4 tips on buying a home in Italy from an American who’s done it

• Lorrah Minton, an American who bought and renovated properties in Italy, is helping others make the move. 
• She said she was inundated with requests for help after documenting her journey on social media.
• Potential movers should know what visa to apply for and which region is the best fit.

For many, Italy is a dream vacation destination. For others, they dream of moving there.

Lorrah Minton made her relocation dream a reality.

In March, Minton bought a home in Mussomeli, Italy, a town near Sicily, for 57,000 euros, or about $62,000. She owns three properties in Sicily and is closing on a fourth this month. She now helps others plan their move to Italy.

Minton, and her sister, Lisa, lay out their journeys buying and renovating properties, as well as their travel — like a trip to Wales — on their blog The Amateurs Abroad.

Moving abroad is a popular topic, and Minton told Business Insider she received so many inquiries for help that she started doing some consulting on relocation. Plus, while buying a house is complicated, buying one overseas can be even more challenging — and that’s where Minton comes in. She makes phone calls to answer questions, helps find homes, sends video tours, or goes on tours with prospective buyers.

She also advises on what visa works best for you and shares her local neighborhood knowledge with potential relocators.

“We really hit our nerve with people that are not wanting to wait to retire to start getting some things off their bucket list and what they want their retirement to look like,” Minton told BI.

Here are four tips from Minton and how to make a move to Italy go smoothly.

There are different ways to secure a visa in Italy

Minton is selling her home in northern California and is not an Italian resident yet, but she suggests looking at different avenues for acquiring a visa in Italy. As a US citizen, Minton is allowed to stay in Italy for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. She plans to travel throughout Europe before returning to Italy. Once her California house sells, she’s considering buying more property in Italy. “I’m not sure about the residency part yet. I’m working out my residency part, there’s a couple different visas you can get,” she said.

One way to secure a visa is by investing in local companies. By making a 250,000 euro, or $276,000, investment in a local startup or a 500,000 euro investment in a more established company — like Ferrari — you can receive a visa, according to London-based consultancy Henley & Partners.

“Their startups aren’t like our startups — like someone in a garage startup,” Minton said. “It’s like a company that’s been established. It’s a newer company, but it is established.”

Another way to obtain a visa is the Elective Residency Visa (ERV), which is commonly known as the retirement visa, according to VisaGuide.World. A person needs a passive income of 31,000 euros, health insurance, and a lease — which can be one of the more challenging steps, according to Minton.

“It’s hard to get a lease there,” she said. “The leases are traditionally four years with a four-year renewal. You can get out of them with a six-month notice, but foreigners, if they’re getting a lease, want to just get something for a year while they look around, find a house, and all that stuff.”

Those interested in moving to Italy permanently should research visa options and potentially consult an immigration lawyer who specializes in overseas relocations.

Italy is big, so do your research

Italy’s regions can have vastly different characteristics.

“You have to figure out what region you want to go to and you can do research to get that feel,” Minton said. “Northern Italy is usually more expensive, has colder weather longer than Southern Italy, and there are big cities. Do you want big cities? Do you want small cities? You have to do that research.”

You could figure out what you like by, of course, visiting different areas. But if you’re unable to make trips, Minton suggests you check out Facebook groups and look for real estate agents.

Narrow down your search beforehand, Minton advised, and give real estate agents plenty of information so they know you’re serious about a move and not a looky-loo, she added.

If you buy a vacant home, make sure everything is up to date

In an effort to revitalize certain neighborhoods, smaller cities in Italy offered homes in need of renovations for 1 euro. While enticing to start anew in Italy with a clean slate, the process of getting your home in a livable condition can take some time.

An abandoned property may not have any electricity or utilities set up. According to Minton, getting the electricity back on could take a week, and water could take up to a month.

You can hire architects or contractors to do a walk-through and check for problems, Minton said, but you may not fully know what doesn’t work until the utilities are back on.

Minton also suggested that you pay attention to what’s been done to the property previously and make sure everything in the home matches the records.

“You’ll get the plans and all of a sudden there’s an extra wall or you’ve got a window and you’re supposed to get those things permitted just like you do in the States,” Minton said. “So if you have unpermitted work done on something at the time, during the escrow period when you’re waiting to close is when they discover, ‘Hey, these walls weren’t there.’ So you either have to get the plans up to date or restore it back to its original state. So that can come up also and kind of be a kink in the plan.”

Also, a quirk to the homebuying process in Italy is that you might not get everything you see on your first tour. It’s common for sellers to take appliances and furnishings with them.

“More than half the time the kitchen’s gone, or they leave you a couple crappy pieces,” Minton said. “So the $50,000 house now says it’s an extra $3,000 for the kitchen to stay, and the lights, the chandeliers, the overhead lighting — they take all that. So it kind of feels like you get a stripped car when you get the house.”

Keep an eye on the exchange rates

Minton said that kitchen renovations in Italy are relatively inexpensive compared to the US — she renovated two kitchens for 5,500 euros — but it’s important to make sure you know when your dollar will go the furthest.

“The hugest thing before buying a house to me is watching the exchange rate, because you want to transfer the money at a favorable time,” Minton said.

Minton uses multi-currency account Wise while in Italy to convert her money quickly so she can take advantage of the always changing rates. Staying on your toes can help you save thousands of dollars when making a big purchase like a home.

“I transferred my money buying the house when the euro and the exchange rate was 99 cents equaled one euro — which was insanely great,” Minton said. “Had I waited until I closed six months later and done it then, I would’ve lost over $6,000 just in the exchange rate. That’s a lot of furniture and decorations.”