Buying Property in Sicily

The Sicilian Villa Company offers an exclusive range of properties for sale. Our experienced team will guide you from the initial search and beyond ensuring you find that perfect Sicilian property. We work soley in sicily together with local estate agents , we are not an estate agent, we are a property management company and we do not charge for our service.

All our properties have been handpicked offering a unique selection of houses in what we believe to be some of the most beautiful areas. Many of our properties are positioned within the beautiful typical Sicilian countryside and all have an eccentricity in their architectural distinctiveness. We only list houses that we would contentedly buy ourselves. If we do not already have the right property for you, we will do our utmost to help you search until we do.

Most of our properties are un-restored or partially restored country houses and farms. We understand that buying a property abroad alone can be daunting without even thinking about restoration and building matters. The Sicilian Villa Company has therefore put together a team to guide you through each stage. Our team will not only save you time, money and energy in searching and negotiating but also undertaking any restoration or even any subsequent letting management maintenance. Our aim is to make the whole process as stress-free as possible by guiding you through every stage. We are adapted to working with clients abroad. Our English speaking team are always available to answer your questions and fulfil your requests.

As a company, we offer our own qualified team to undertake any restoration or construction, but also obtain different estimates with different builders to give you the opportunity to choose the right team to undertake the work. Costs for restoration including stonework, roofing, interior finishing, electrical wiring and plumbing are usually estimated at around €900- €1200 per square meter. We will advise you on the best adaptable and quality materials such as local stone and tiles for both the interior and exterior of your property.

Buying a property in Sicily can be as much as an investment as being your dream holiday home. The Sicilian Villa Company offers its services as a maintenance management team. We offer the opportunity for you to make money from your property whilst you are not there at a stress-free level. This includes taking full responsibility of every aspect of your property from greeting your tenants, attending to the grounds and swimming pool to organizing cleaning and any other supervisions or requests. If buying an un-restored property with the intention of renting, we will also offer consultations during the planning process to ensure maximum return on your investment.

Fee's are:

When a purchase is made through a local estate agent the estate agent will charge 2-3% of the total purchase price, a minimum of €1500. Half this fee is payable at the time of the Compremesso (preliminary agreement) and the balance upon completion. Services included in this fee include:
• Pre-assessment of properties including plans and surveys
• One on one guidance through the purchase process
• Preparation of necessary notarized documents and contracts
• English translation of all documents
• Obtaining your Italian national insurance number
• Opening of an Italian bank account

Architect/ Engineer Fee's are:

Post-purchase construction fees: 6% of the construction costs. Services available include:
• Architectural design
• Material specifications
• Gaining planning permits and any other necessary approvals for works

Construction project management: 10% of the construction costs.

Buying a property in Italy is arranged in three stages. Once you have found the property you want to purchase you may be asked to sign a reservation agreement (Prenotazione), and pay a small deposit displaying your commitment to buying the property.

It is necessary to then organize a survey, local land registry searches, and all other necessary checks with the local authorities. A local surveyor (Geometra) will carry out this work. These checks must be carried out before the sale can be completed, this usually takes two to three weeks and the surveyor and public notary (Notaio) are responsible for this work.

The second stage consists of the preliminary agreement (compromesso). This is spent negotiating, drafting, signing and exchanging the contract. The final sale price is established and a deadline is set for the transfer of the deeds. This is a legal binding agreement that must be signed by both parties at the offices of the public notary.

The third and final stage relates to the final deeds (contratto notarile). This is the official transfer of the property between the vendor and buyer. The notary will draw up the purchase deed (Rogito) and ensure that the property is transferred in exchange for the agreed sale price, registration, and payment of all Italian taxes relating to the completion.