Buying a house in Italy is never easy, but with an expert estate agent helping you with the process, you can sleep tight.
Marche Country Homes is specialised in selling houses and farmhouses in the region Marche, and it guarantees you a safe purchase because it will always keep you informed on all legal aspects.
If you need to renovate, you should be aware that the applicable tax (planning fees) may vary from one municipality to another. Experts from MARCHECOUNTRYHOMES.COM will inform you in advance about this primary aspect.
1) If you like a property and think it is “the one”, ask for its cadastral certificate and map before paying a deposit and signing a contract. These are the only valid documents – no other maps or certificates are accepted. The map must specify the province and, in particular, the municipality where the house is located, in addition to its cadastral classification and land registry income.
2) Purchase offer: this should be better signed by using a form to be filled in at the estate agency. The offer shall include the exact classification of the house (folio and parcel number), the owner’s name and address, as well as the bid price. It shall also include guarantee of conformity to building and urban planning regulations, and guarantee of property transfer with vacant possession, without mortgages or other liens. After signing the purchase offer, a deposit – usually a cheque to be handed over to the agency – needs to be paid as a proof of being really interested in the property. In the offer, you will also certify that you have gone and seen the real estate and that you accept it in fact and in law as it is.
2a) Good to know: the cadastral certificate specifies the house category, which should fall within category A (www.catasto.it), – starting from A/1 to A/11. These categories are the basis for calculating the municipal property tax. Please note that dwellings should only fall within this category A. When a house has an annex, such as a garage, a warehouse or a shed, this falls within category C. If the real estate is classified as B, D or E, please be very careful, as you need to be aware of what you are getting into.
3) The purchase offer shall also state the date for signing the Preliminary Real Estate Contract and then the Notarised Deed of Sale.
4) The Preliminary Real Estate Contract: at this stage, you need to have chosen a Notary who is in charge of checking that the house you are buying complies with all the planning, cadastral and mortgage requirements. If the house “passes the test”, the Notary shall draw up the “private agreement” (also known as “Preliminary Contract” or “Compromesso”). During this stage, the buyer shall pay a commitment deposit (Art. 1385 of the Italian Civil Code – (www.brocardi.it) , equal to approximately 20% of the total amount offered and accepted (e.g. agreed purchase price: €150,000 = €30,000 to be paid at this stage). This deposit will then be returned.
Once the Preliminary Contract is signed, the Notary or the Estate Agent has to file it with the Revenue Office within 20 days from date signed. The buyer shall pay a tax to the Revenue Office, equal to 0.5% of the amount paid upon the Preliminary Contract (e.g. €30,000 = €150), in addition to a €200 fixed tax, no. 2 €16 revenue stamps for each page, and another €0.52 revenue stamp for each annex/attachment (e.g. cadastral map). The 0.5% tax (e.g. €150) will be deducted from the Registration Fee to be paid for the Notarise Deed of Sale.
5) Notarised Deed of Sale: please note that the Registration Fee applied to each home purchase in Italy may vary depending on whether you are buying your first or second home. You can buy and register a property as your first home if you don’t own any other dwelling (category A) in the Italian territory. In this case, the Registration Fee will be equal to 2% of the assessed value of the house. In order to have this 2% fee applied, you need to have your residence in Italy. If you haven’t moved your residence in Italy, yet, but you would like to do it, it is important for you to know that you can still buy the house as your first home and then acquire residence in the Municipality where the house is located within 18 months from purchase date.
If you are buying a property as your second home, the Registration Fee is 9% of the assessed value of the house.
Tax is equal to 12% of the declared price for agricultural areas
The original copy of the Notarised Deed of Sale is filed with the Notary, usually after 2 months from its date signed.
6) Notary fees sum up to approximately 2% of the house declared value.
7) At the time of the Notarised Deed, the owner must have filed the energy certificates (APE), a declaration of conformity for wiring, plumbing and heating systems.
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