ferradxx

I am contemplating moving to Italy (south). Is it best to buy straight away (from UK) or rent till I find my ideal place then buy (not more than 6-12 months)? Can you point me to some threads detailing pros and cons of each?

linseed oil

we live in the south of italy Abruzzo , my advice would be rent before you buy
Abruzzo changes so much from north to south and middle ie land slides floods e quakes the lot
take your time and rent

Pica

Sounds a jolly place to move to !

modicasa

Depends. I bought within 2 weeks of arriving, and have never regretted it. Others prefer to rent and see. For some people renting makes sense . if you know absolutely nothing about the area you have chosen. Alot of people want a place in the country and land and then realise its a bit far from the shops and the land takes more work than they realised. Or the place in town which seems lovely in the summer is in fact a dark noisy hole in the winter..
Its more important to decide where rather than what. The south of Italy ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous, so get reading before you even jump on a plane for a visit and narrow down your options.

mikethomo

I would always recommend renting for a while and have an good look arround the various areas. I love it here in Umbria but there are issues with jobs if you or yours need one. You need to look at tax issues as they could be a defining factor. If you are selling up completely in the UK you need to be aware that in some areas property does not sell quickly so if you were to move back you could take a financial hit if you are not careful

ferradxx

Thanks for the replies. I would prefer to rent to start off, however I was reading all about 4+4 or something which could lock me into a very long rent. Can one rent for 6-12 months?

mikethomo

Again a lot depends where you want to be! If you are in a city then things tend to b e more official ! Out here in the sticks you can get a place very easily with little fuss. Also a number of agents speak English so there should not be a problem.

ferradxx

First prize would be on the Amalfi coastline between San Pietro and Salerno, depending on finances. If that doesn't work, then along the southern coastline of Puglia, between Otranto and Gallipoli. Not necessarily in a city, just on the coast.

highlander1

You are not saying if you will relay on a paid job, or on private income.

Believe me it will make an heck of a difference .

modicasa

Yes, you need to look for a contratto transitorio which is up to 18months, and furnished. Such a contract usually has a 2 or 3 month notice period if you decide to leave before the time is up. Contracts must be registered at the tax office. Contracts are not designed for people who want to take residence in the property, some landlords will not let you do so.

ononno

Good choice. You need to start looking at Praiano, Conca dei Marini, Minori, Maiori, Atrani, Cetara to find less expensiv properties. Lots of apartments to rent on most well known Italian property websites.
buona fortuna,
'o nonno

Donna Noble

I just wanted to add something in support of the rent-first camp.

The property market in Italy is very different to the UK. In the UK buying and selling flats and house is a fairly swift process. I remember some stat that on average you'll view 14 properties before finding "the" one.

Whereas in Italy for starters most of the time you have to view the place before they'll tell you the price, then you'll go to view a house and get shown around an empty plot where you'll have to imagine what the house will look like when it's finished, then there's half finished houses (al grezzo)..... there are also finished houses to look round too but not so many. Of course you could take on restructuring a place but you'll need somewhere to live in the meantime.

So house hunting can be fun if you like that sort of thing. And eventually you will find your dream home and life's good. But please remember that if you want to sell the place one day, that could be a long and drawn out process too.

House buying for Italians is generally a once-in-a-lifetime event. I was talking to an Italian about this recently and telling them how I'd moved about 4 times during my twenties into both bought and rented flats. He said that for an Italian if a family has to move out of their first family home, it's embarrassing because it means they chose badly the first time. Suddenly the whole Italian family never moving thing made complete sense!

So rent, get to know the area and view some places "con calma".

ferradxx

Ok so this is my worry... if don't buy to start, then I may be caught in a furnished 18 month rental. I have furniture so unfurnished is not really on the cards. So the options are:
1. Visit a lot from UK and then buy. This would be an option if I want to faff around in the UK, which I don't want or need (don't have property here).
2. Escape the UK and restart in Italy. In this case I wouldn't want to buy straight away, so am left with looking for a 6-12 month unfurnished rental near to my end desired destination.

ferradxx

yes these are just perfect locations!!

ferradxx

Thank you for the great info. Yes this is just why I want to rent before I buy.