Episode #056: Realizing the dream of buying property in Italy with Nikki Taylor

Listen to “How to buy a piece of Italy to call your own” on Spreaker.

Ever dreamed of moving to Italy for an extended stay or maybe even for good? If you’re anything like us, you often sneak a peek at the real estate windows of the pretty Italian towns that you visit and wonder what life would be like if you actually lived there. Maybe you’ve had an eye on one of those oh so tempting €1 deals some Italian towns are offering, or have already decided where you’d like to move to when you retire, or where you’d like that holiday home you day-dream about on rainy Mondays, but you simply have no idea how to go about it.

Show notes
Today we take a little detour off the travel path and are joined by Nikki Taylor,  a property expert based in beautiful Puglia. Nikki used to fantasize about living in Italy and after making a snap decision to move there, she made the move from Australia within a year of that decision, making her Italy dream a reality in 2014.  These days she helps others buy their perfect piece of Italy and settle into life there. Nikki shares some tips on buying property in Italy – helping us with the dos and don’ts in securing and setting up a dream Italian home.

What you’ll learn in this episode

1. Don’t take everything and everyone at face value – always engage with an expert help
   
2. Visualize! Think about how you want to live, as well as where
3. Those tempting €1 deals are indeed, mostly too good to be true
4. There are some fantastic valued properties to be found in Italy (and Forbes agrees with her)
5. Not all locations/properties are suitable for holiday or long term rentals
6. Do your due diligence – don’t get stung buying a property with any illegal work done on it – you will, literally, pay the price
7. If you follow the right steps and get expert help, despite all the red tap, it will be worth it to have your own piece of La Dolce Vita

Terminology

• cadastral value – is set up in the deed of sale of the house and will never be the same for properties on the market at the same selling price
• cava abusiva – the purchasing of an illegal building
• geometra – the surveyor/civil engineer who can check the construction of a property
• trulli houses – a traditional stone hut with a conical roof, unqiue to Puglia

About our guest – Nikki Taylor

• Course – Purchase the Dream
• Facebook group –  How to Confidently Buy Property In Italy & live La Dolce Vita
• La Dolce Vita Lifestyle Magazine and Membership options

Places mentioned in the show

• Bolzano – in the far north of Italy, near the border with Austria. This was Nikki’s first home in Italy and is one of our 35 best cities to visit in Italy
• Monopoli – a coastal town in Puglia, hone to the Baroque Monopoli Cathedral
• Martina Franca – a town in Puglia, with a charming old quarter full of winding alleys and white-washed houses
• Ostuni – another gorgeous town in Puglia, so famous for its white-washed houses that it is known as the white city
• Perugia – a hilltop town and the capital of the Umbria region, where you can find truffles in the surrounding countryside
• Abruzzo – a region, east of Rome, on the Adriatic coast, neighboring Le Marche
• Liguria – in North-West Italy, home to the Italian Riviera, including Cinque Terre.
  

Resources

• Engel & Völkers – high-end real estate agents for properties worldwide
• Forbes – American business magazine

Resources from Untold Italy

• Listen: to our other episode with Nikki Episode #080 Picturesque towns of Puglia – and to some of our episodes on places where many look to find their dream homes: Episode #063 Amazing Abruzzo from coast to mountain peaks, Episode #065 Uncovering Umbrias towns and villages, Episode #060 Garfagnana – My Tuscany with Buzz Mccarthy, Episode #024: Getting to know Calabria – the Other Italy, Episode #043: Palermo: a base for excursions in Sicily and included as one of Josie’s favorites – Episode #050: Josie’s Favorite Experiences to Enjoy in Italy
• A long time favorite for those seeking a holiday homes or looking to move to Italy is undoubtedly Tuscany. Learn about some wonderful towns in the region in The Best Towns in Tuscany to Visit and Explore
• Join our exclusive Untold Italy Insiders to help plan your trips, come together with fellow travelers, to share travel finds and inspiration, and learn more about bella Italia!
• How to plan a trip to Italy – our article that takes you step by step through trip planning so you can avoid our mistakes
• Italy Travel Planning – our FREE online community where you can ask questions and get inspiration for planning your trip
• Travel shop where you’ll find items mentioned in the show

Transcript

Prefer to read along as you listen? You can download a PDF version of the full transcript of this episode.

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