Читать книгу A Girl’s Tuscan Dream - The Girl - Страница 4

Before deciding on my little piece of heaven this Girl spent a lot of time contacting estate agents, long before even thinking about viewing homes. A little about all that; estate agents and property websites. Thanks to technology is a search easier? Years ago you could not sit in the comfort of your home and search for a house in another country! Sounds easy does it not! But it is actually a full-time job! Some things to consider:

-Estate agents. Every agent has an opinion and may try to force it. I used many estate agents, on purpose, to garner the widest advice possible. In fact, many homes are on multiple websites and you will see the same home twice. This is. It a bad thing, as each agent may show you different things and the price may even change! Stick to your priorities however as some agents are aggressive!

-Language is an issue. Do you need a translator? Not only for the eventual purchase, but also for visitations. Whilst many first contacts may speak a little English, when you get on the ground, in the small villages or hill towns, you must be able to speak The language or have a way to translate. There are many Apps which do this and in the end if you do not speak Italian, you will need to get this service, particularly when it comes to documents, notaries and closing details. Local TV is also great for picking up the lingo, as is reading the daily news. I was lucky that I spoke the lingo, but even with this skill, I had to re-read everything. The Italian I spoke was work-related and cocktail chatter. So try to speak a little, it will go a long way. From establishing a link to the country, to locals believing you are serious about being there, and of course to understanding the conversations around you. Knowing the language is particularly important in small villages. Everyone knows everyone and locals know when a stranieri (foreigner) is in town and if you are one of those people who never try to integrate!

-Map out your visits. This is a job in itself. You will try to follow an orderly route, it will work perhaps 30 percent of the time, given schedules, both yours and theirs. Plus you will get lost. This happened to me on a regular basis. I was always very close but…..what did people do before GPS and google maps!

-Booking trips and visits is a challenge. There are so many websites. I spent hours, years looking, and sorting. Once you have narrowed the search and chosen places to see, then you contact the website and / or agent. This takes time and duplications occur. Sometimes they get back to you, sometimes not. Some are not bothered unless you are looking at expensive places. By the time you reach someone, some places were already sold or off the market. Also beware of agents who have properties in many parts of the country. Some agents are not local and some do not know anything about the area.

-You get more than you ask for. Be prepared. You ask to see 11 places, they offer 20 properties to see. Some agents sift through properties and eliminate on your behalf. This is good and bad. I want to be the one to eliminate my choices, not them. There is also the addiction of seeing new places….as I said before, we wonder if the next one will be better? There does come a time to choose. If you are overwhelmed, be wise enough to take a pause……. to be certain. Lastly if a property is gone because you waffled it was simply not meant to be! You will know when you find your dream location and you will at that time be decisive.

-When the deed is done, do you gift them? I did. Perhaps a drink is better. I believe it is really the agent who should treat you! I got the sense on my closing that everyone, even us, just wanted to go home. Long days, long periods of waiting and we just wanted to get to the house. I would be gracious however and if an agent was particularly helpful send a bottle of Prosecco or champagne. With these small villages you will see your agent again! Remember they are locals and they have good contacts. Use them.

-Do websites show properties exactly as they are? No. Most often the places are smaller than they appeared on websites, they are less finished, and the location is a little off or not where they said it was. Further, almost every place save for new properties needs bathroom and kitchen work.

Ok so now an important issue, you need a bank account before you buy! And a Codice Fiscale prior to opening the bank account! My experience was easy for the one, the other was well a story in itself!

The Girl gets a bank account!

The misadventure of obtaining a bank account in Italia. At least in my situation, having lived in Roma I already had a Codice fiscale. One of the first steps anyone must take when wanting to purchase anything in Italy. If you can memorise the number even better! You will need it not only to purchase a home, but for anything from buying a mattress to buying a car or for opening a bank account.

Having the Codice Fiscale in hand prior to my purchase, I was ahead of the game. I had a bank account whilst living in Roma and hoped to stick to the same bank. I am not certain if that made opening an account more difficult or easier! Once I found a branch in a near village, I thought everything would be completed quickly. However this is Italia and nothing is simple. In my case and a cautionary tale, some banks are very tiny. Mine has six employees! It takes time to get things done, plan for a full day. Opening a bank account was a four-hour experience for me. First, they asked why I wanted the account at all, and then they debated if I could have one. I had to give a long history of my life in Roma, my search for a home, and the potential timing of when I might close the deal. Finally they agreed to open an account and the process began. This involved signatures……my hand was numb by the end. I signed my name around 28 times if not more, and frankly not certain the signature at the end looked anything like the one at the beginning. Then more paper, around 2 inches worth. Incroyable! (Unbelievable). But then I had a bank account! I am saying a bank account, hee hee! but I had no real bank card. That would be too much to hope for! I did eventually receive a little piece of paper with my account information and a promise of a bank card arriving. As I was soon to depart Italia for Canada, I wanted to deposit some money into my new Italian account! I asked to deposit around 200 euro. “Non, non e possibile.” I said “but it is my account, why could I not put money into it.” The response was simple. No deposits in the afternoon…….only in the mornings. I advised I am leaving the next day, perhaps I could leave the Euro and they could simply finalise the transaction in the AM? “Non e possibile.” So I have the account, a piece of paper, the account is empty and I am leaving the country the next day. What would occur after a few months? Would they close the account for non-activity? Would I have to repeat this experience? Omg!

So clever bunny I am! My partner was staying in Italia a week longer, in part to explore but in part to return to the lovely little house for a full engineer type inspection. He was almost gleeful about it. So I decided to draft a note giving him permission to deposit 200 euro into my bank account. They had met him over the course of the four-hour experience, so no issue right? They knew he was my partner. I copied part of the document that the bank had given me and hoped for the best. After a glorious time exploring and viewing the house again he ventured to the bank. He patiently waited for the tellers to open. He noticed an old man with a cheque to deposit. He asked the man if he wished to go ahead but also noticed that the cheque was not signed. He wondered if the teller would send him away…..but no! She deposited it without signature. “Ok, so this is relatively easy my partner thought.” He went up to the teller and explained the situation. She remembered him. He had all the bits in place, the permission note, the money, the documents She said. “non, Non e possibile.” He said, “si e possibile!” This went on for four rounds, what a dance! My love was pushing the money towards her, and she was pushing it back. The game continued. He refused to leave and she just finally said ok! Success! Welcome to Italia. Not certain about the game but you need to play it!

I did mention that after opening the account, I did not have a bank card, simply a small piece of paper, a paper card. I had left Italia without one but the manager had promised a card would be forthcoming. I did all of this in the autumn of 2017. When I returned in the spring of 2018, sans card, and for the closing of my new home I went directly to the bank thinking it was there waiting for me. Non. Pas encore (not yet). I went through the closing of the house without a card. I visited the bank each time we travelled to Italia and after about four more trips, some technical difficulties and even a suggestion the card was in Canada, I got one! Patience is a virtue! However there is an upside to all these visits to the bank. There is a fantastic gelato place right off the piazza, right across the street. In case you need energy for waiting at the bank….yes five times in total and probably five pounds heavier. Enjoyed every minute however, of the gelato that is………