Extensions: interventions are allowed to extend up to the 20%detached and semidetached residential buildings not exceeding 350square feet for a maximum of 70 square meters.Demolition and reconstruction: allowed the extension up to 35% of thearea in cases of demolition and reconstruction of structures.

Non residential buildings: excluded.

6 - Consider all costs

Some of my clients thought that, in addition to my fee as an architectfor the project, they were to pay only the construction works for therenovation of their property. Not so.In order to create a realistic budjet is good to know that in Italy youhave to pay, as appropriate and to varying degrees:







Before Selling7 – To increase the value of the property and sell it more easily

All customers give more value to an object that they like to purchase when this looks good. By analogy, let’s think about how cars areshowed, even if used, when we go into a car showroom. Equally ourapartment for sale will be enhanced if:

- Environments will smell good, light on a perfumed candle- The walls will have been painted recently - The arrangement of furniture will suit well and there will be freshflowers in a vase and oranges in pots- The natural and artificial light will highlight the features of spaces

- The floors will be polished- Bathrooms and kitchen will give a sense of cleanliness- The garden, or the terrace, will be kept well maintained and theplants, the trees and the hedges will not give a feeling of abandonment





- Have some relaxing music playing at low volume during theclient’s visit

An advice, make a list of strength and weak points of your property and invest in some renovation work to increase its commercial value.

8 - Have an appraisal

I suggest you to make an assessment of your property by antechnician, architect or surveyor, and have a written appraisal reportto compare with other estimates made by real estate agents in order tohave a real market value.

This can shorten the time of sale and to protect yourselves from loss of

money. The buyer will appreciate your seriousness about ascerting thereal value of the property.





9 - The “Relazione Tecnica di compravendita“

Technical Report of SaleThrough this document, prepared by an architect or surveyor, theseller guarantees the cadastral and urban planning conformity of theproperty and therefore its marketability.The technician asseses, under its direct responsibility, that theconditions of the site are consistent with what represented both in the

Land Registry and Urban Planning deposited documents. Withoutthese assessments, the Notary cannot do the deed of sale so it could behimself to ask for it to you or instruct a technician to do it.My suggestion is to have the Technical Report before putting yourproperty on sale, it happened to a couple of my clients to discover thattheir property could be sold if the situation was not rectified.





10 - Energy Certification

The “Attestato di Certificazione Energetica” (ACE), Energy Performance Certificate is a document prepared by a qualifiedtechnician that, under its responsibility, certify the energy performance of the building and attributes an energy class (A to G)according to the consumption of energy for heating it . A law establishes the obligation to attach the Certificate at the

Property conveyance document and is a burden of the seller to provideit. Unless a different agreement, of course.The Notary may accept, in the only case of a building in class G, thelowest, a self-certification of the seller.I advise you then to ask the Energy Certificate to the same techniciancharged with drafting the Technical Report of Sale to optimize thecosts and have all the documentation in order.





Profile

Paolo Bulletti Estate Projects is a Florence (Italy) based consultancy firm with more thaneight years experience in the central Italian property market, established to provide a pointof reference for foreign investors.

Paolo Bulletti, a licensed architect with an in-depth knowledge of real estate scenarios andlocal policies, practices & laws, decided to create a professional property consultancy aimed at providing quality services with integrity.

He is a member of the RIBA Royal Institute of British Architects and professor at theUniversity of Florence and at Texas A&M University.

Real Estate consultancy

W e assist non-resident clients in purchasing, selling and refurbishing a property in Italy (mainly central Italy), providing consultancy to private individuals, estate agents andcorporations in dealing with technical/law matters and national contracts, Cadaster,

Land Registry and Municipalities providing all the necessary documentation and support. We advise law firms during Due Diligence procedures.

Private individualsTo find good deals can be difficult in the real estate field, especially for those who have to do sofrom abroad.





Surveying



Our goal is to avoid you wasting time looking at those properties that sound interesting on paper but do not really meet your requirements.

Estate AgenciesThanks to dealing to other professionals, we are well informed,about properties on sale which arenot currently on the market with Real Estate Agencies.

We guarantee the utmost discretion where required.

Corporate ClientsInvesting in real estate is often part of the business of corporations.The route to effective real estate research is based on a deep understanding of the corporateclient’s requirement and on an excellent line of comunication with your company.

We help you from initial property search stage to preservation of the real estate investment value,

offering the following services:*Selection, evaluation, surveys, expertises*Feasibility studies meant to assess the value of the property: market research, planning, costs/

benefits analysis*General contracting: restoration, landscaping, interior decoration*Architectural and interior design

Real Estate business

W e act as a Business Facilitator forming co-operative ventures among estate agents,commercial banks, investors, law firms, contractors and municipalities.

Our expertise as Property professionals includes* Evaluation of investment opportunities.* Planning feasibility studies for the reconversion of residential and commercial developments.





Surveying



* Sustainable Remediation studies to renovate and re-evaluate exhisting buildings.* Surveying for building estimates and appraisals.* Feasibility studies and space planning for future use projects.

* Select the various offers on the market, contacting Real Estate Agencies and privates.* Collection and evaluation of technical documentation and information.* Interface between client and project development.* Coordination of projects in Italy. Visit building sites and reporting to the client on the ongoingadvancement of building works.*Energy Performance Certificate (ACE).

We provide assistance with the notary and coordinate legal and technical assistance with englishspeaking professionals (i.e. lawyers, geologist, engineers) and legal translation of documents.

Contact

Via Cinque Giornate 15, 50129 Firenze, Italy

Tel .+39 055 474981,

www.estateprojects.com

[email protected]

Skype: bullettip

Paolo Bulletti mob. +39 335 660 2552 (Italy)

+44 789 632 1611 (UK)





Surveying

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10 Things to Before Bro