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What some of our clients say.
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“My first hand experience with a property purchase in Abruzzo was made straight forward simply by dealing with a professional, knowledgeable and above all passionate set up ‘Vignaverde’.”
August 2010.
My first hand experience with a property purchase in Abruzzo was made straight forward simply by dealing with a professional, knowledgeable and above all passionate set up ‘Vignaverde’.
I can only reflect and state that the drive across the country from Rome was very much worth the visit to this stunning region. The viewing process was made very interesting with the abundance of regional and local knowledge passionately expressed throughout the tour via an English/Italian influence. The choice of buildings on and off the market available for viewing was more than I had really bargained for.
Once an offer was agreed for a property the guidance from start to finish before the completion was concise and relatively hassle free. ‘Vignaverde’ have their own project management for renovations and are firmly in touch with the local trade and craftsmen which can move a project far quicker to another level.
In summary, dealing with this agency breathed a confidence, passion and a satisfaction from my purchase.
Regards
Mr J Atherton (UK)
“Their services were absolutely invaluable and best of all we really felt like we could trust them at every stage of the process.”
September 2010.
We can definitely recommend Vignaverde! Their services were absolutely invaluable and best of all we really felt like we could trust them at every stage of the process. We purchased and are now renovating a home in Abruzzo and used Vignaverde for such diverse services as: finding out the best places to go, information about the area, searching for homes, obtaining a mortgage and bank account, building plans, translation and notary services, and much more! They have been there done that – a one stop shop full of excellent advice and assistance. Thank you very much.
And, more specifically:
Likes: kind, helpful and inspired trust; liked that you guys have been through the
move to Italy, buying and renovating and were sympathetic to our ups and downs throughout
the process; we never felt pressured -
Dislikes: No real dislikes -
Regards
Ms L Morrision (Canada)
“Their relaxed approach made the process easy and we were not put under pressure until of course ………..”
September 2010.
Buying through Vignaverde
By Christmas 2009 Sophie and I had decided that we wanted to buy in Italy and particularly in Abruzzo. We did not know a lot about the area but did a lot or research on the internet as well as searching for suitable properties. There are so many agents and so much advice!
With all the research in place we booked an independent trip to Abruzzo for 5 days visiting three areas, Pescara, Teramo and Chieti and 4 separate agents in late June. We based ourselves at Palombaro (Chieti region) at the suggestion of Dave having met him at ‘La Dolce Vita’ exhibition in London and arranged to see him on the first two days.
Our brief was as follows. We were looking for a foothold in the area, a property for ourselves which we would initially use as a holiday home and holiday let. In time we intend to retire to Italy and invest in further property as holiday lets. We had an initial budget of £50,000 and allowing for fees decided that E50,000 should be our limit. We felt that we wanted a property with some land rather than a townhouse. We did, however, have open minds.
Dave suggested that he would take us out in the mornings and show us around taking in some properties. We were left to our own devices in the afternoons. Initially we walked around the town of Palombaro with a friendly chat from Dave to enable him to get to know us and our intentions. He showed us a couple of townhouses and we quickly established that this was not the way forward. He then took us off to visit some other properties closer to our brief. It was all done in a very relaxed manner and we also did some sightseeing. By the end of the first morning we had a couple of possibilities, a plot of land and the ‘bunker’, a stone and concrete ruin. In the afternoon we drove around the area visiting the local ski resort and getting a better feel. The second morning was the same routine and included revisiting our possibilities.
Days three and four were far more hectic with visiting properties in morning and afternoon with other agents. It many ways we tried to do too much but it confirmed that the area of our initial search was the right area. One of the agent’s command of English was as good as my Italian and we had difficulty getting our interests across. Another’s was somewhat better but still the language caused difficulty. It is important to speak Italian here and we are learning. The fourth agent was good but he was working outside our preferred area.
Our experience demonstrated the need to closely define your search area. Given that area, get to know it well and enlist the services of a local agent that you are comfortable with. We tried to do too much. In the four days of viewing we took over 700 photographs and visited about 40 properties.
Dave’s relaxed approach made the process easy and we were not put under pressure until of course ……….. On the evening of day four Dave contacted us to say that he had another interested party in the ‘bunker’. He was bound to say that but was keen to show us that this was actually the case and not a sales pitch. We had more or less made the decision anyway and on the following morning agreed a price.
The purchase was a bit of a leap in the dark but we were guided along the way by Vignaverde. They helped us set up a local bank account and get a Codice Fiscale, the Italian tax registration number. The next stage is to get the necessary plans into place and the water and power reconnected to our site. This service can also be provided by Vignaverde and I feel confident of their help.
