Buying
property through Apulia Properties
When
you first contact us, as well as answering your initial query
we will send you a request for more information on your property
requirements. This will help us later finding suitable properties
for viewing, and look for new properties coming onto the market
which may meet your needs.
If
you wish to arrange appointments to view property in Puglia,
when you give us the information on your stay in Puglia and
available dates we will arrange viewing for property you have
selected from our web portfolio, as well as offering any other,
including newly offered, properties which may meet your requirements.
If
requested we can make suggestions for hotel or other accommodation
during your stay.
We
hope to be able to offer impartial advice on the properties
viewed. We will remove from our listings any property which
our local representative considers has a severe drawback,
e.g. located by or overlooking a busy road, and advise you
on more minor defects which may not be apparent at first viewing.
Unlike local estate agents we are acting solely on your behalf.
We
will normally be able to give a rough estimate of restoration
costs if the property is listed as for restoration. However
any such advice given is offered as a realistic but not definitive
guide. As in the U.K. if you need at this stage detailed estimates
of potential reconstruction costs, or if you feel you need
a structural survey, you are best advised to employ a surveyor
(in Italy a "geometra" is the best person to do this) to give
you a detailed report. If this is required we can refer you
to local professionals who have local experience and knowledge.
If
you are interested in putting in a bid for a property we can
advise you on whether the quoted price is in our opinion negotiable
or non-negotiable. Because in Puglia the market is essentially
vendor-led rather than agent-led, and is more volatile than
other more stable Italian regional markets, some properties
can have more leeway than others. We try and ensure the asking
prices we quote are realistic, but again our local representative
will be able to offer an opinion based on local knowledge.
All
offers should be placed through Apulia Properties. They will
be immediately communicated to the vendor via the local agent,
and the vendor's response will be awaited. You will be made
as soon as possible as to the outcome. If the offer is accepted,
then the norm will be for the prospective purchaser to complete
a form of promise to buy. Things can move swiftly in Italy,
and the only real way you can ensure you have a promise by
the vendor to sell to you is by entering into an agreement
binding on both sides. This will involve a deposit (negotiable)
by the buyer, which is forfeited if the buyer withdraws, but
which is reimbursed plus an additional amount equal to the
deposit if the vendor withdraws.
Throughout
this stage will we advise and guide you through the necessary
practical steps, e.g. acquiring the necessary Codice Fiscale,
your Italian tax code, and advice on currency transactions
and the desirability of opening an Italian bank account.
You
will have agreed with the vendor a timescale for the completion
of the sale. A factor here is the time it is required to show
the vendor has proper title, the property is unencumbered
by mortgages etc. A notary oversees these considerations.
Normally you will pay for the services of the notary, a public
official, who will ensure the eventual sale is legal and properly
registered. The sale deed as overseen and agreed by the notary
will require translation services unless you can show competence
in Italian.
At
the completion stage the notary ensures a valid and legal
sale takes place, and he or she will later officially register
your interest in the property.
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