Completing on their Italian home in time for Christmas is only half the reason Michael and Caroline Di-Lella have such big smiles on their faces – thanks to using currency specialist Smart Currency Exchange to transfer their pounds into euros for the purchase, the couple have saved around £6,000. Not a bad little Christmas treat!
The Di-Lellas, from the West Country, signed the final contract of sale for their property in Tuscany at the end of November, having moved to the region in September after Michael, a process improvement technician, secured a job there. After the couple had negotiated a purchase price of €180,000 for their new home, their thoughts turned to arranging payment for the property.
“Whilst researching the Rightmove website I had found a link to the Italy Property Buying Guide” said Michael. “I downloaded the free guide and when reading it discovered the option of using Smart Currency Exchange to exchange and transfer money to Italy. I read other people’s testimonies and was impressed with the comments. I opened an account only about a week before I needed it – it was so easy and quick.”
In all, Smart Currency Exchange has exchanged around £177,000 into euros for the Di-Lellas, sending funds to their designated account in Italy. If the couple had used a high street bank to make the same transfers, they estimate it would have cost them approximately £6,000 more due to banks’ poor exchange rates.
Michael was especially impressed with Smart Currency Exchange’s customer service. “We both thought the response to our requests was dealt with swiftly and there was always a real person to speak to every time I called. I remember being at an early morning meeting here in Italy, with the notary, vendors and estate agent, and they couldn’t believe that to authorise a money transfer I just picked up the phone and made a call to Smart. In fact, they were gob-smacked! If and when the need arises I will not hesitate to use Smart again and we have already spread the word to friends and family.”
For the time being Michael and Caroline, who have grown-up children in the UK, will continue to live in a rented apartment in Venturina while they have their new home, which they found through a local agent, renovated and extended. From the couple’s description, once complete it will make a very desirable place to live.
“It’s in a small hamlet called Banditelle,” enthuses Michael. “The property is sited on an ancient Roman road called Via Aurelia. The road originally started in Rome and continued northwards following the Mediterranean coastline into France. It currently has five large empty rooms – one with an open fire – and a bathroom.
“There is also a brick outbuilding in the 1,000-square-metre garden which faces south-west, so we will have a sunny garden all day long for Italian-style BBQs. The garden has a mature olive tree, which will provide dappled shade for the patio area, and two large fig trees. The bottom of the garden looks out to open farmland and distant hills.”
If, like the Di-Lellas, you’re looking to buy a home in Tuscany, or any other part of Italy, visit the Italy listings on Rightmove Overseas, where you can browse thousands of homes for sale all over the country.
For more information on how Smart Currency Exchange could help you with international currency transfers, whether you’re buying a second home or emigrating, visit the Currency Zone on Rightmove Overseas, or download a copy of Smart Currency Exchange’s free report