Meet Italy Buying Guide reader, Jenny Francesca Lake, a UK resident who recently decided it made good financial sense to invest in property in Rome to give her somewhere to stay on her regular visits to the Italian capital.
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
We chat to Jenny about the process and what advice she would give to others looking to do the same…
I decided to buy an apartment in Rome because I divide my time equally between there and London. As I started spending more and more time there, it dawned on me that it made more sense to have my own place. I have just moved in to a lovely apartment, small as it is, in the centre of Rome.
I came across the Overseas Guides Company whilst browsing online for advice and I’m so glad that I did. They have been very helpful and supportive and they recommended Smart Currency Exchange to me, who I used to transfer my sterling in to euro in order to make all of the necessary payments. The OGC team made me think about things that I needed to consider and put me in touch with some really useful people. Their friendly service was superb. I love their weekly updates as well – I look forward to them!
The team at Smart Currency Exchange were fantastic, I wouldn’t hesitate to sing their praises and recommend them to anyone. They were on hand throughout the process to offer advice and to help in any way that they could. They were great.
Buying property is always a stressful process and this is especially apparent when a language barrier comes in to play. Fortunately, I was able to utilise my small amount of Italian and the vendor had a littlebit of English so eventually we managed to muddle through with only a few minor hiccups.
What advice would I give people looking to do the same? I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to employ an independent lawyer who has more than just a working knowledge of the Italian real estate market. You want someone who knows their stuff, who can explain the process to you in English and who you know has your best interests at heart.
For more details about property for sale in Italy, visit the Italian listings on Rightmove Overseas. If you are about to buy property abroad or emigrate, make sure you use a currency exchange specialist, such as Smart Currency Exchange, to transfer your pounds into your new local currency. Smart consistently offers better exchange rates than banks, saving you money, as well as a more efficient service. For more information on this, download their free guide by clicking here.
To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Italy, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Italy Property Buying Guide’
The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc