Does this scenario sound familiar...
You have decided to look for a property, it's an investment, or it's something special for you, either way it can be a process fraught with frustration and a lot of wasted time – unless you do it right. And how do you know what’s “right”? You don’t look for properties every day, possibly you are not that familiar with the region or area you are looking at, and you may not even be sure what it is you actually want in a property at this early stage.
What to do? So you contact 4 or 5 agents around the area you are interested in – typically they will all send you a long list of links to look through to “help” you make up your mind. Some look very interesting, others less so, but at this stage you might as well check them all as its too early to rule anything in, or out, (apart from the obvious ones) and if the agents suggested them, then.... they must be ok, yes?
Now what? You come to the area for 2/3 days with a plan, it's been a nightmare but you have managed to get the various agents to do viewings to coincide with your timetable, a small victory in itself. To make matters worse though, after spending a day looking at houses with one agent (some of which were nothing like the description and a total waste of time) you realise that the second agent is showing you some of the same properties as the first!
How can that be? The photos looked so different, and even the price had changed... by the start of day three, you are so stressed out that you just can’t take in any more information. That’s a pity really because you haven’t sorted out what you want in a property yet, and you haven't even taken in the context of location... and actually when you think about it you can't even remember what the last house looked like, nor where it was...
..well, in the business we refer to you as being “housed out”!
How to make this process less stressful and more effective for you….
Our suggestion is that you contact one agent for each area you are looking at and let them do all of the legwork for you. All of the agencies, and this is true of any country or area, network and collaborate together, so use that fact to your advantage.
Using our Buying Tips to assist you, make a high-level list of the things you think you are looking for in a property; at this stage you won’t know everything, but there will be things you are fairly sure of, or at least there will be things you are sure you don’t want. If in doubt, give the agent a call to ask questions, it's much cheaper than waiting and wasting time later. And this may also be a good way to establish a rapport with the agent.
Once you have your wish list engage with one agent and give them a clear indication of what you are looking for. They can then research their own selling list for some examples of properties that they will share with you. They may then contact other agents in the area to see if they have any properties of similar configurations and if so, they will view them. Let them make a selection list for you, so that you save time and get a chance to see houses that more specifically suit your needs. And also to give you more time to see the area when you visit, because, as our motto says… It's not just the property, it's the life.
So why not talk to us at Il Castello di Tara and let us get things started for you. We have 20+ years in the business in this region so we are good at what we do, we have a long list of properties of all types, we have a great network of agencies we can tap into, and we do genuinely care. Let us take the stress out of this property search and leave the fun bit just for you; you won’t regret it.
Also be aware that we network with a whole series of agents throughout Italy so if you need our advice and help on areas other than this wonderful region, we can accompany you to other places around Italy.