Yes Americans and other foreigners can be property owners in Italy! Navigating a different country's laws and regulations can seem daunting, but with patience and research, you can own your piece of mesmerizing Italian landscape.
Buying your Sicilian dream house...
Perhaps you've heard of the opportunities to get an amazing home in Sicily. The first thing you need to do is find your property. Many properties have a "for sale" or "vendesi" sign up in front of the house. Then, there are others that are somewhat "word of mouth". Our property was the latter and after making friends and being put in touch we eventually were able to make a deal with a lovely local family who were selling their childhood home that had sat vacant for 20 years or more. Then you may ask well "how did you do the deal?". For us we started with a lawyer referral in Palermo and had a promissory contract drawn up and gave a small deposit. At this point you will need to get an Italian tax ID so that you can legally own property as a foreign national. You can obtain this in Italy at a local government office or back home in an Italian Consulate.
Once we had our tax code and set up a bank account we were ready to make an appointment for the full real estate deal and transfer. In Italy, there really aren't real estate agents, instead property is transferred through an Italian notary "notaio", which isn't like an American notary all. The notary in Italy acts more as a government regulated lawyer rather than just a paperwork signer. The notary does not work for the client and receive commission based on sales. Instead, notaries receive a flat fee and work on behalf of both sides to make sure the contracts and deed are fair and done to government regulation. You will also need to hire a "geometra" or surveyor and an inspector to provide safety inspections and obtain original deeds and plans from the seller or the the town's records.
Both us and the sellers all went to the notary together and we read the contracts aloud and made sure everyone was in agreement. The notaio meticulously studied the inspections and paperwork. Finally we signed papers and passed an Italian check from our new bank account to the sellers. And we are now homeowners!!! I also am happy to help anyone curious about the process or looking for their own house.
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