How to Buy a Home in Italy From Abroad, Without the Stress, Worry, or Guesswork
What is done on your behalf, how you are protected at every stage, and clear answers to the questions International Buyers ask most.
Maybe you have been looking at homes online in Italy, saw one of our Sicily Property Video Tours, or even binge-watched our weekly YouTube videos, and you have decided to finally reach out.
Before your initial call with Carlo, please take the time to read this page in full...
It explains:
- How buying a home in Italy works when you live in another country.
- It walks you through everything that is handled for you.
- From the first conversation, to the day the home is legally yours.
- And, it answers the questions most people have about owning a home in Italy, whether you plan to live here full time, for part of the year, have a vacation home, or even retire here.
When you understand all of this before your call, our conversation can focus on what matters most, which is finding the right home for you.
We’ll simplify the complete home buying process for you, making it as easy and stress-free as possible, all while protecting your interests every step of the way.
Carlo and Jeia
We Represent and Protect You as the Buyer.
Buying a Property in Italy from Another Country Can Be Easier Than Most People Think
We’ve helped more than 50+ international buyers with purchasing homes on Sicily's northern coast this way. They live in the United States, Canada, Australia, Asia, the UK, Ireland, and across Europe.
9 out of 10 of them chose their home from viewing one of our detailed video property tours, put in an offer, and with the help of our team closed on the property before ever setting foot inside.
Most of Our International Buyers:
- They did not need to speak Italian.
- They did not need to be a resident or have citizenship in Italy.
- They did not need to understand Italian property law.
- They did not need to fly back and forth to Italy during the process.
What they needed (and received) were experienced real estate experts living in Italy, who went through the process for themselves, and then dozens more times for International Buyers just like you.
Any Home We Feature Has Already Been Thoroughly Screened
For nearly two years, a new home has been featured on our YouTube channel every Friday, without fail.
Italian families throughout Sicily and other regions of Italy contact us regularly, asking to have their homes featured. Before any home is filmed, it goes through our rigorous vetting process, and many homes are declined at this stage.
Only the homes that pass our due diligence are filmed and shown.
For you as an International Buyer, this changes where you start.
When you see a home on our website or YouTube channel, you are not looking at the open market guessing. You are looking at a home that has already been checked by people who know what to look for.
It also means there is a direct relationship with the Sellers, the actual family that owns it. When the time comes to make your offer, the family already knows who they are dealing with, and the conversation is already open.
Why the Right Buyer Representation Matters
Italy has its own way of buying and selling property. And most people are in for an unfortunate rude awakening when they attempt this process on their own or even through a local real estate agency.
Building permits are held by each town hall. Ownership is recorded in official property registries. Every sale is completed before a Notaio, a public official appointed by the Italian state. Many homes in Sicily have belonged to the same family for generations and are owned jointly by several relatives. And every part of it is conducted in Italian.
In short, it’s complicated and confusing to those outside of Italy!
Each of these challenges are entirely manageable for someone who lives in Sicily and knows the system. That is what Buyer Representation gives you. All of that knowledge and experience works on your behalf, so you never have to learn any of it yourself, or encounter costly mistakes or delays.
You Are Being Represented, Not “Sold” To
We are real estate consultants, not agents. Even though we previously owned and operated a Real Estate Brokerage in Northern California for decades. Additionally, Carlo has been a successful real estate investor since the mid 80s.
When you hire us, you are the person we represent in your purchase, and the only one.
That shapes everything you experience. Every home recommended to you is recommended because it fits what you want. Every assessment you receive is honest, including what a home needs and whether it is truly right for you. And when it is time to agree on price and terms, your interests are the ones being represented.
What is Done on Your Behalf?
Here is every stage of your home purchase, and what is handled for you at each one.
Most Buyers reach out to us and want one of the properties we featured in our video tours. Some, reach out to engage us to help them find exactly what they are looking for.
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Understanding What You Want
Your purchase starts with a detailed conversation about what you're actually looking for, including:
- How you plan to use the home.
- Whether you want to be by the sea, in the heart of a town, or in the hills with open views.
- How much space you need.
- What state of repair you're comfortable taking on.
- Move in ready, light remodeling, or full on renovation.
- Your total budget range for purchasing.
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Finding Homes That Fit
Chances are, you liked one of the properties we already featured. However, some tend to go very quickly.
In these cases, we’ll find homes that match what you want. Ones that you are interested in, will go through our pre-vetting process, and every one comes directly from the family who owns it.
That means the price you're given is the family’s own pre-negotiated price, not a number marked up by a middleman. We receive zero compensation from the Sellers.
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Seeing Every Home for You
Each home is visited in person, walked room by room, and filmed. You receive an honest assessment of:
- The strengths of the home.
- Its condition.
- Its setting and the town around it.
- Anything that would need attention.
Once you’ve officially retained our team, ask any question you have about a specific home, and you'll get a straight answer.
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Verifying the Home Before You Commit
Before you commit to any home, a Geometra examines it. A Geometra is a licensed Italian property surveyor, and one of the most important people in any purchase in Italy.
Additions built without permits are common in older Italian homes, and they can't be seen in photos or videos. The Geometra checks every room, extension, terrace and outbuilding against the building permits held by the town hall and the official property records. You receive the findings, explained clearly in English.
A home whose records are in order is a home you can insure, renovate, and one day sell or pass on to your family with complete confidence.
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Confirming Every Owner is Ready to Sell
It’s common in Italy to have more than one Seller who has an ownership interest in the property. In one case, we found a home with 24 family members that had an ownership interest in the property!
Under Italian inheritance law, a home often passes to several family members at once. Some may live elsewhere in Italy, or in other countries entirely. Every one of them must agree to the sale, and if even one is missing, the sale can't close.
Every owner is identified and contacted, and their agreement is secured before you go any further. You never need to contact a single one of them yourself. This saves you an enormous amount of time, and avoids frustration and hassle down the road in the buying process.
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Negotiating Your Price and Terms
Your offer is prepared with you and presented directly to the Sellers, in Italian.
Negotiation is handled with respect for the family and firm representation of your interests. You make every decision. The conversations are handled for you.
We protect you every step of the way.
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Preparing Your Paperwork
Every Buyer in Italy needs a “Codice Fiscale”, the Italian tax number required to purchase property. Yours is obtained for you by our team. You don’t need to be a resident or citizen of Italy to obtain one.
Every document in your purchase is translated and explained to you in English, so you know exactly what you're signing and why.
A “Procura”, a legal power of attorney, is prepared so your purchase can be signed in Italy on your behalf. You don't need to return to Italy to complete your transaction since Carlo will act as your POA (power of attorney) so we can close your transaction and assist with opening your utility accounts all while you are abroad.
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Completing Your Purchase
The “Notaio” is booked and coordinated, and the closing is walked through with you from start to finish. When it's complete, the home is legally registered in your name.
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Setting Up Your Home
Your utility accounts are opened for you, so the home is ready to use when you arrive.
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Renovating, If You Choose To
If the home needs work, or you want to personalize it, you're introduced personally to renovation managers and trades we've used ourselves and trust. There are no referral fees or kickbacks involved.
How You Are Protected at Every Stage
Protection is built into every step of the process.
Your Protection Includes:
- Every home is vetted before it is ever filmed or featured.
- Every home you consider is seen in person and assessed honestly.
- Every home is verified by a licensed Geometra against the official permits and property records before closing the purchase.
- Every Seller (owner) is identified and in agreement before your purchase moves forward.
- Every document is translated and explained before you sign it.
- Every decision is made with someone representing you, and only you.
Nothing moves forward until each of these is completed.
This will give you complete confidence we have your best interests at heart.
Why the Process is Stress-Free for You
What You Do:
- Share exactly what you're looking for.
- Review homes on video and ask your questions.
- Choose your home.
- Approve your offer.
- Sign the documents that need your signature.
That's the full extent of your part.
What You Never Have to Do:
- Search for homes on your own.
- Wait on listing real estate agents who rarely reply to foreign buyers.
- Translate a conversation or a document.
- Work through Italian permits, property registries or inheritance rules.
- Track down family members to sign.
- Obtain your Italian tax codes from the Agenzia d’Entrata.
- Find and hire a surveyor, a translator or a Notaio.
- Fly to Italy to view homes or to sign closing documents.
- Set up utilities in a second language.
- Find & manage renovation trades on your own.
The Value of Having Someone With “Boots on the Ground” Here in Italy
Buying a home in Italy is a significant decision, and the person representing you shapes every part of it.
When You Engage Us, You Have:
- Americans with decades of real estate experience working for you.
- People who live on Sicily's northern coast full time, and know the towns, the families and the way property changes hands here.
- Homes that were vetted before you ever saw them, verified before you commit, and negotiated in Italian on your behalf.
- The confidence of knowing every step is handled by people who have been through every one of those steps themselves.
- People who have done this themselves and helped many other International Buyers do the same.
Choosing who represents you is the most important decision you'll make in your entire purchase. Everything else follows from it.
Who We Are
We're Carlo and Jeia Lauria (fluent in both English and Italian). After decades owning and operating a Real Estate Brokerage in Northern California, we sold the business and moved to Sicily's northern coast, where we live full time.
We bought, restored and renovated our own home here, a 17.5 acre estate. We’ve encountered every challenge and roadblock you could imagine, all while painfully finding the right path to navigate around and through them.
Long story short: we’ve been there and done that, and have cracked the code to buying a property anywhere in Italy stress-free.
Our very first video was published in December 2024. Since March 2025, a new home has been featured on our YouTube channel every Friday, and 50+ International Buyers have purchased their homes with us.
Frequently Asked Questions and Common Myths Dispelled About Buying a Home in Italy
Can I buy property in Italy without citizenship or residency?
Yes. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the EU can all buy property in Italy. You don't need to be an Italian citizen, and you don't need Italian residency. You can own a home in Italy while continuing to live anywhere in the world.
Do I need to be in Italy to buy a home?
No. With a Procura, a legal power of attorney, your purchase can be completed in Italy while you are away. One quick visit can do it!
Is it safe to buy a home I haven't seen in person?
Yes, when it has been vetted, seen and verified for you. Every home is vetted before it is featured, visited and filmed in person, and checked by a licensed Geometra against the official records before you commit. 9 out of 10 of our International Buyers chose their home this way.
Are your homes only in Sicily?
For now, yes. Most of the homes featured are on Sicily's northern coast, but families throughout Sicily and other regions of Italy contact us to feature their homes. Every one goes through the same vetting process.
What is the Schengen Area?
The Schengen Area is a group of 29 European countries that share one common border for visitors. Italy is one of them, along with France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Portugal and most of continental Europe.
Once you enter, you can travel freely between all of them. The United Kingdom and Ireland are not part of the Schengen Area.
How long can I stay in Italy without a visa?
If you hold a passport from the United States, Canada, Australia or the United Kingdom, you can stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. No visa is needed. All you need is a valid passport.
Days spent in any Schengen country count toward the same 90 days, so a week in France counts the same as a week in Italy.
For example, citizens of Ireland and other European Union countries can live in Italy with no time limit at all.
Can I spend half the year in Italy?
Yes. Many homeowners follow a simple pattern. Up to 90 days in Italy, then 90 days outside the Schengen Area, then back to Italy for up to another 90 days. Over a full year, that can add up to around six months in Italy.
This is often called the "Schengen shuffle" or "visa bouncing." The time away must be spent outside the Schengen Area entirely, for example in your home country, the United Kingdom, Ireland, or nearby non-Schengen countries such as Albania or Montenegro.
Your entries and exits are now recorded electronically at the border, which keeps an exact record of your days. A short online travel authorization called ETIAS is also planned for visitors from these countries. Check the official EU travel website before each trip for the current requirements.
Does owning a home in Italy give me residency or a visa?
No. Owning a home and the right to stay longer than 90 days are two separate matters. Your home is yours no matter how many days you spend in it. Staying beyond the 90-day allowance requires a long-stay visa.
Can I live in Italy full time?
Yes. Several long-stay visas make it possible.
The elective residence visa is designed for people with a steady independent income, such as pensions or investments, who don't plan to work in Italy. It requires a place to live in Italy, which owning your home provides.
The digital nomad visa is designed for remote workers who meet its income requirements. Some people with an Italian-born parent or grandparent may also qualify for Italian citizenship by descent.
Visas are applied for through the Italian consulate that serves the area where you live, and requirements can change. Speak with your consulate or an immigration specialist about your own situation.
Can I use the home part time now and move full time later?
Yes. You can use your home for part of the year under the 90-day allowance and apply for a long-stay visa later if you decide to live in Italy full time. Your home stays yours either way.
Do I need to speak Italian?
Not if you’re working with our team. Every step of your purchase is handled for you in English. In daily life, a few words of Italian are always welcome in Sicily's small towns, and many owners enjoy learning as they go. When here, the Google Translator app on your cell phone works rather well.
Are these the €1 euro homes I've read about?
No. The 1 euro homes are programs run by certain Italian towns, usually with strict renovation requirements and deadlines attached. The homes we feature are private family homes, offered at the family's own price and vetted before they are ever filmed. Additionally, the homes we feature have some very special amenities that you likely won’t find in those €1 house schemes.
Can I rent my home out when I'm not using it?
Yes. Many owners do. Short-term rentals in Italy must be registered, and each registered rental receives a national identification code that appears on its listings.
Can I renovate the home?
Yes. Depending on the work, permits from the town hall may be needed. You're introduced personally to renovation managers and trades who know the local process, and who we've used ourselves.
Does owning a home in Italy make me an Italian tax resident?
No. Tax residence in Italy is based mainly on where you live and how much time you spend there, not on owning property. Owners do pay a nominal property tax on a home that is not their main residence, though it’s likely not the “property tax” you’re used to having to pay in your country of origin. For your own situation, speak with a tax advisor.
Who do you represent in the purchase?
You, the Buyer. We're real estate consultants, not agents. Our experience and acumen far exceeds that of a real estate agent. We bring decades of such mess as investors and brokerage owners to the table. That experience is put to work for you like you’ve probably not ever seen before. When you hire us, you are the only person we represent in your purchase. Even though we have great relationships with the Sellers, $0 compensation is received by us from the Sellers. We use our leverage with the Sellers Value their properties at wholesale levels before we present them to you.
What if I haven't chosen a home yet?
That's completely normal. Many Buyers come to their first call with a few homes they've liked on our website or YouTube channel, or simply a clear idea of what they want. Your call starts with what you're looking for, and the search is built from there.
Your Next Steps to Living Your Italian Dream
Your initial call with Carlo is where your exciting journey begins!
Come Ready to Talk Through:
How you plan to use the home, your total budget, including any renovation, when you want to own the home, and any homes on our website or YouTube channel you've liked so far.
We work with serious Buyers who are ready to move forward.
If that's you, schedule your call here:
What Some of Our International Buyers Say
I am the smuggiest man on the planet right now. I really should be waxing lyrical about my emotions right now, but I am rather overcome. It's just incredible. I've got a million dollar view. I honestly guys, I can't thank you enough, and I genuinely mean that.
It was so exciting and it just was a perfect experience. Having to deal with all the administrative things here in Italy and not speaking the language very well at all, it would be very difficult for somebody from America to come and do that, and you've made it a really good experience for us. Very seamless, smooth, everything was wonderful. We'd do it again in a heartbeat.
At one point in time, life was lifing, and I didn't think that this was going to be a reality, let alone possible. But the two of them (Carlo and Jeia) actually showed me not only was it possible, it's done. Picked up the keys. I'm here. The process was seamless. I just can't thank Move To Italy Now enough.
We are excited and we are very happy that we discovered Carlo's YouTube channel and we had a great opportunity to cash real estate here and everything, it feels safe with Carlo. Carlo makes sure that the whole process goes smooth and as fast as possible.
I hit the play button, and within two minutes of watching that video, I knew that house was mine. I leapt out of bed and emailed Carlo. It was 3am. By the time I woke back up to go to work at 6am, there was a response from him already in my email. This has been an unbelievably seamless process from beginning to end.
Carlo and Jeia have made the process so smooth and so wonderful. We really haven't had to worry about much. They are genuinely the people that are on TV. We fell in love with our house on TV and when we saw it in person we saw the vision that they gave us. And now we finally did our closing and everything went smoothly and seamless.
Without Carlo's boots on the ground support, we honestly would not have taken a chance on purchasing such a property, we would still just be dreamers. The several WhatsApp meetings that we had with Carlo helped make us comfortable with the process. He was always quick to provide answers and gain any information that we needed.
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