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Buying in Italy?Avoid the mistakes other buyers made.

Italian and foreign buyers share what went wrong when they bought property in Italy. Most of these problems were easy to avoid. Read them before you visit, make an offer or sign anything.

Avoid all the traps

RedditImmobilioTrustpilotIl GiornoAirbnb CommunityCondominiowebIl Tirreno174 mistakes you won’t make

Real experiences, by real people

In Italy, an accepted offer already binds you. Many buyers learn it too late.

The proposta d'acquisto looks like a simple offer, but once the seller accepts it, you're committed and your caparra is on the line. From there, things can go wrong fast. One buyer paid a €35,000 caparra, then the seller never turned up for the rogito. Another found €6,000 of condominium debt from before the purchase, which the building can claim from the new owner. A mistake like that means years of worry and a large part of a lifetime's savings.

Real buyers write about these things on forums and in expat groups, and the replies are often worth more than any guide. Nobody has time to read it all, and much of it concerns someone else's purchase. If you're buying a flat in Milan, a thread about restoring a farmhouse in Puglia won't help much.

Nobody keeps a record of these mistakes, so buyers keep repeating them, year after year. We built that record and sorted it by step of the purchase.

You read the step you're at, and the losses other buyers took stay theirs.

More about us

Your buying journey in ItalyReciprocityCodiceAgentPropostaChecksCondominioCompromessoNotaioRogitoLiving there

Step 1

Checking reciprocity

EU buyers free, non-EU depends on the country and the permit held

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
4 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 2

Getting your codice fiscale

The tax code, form AA4/8 and consulates that stopped issuing it

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
6 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 3

Choosing the agent

Registered agents, 2–4% from each side, and one agent for both

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
33 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 4

Making the proposta d'acquisto

A written offer that binds you once accepted, and the caparra

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
11 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 5

Checking conformity and title

Cadastral and planning conformity, 2024 tolerances and liens

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
21 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 6

Checking condominium debts

Arrears from this year and last that the building can claim from you

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
10 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 7

Signing the compromesso

Types of caparra, 30-day registration and recording at the notary

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
15 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 8

Choosing the notaio

The notary's checks, what they don't see, and the mortgage

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
6 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 9

Signing the rogito and taxes

9% or 2% registration tax, prima casa and the 18-month rule

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
9 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 10

Living there after the keys

Utilities, IMU, and renovation deductions passed on with the house

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
8 more traps to avoid in this step

Optional steps

Only if they apply to you.

Optional

If you buy a 1-euro house

Renovation deadlines, guarantee bonds and resale bans

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
4 more traps to avoid in this step
Optional

If you plan to rent it out

The CIN code, safety devices, in-person ID and Florence's ban

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
11 more traps to avoid in this step

How we work

  • We findWhat ChatGPT won't tell you: Italian legal Q&A and condominio forums, Reddit, regional newspapers, buyers' reviews of agencies and their own blogs.
  • We link backEvery trap links to the post it came from. Open it, read the replies and judge for yourself. Nothing here is made up or rewritten.
  • We go localRome and Milan of course, but also Florence, Liguria, Lazio, Veneto, Calabria and the €1-house towns of Sicily.
  • We read both sidesItalian owners and expats rarely post in the same places or talk about the same things. We read both, and show you both.
  • We keep it updatedWe're on these forums every week, reading what buyers post. As soon as a post is worth knowing, we add it here.
  • We stay independentNo developer, agent or lawyer pays to be on this page or to be left out of it. Nobody has paid us anything, and nobody will.
  • We helpFound a problem you didn't know about, and not sure how to fix it? We work with local real estate experts. Contact us
  • You read it in one eveningGrab a coffee, take an evening, read the ones that could happen to you. You’ll walk into every meeting knowing what to look for.

One evening of reading.Years of expensive mistakes avoided.

Every day, plenty of foreigners and locals make mistakes when buying in Italy. Why repeat them when you can learn from them?

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