So you want to browse the Italian real estate sites for homes. Maybe because you’re really interested or just curious or bored and want to check it out. Whatever the reason, I wanted to go over some of the language you’ll see on the listings, what it means, and what’s different to when you search for homes in the states.
There’s actually quite a few sites where you can search for homes, even some social media accounts that feature homes for sale. We’ve used the sites I’ve listed on the main page of this section and those are going to be the ones I focus on.
As I’ve mentioned in other posts, in Italy, the buyer doesn’t normally get a realtor, instead the sellers have realtors and the buyer contacts each realtor for each of the homes they want to view. (Please refer to my post about the process for more information on this)
Searching through the websites for a home will get you 80% of the listings. But, because there is no multiple listing service (MLS), there are still about 10% - 20% of listings that aren’t on the internet or their realtor is so small and only speaks Italian so, your standard Google search just won’t find it. With these types of listings, you’ll most likely have to find them by being in Italy and walking around the villages that interest you and seeing a sign on someone’s window or front of the house. This is similar to finding a “For Sale By Owner “ in the states.
Now, when searching on the sites, you do need to learn about the verbiage they’re using. First you should understand the different types of properties. There are detached homes, semi-detached homes, farm houses, apartments, villas, penthouses, and more. So, a detached home should be a home that is free standing and all 4 walls are yours alone. Similar to a single family home in the USA. A semidetached house is a house where two to three walls are yours and one or two walls are shared. Think more like a townhome or a duplex. A farmhouse is only somewhat self explanatory because, it is generally a house that was at one point on a farm, although it could also be a converted barn. However, it isn’t unheard of for a farmhouse to have been cut into different titles so, although it looks like a single family home you will need to find out if the entire structure is indeed what you are buying. Apartments are as you would expect, except that they are almost always in a modern building. You wouldn’t find an “apartment” in a historic building even if by most definitions they are the same. Villas are similar to farmhouses in that they should be freestanding units but, you can’t be sure. The main difference is that villas were usually meant to be dwellings for the land owners, so not a converted barn. And finally, penthouses, are actually the same as in the states. So in all, don’t assume that since one realtor used one term that it is standard. Make sure that you know exactly what you are buying, and more importantly, what you are not buying.
Then you have the terms habitable, fully restored, semi-restored, in need of restoration and so on, when referring to the condition of the home. A habitable home means the basic necessities are in working order. It doesn’t mean it has AC nor does it mean it was remodeled any time in the past 50 years. Just simply that your average Italian would be able to move into it right away. Most Americans would view a habitable home and say that before they could move in they would need to change or update at least one thing. Fully restored usually means a historic house that has been remodeled some time in the past 20 years or so. Still it doesn’t mean it has AC. So, make sure you ask specifically if AC is something that is important to you. Semi-restored homes would be one where they remodeled some rooms or one of the floors but, some of the house is still in need of work. A house in need of restoration can range from a pile of stones up to a beautiful villa that needs utilities and a new roof but, in all situations, a semi-restored home would need some time and money invested before you could move in. Oh yeah, fun fact, kitchen cabinets are considered furniture and don't always come with the house.
Next is how they talk about “rooms” and gardens and the metric system. Sometimes listings talk about a 7 room, 80 square meter apartment and then another listing can also be 80 square meters and say 3 room, but both could be very similar homes. This is because one agent may count all the rooms, even the closets or living rooms, and the other may only be counting the bedrooms. For instance our home was listed as having three bedrooms on the 1st floor (American 2nd floor) but, in order to get to the two bedrooms you had to walk through the third one, so we turned that into a living room instead. When they speak of a garden, it is in the British definition and not the American one. So, a garden is any green space that belongs to the home. That could be as small as 50 square feet to as large as 50 square acres. It doesn’t have anything to do with what is growing on that land. Then there are courtyards which are usually not green space but, could be and they are also often shared spaces, but not always. Finally you need to understand a little bit of the metric system. Most importantly a square meter is approximately 11 square feet. Or an easier way to figure it quickly is just add a zero to the square meter measurement and then add a little bit more for good measure. So, 80 meters is 880 square feet. Hectares are used for measuring land and 1 hectare is 100 meters by 100 meters or approximately 2.5 acres.
I hope this little write-up helps when navigating listings and figuring out what you’re looking at or reading. So, go on now and check out some houses. Who knows, the Dolce Vita may be closer than you think.
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