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PROPERTY

Revealed: The most expensive places in Italy to buy a house in 2022

Many factors are at play when deciding where to purchase a home in Italy. To help you decide, here are the most expensive and sought-after locations in Italy, according to the latest data.

Published: 18 May 2022 17:08 CEST
Revealed: The most expensive places in Italy to buy a house in 2022
Where are the most expensive places to buy and where's the most popular? Photo by Caleb Miller on Unsplash

Searching for the right property in Italy involves a balancing act of location, price, convenience and how much, if any, restoration work needs to be done.

Budget usually tops the list for house-hunters, narrowing down the number of potentials for making your move to or within Italy.

If the entire country is your blank slate, here are the areas in Italy that rank as the most expensive – and desired – according to data from property portal Idealista for the first quarter of 2022.

The report ranks the top 100 municipalities according to popularity, based on those listings generating the most leads (email contacts and shares) and those where the average final sale price is highest.

READ ALSO: How bargain homes made one Italian town €100 million in two years

Taking the top spot for the most expensive place to buy in Italy is Pietrasanta in Versilia, in the province of Lucca, which the researchers also state holds first place in the top 100 most expensive places to rent a house too.

This area includes the playground of the rich, Forte dei Marmi, where the average selling price of a house is over half a million euros (€541,351).

The table below shows the full ranking.

In second place is Alassio, in the province of Savona, where homebuyers will on average shell out €467,019 for a residential property (again, valid for the first quarter of 2022).

Venice comes in at third place, where the average asking price is €433,640.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: The hidden costs of buying a home in Italy

In the top 10 spots, the report noted that the most expensive properties are in tourist resorts, possibly driven by those wanting second homes in popular locations.

Such locations include Lerici, Riccione, Desenzano del Garda, Camaiore and Cervia, while the cities of Florence and Milan, where average sale prices exceed €350,000, have also made the top 10.

The study revealed that the final average price of a house for sale in Rome is €273,341.

Researchers also looked at popularity of locations, based on pressure of demand on supply across Italy.

Bologna topped the charts, making it the city with the highest number of contacts per advert (4.7) of houses for sale published on idealista. Cagliari followed in second with 3.8 contacts per advert and Milan (3.4 contacts per advert). Trieste, Naples, Rome, Salerno, Brescia, Verona and Lecce also made the top 10.

READ ALSO: 15 insider tips to make living in Bologna even better

Here’s a selection of the most popular places to buy in Italy based on the report data, narrowed down to the top 20.

See more in The Local’s Italian property section.

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PROPERTY

Five things non-residents need to know about buying property in Italy

With taxes, bureaucracy and sometimes distance to consider, buying a house in Italy can be a long-winded process - especially for foreign citizens living elsewhere.

Published: 23 May 2024 16:53 CEST
Five things non-residents need to know about buying property in Italy

Contrary to popular belief, there are few legal restrictions for non-residents when it comes to buying property in Italy.

There is a wealth of options in Italy making buying cheaper, and sometimes easier, such as the one-euro homes offers or the nuda proprieta system.

READ ALSO: Can you still buy Italy’s one-euro homes in 2024?

While there is a lot to consider, such as additional costs and a language barrier if you are not fluent in Italian, buying a property in Italy allows many non-residents to escape – at least occasionally – to a Mediterranean climate and immerse themselves in the culture. 

So how do prospective buyers go about finding their ideal properties in Italy, and what are the necessary factors to consider before you start?

Find out if you have the right to buy in Italy

Most countries allow their citizens to buy property in Italy and vice versa. However, you might still want to check if your country has a reciprocal agreement with Italy on purchasing property.

If not, there’s a chance you might not be able to buy, as per article 16 of the Decreto Regio which states that foreign nationals have the same civil rights as Italian citizens on condition of reciprocity.

For example, Canada recently passed the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, which says foreigners cannot buy in Canada unless in special circumstances. This appears to go against Italy’s reciprocal agreement, so if you are planning to buy in Italy from Canada, you may need to get advice from a lawyer.

This does not apply if you are from a European Union country or a European Economic Area country, in which case you have the same rights in this situation as an Italian citizen.

Start the property search

Once you’re sure you can buy, the exciting process of finding your Italian home can begin, although if you’re not physically in Italy this can be trickier.

Popular Italian property search sites include immobiliare.it or idealista.it. There are also numerous agencies around Italy specialising in serving the international property market, which you should be able to find online once you’ve narrowed down your search area.

READ ALSO: Five clever ways to find a cheap home in Italy

As with any property search in your home country, important factors to consider when looking at listings include the state of the property, the extent of any renovations needed, the purchasing deposit (which is usually around 10 to 20 percent of the sale price), and the size of repayments on a mortgage, should you need one.

The type of property you buy will also impact the amount of tax you’re liable to pay, though tax is always higher on second homes in Italy than on primary residences. See a guide to the taxes you’ll need to pay here.

Get your paperwork in order

Even as a non-resident, you will need to get an Italian tax code (codice fiscale) in order to pay your housing deposit, plus any other taxes due after the property purchase (more on that below).

To get an Italian tax code, you can apply at the Italian tax office (Agenzia della Entrata) in Italy, or at your nearest Italian consulate in your home country.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about having a second home in Italy

A word of caution: the first option may be tricky if you are not well-versed in Italian, and you may need to make an appointment first.

Be aware of the lengthy mortgage process

Yes, as a non-resident without Italian citizenship you are eligible to get an Italian mortgage via an Italian bank. But you’ll have to open an Italian bank account to do so, and your tax code (as mentioned above) will be necessary for this too.

According to Studio Legale Metta, a non-resident is able to apply for a mortgage of 50 to 60 percent of the overall property value. The application process should take around ten weeks.

The steps include: a personal solvency check to review your financial information, a pre-approval mortgage application, a property compliance check where a surveyor inspects the property for an evaluation report, a title check where a notary reviews the property title, a final mortgage approval and, a funds release. 

READ ALSO: Five pitfalls to watch out for when buying an old house in Italy

Before the process even starts, you will more than likely have to provide documentation such as bank statements, tax returns, passport copies, credit reports and criminal records, all of which may have to be translated into Italian.

A lot of banks also ask for the borrower to be present at the final signing, so take into consideration travel costs and times when applying.

A notary is always needed

Whether you’re Italian, a foreign national residing in Italy, or a non-resident, the services of a notary are always necessary in any property purchase.

Notaries in Italy cost a lot, but they are crucial to you getting your keys, and even more crucial if you need a mortgage.

Without their sign-off on any of the documents, the sale may fall through. But they do a lot more than simply signing: they conduct the legal transfer, prepare the deed of sale and check the title if you go down the mortgage route. It’s also possible to transfer money for the sale through the notary’s escrow account.

Please note that The Local is unable to advise on individual cases. For more information on applying for a mortgage in Italy as a non-resident, consult a qualified financial advisor.

Planning to buy a property in Italy? Read more in The Local’s Italian property section.

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