Purchasing a house is supposed to be one of the most stressful things you can do. Using Vignaverde, it was a pleasurable experience – I have not had so much fun in ages! Thank you.
Regards
Mr B Metcalf. (UK)
“Do read up about it and do talk to people who have done it .. but ultimately you need to understand what happens at each step, what needs to be done .. and you have to learn to trust the system.”
October 2010.
Buying your first house in Italy is a real experience. Don’t expect it to be like buying a house in England. Don’t try & compare their system, process and documents with ours and don’t expect them to work like we would like them to .. this is Italy .. you do it the Italian way.
Do read up about it and do talk to people who have done it .. but ultimately you need to understand what happens at each step, what needs to be done .. and you have to learn to trust the system.
Building this trust is where Vignaverde are invaluable and where the team earns it’s fee!
They know the country, the region, the commune, the people, the properties and the local system.
From the outset it is clear that they want to build a relationship with you that will progress beyond the purchase, into the restoration and then eventually into welcoming you into their community. For this reason they have a vested interest in doing the best job they can for you and making sure that everything is done correctly and properly … ultimately they have to .. you might be their neighbour when all is done & finished!
In the initial visits to view properties they are excellent at determining what you are looking for (even when you are not sure) showing you different options and showing you the potential of the property & the land….. let them show you the property you had discarded when viewing online .. it might be your ‘dream house’ .. it was for us.
Pino, the associated Geometra clearly has a huge passion for the correct and proper restoration of property in Abruzzo properties, there are many examples of their work in the region for you to look at and get ideas and confidence that these guys know what to do .. and do it to a high standard. He will talk you through his thoughts about what could & should be done to a property .. but don’t expect too much commitment as to potential costs at the outset .. that comes later!
When you decide to take the step to buy, they help you understand the system and will advise and help you work out the best route through the maze of Italian rules & regulations. The Vignaverde team has all of the skills and professional capability to support you through your purchase. They did an excellent job for us, sorting out the complexity of current ownership of the land and property and creating the contractual documentation required for the purchase. They sorted out all of the financial aspects, provided the translation services and guided us through the formal legal steps. They also provided contacts for us to talk to, people going through the same process for us to do a ‘sanity check’ with .. and other professionals, not part of Vignaverde, for us to get 2nd opinions from.
This network that the Vignaverde team has built up is invaluable and covers all aspects of the purchase and restoration of a property from travel and local accommodation, architects/engineers, tradesmen, Banking & Finance etc.
At the time our house purchase felt nerve racking, very strange and different, and sometimes downright dubious and crazy …. Looking back it was remarkably painless and we are now the proud owners of a wonderful house .. well .. ‘project’ in the most beautiful region in Italy.
Regards
Mr K Shelton. (UK)
We will be adding to this section as often as possible including people who are having houses renovated and people who have just been on property tours.
Vignaverde thoughts.
When we read testimonials given to us it really means so much to each of us to know what our clients really think, we created this company from nothing and we are all proud to know that we are doing things right not just on the paperwork and official side but also in building trust and making new friends with our clients.
Of course this is our business and we do want to sell houses but we know we do it the right way and are so happy that our clients feel the same way.
To our existing clients thankyou for your kind words and know that our job is made so much easier when dealing with fantastic people like yourselves.
To our new clients, we look forward to meeting you here and showing you this wonderful place which without it none of this would be possible, Abruzzo for me is an incredible region, the people, the food, the scenery, there is just something that you take with you even if you visit for just a day, something that you cannot describe but long to be part of.
“We did view properties with other agents, but honestly felt more at ease with Vignaverde. Had we not found ‘the one’ on that first trip we would definitely have come back to them. ”
October 2010.
The area is wonderful, there is always a view, it is clean, fresh, green with spectacular scenery.
We can thoroughly recommend Vignaverde, they are professional and knowledgable. We were impressed with the fact that they took time to show us around villages before we had even seen anything we liked. We did view properties with other agents, but honestly felt more at ease with Vignaverde. Had we not found ‘the one’ on that first trip we would definitely have come back to them.
Our codice fiscal’s were organised by Vignaverde and they helped us open the Italian bank account by email ! We confirmed our existence physically at the bank with Vignaverde a couple of days before ‘the act’. We could not have done this on our own with our painfully inadequate level of the Italian language at that time. They ensured everything was in place so that we could attend the notary office for the final acton the arranged day. This was very different to how things happen at home, but with some trepidation we got to the day and were joined by our Geometra and translator all arranged with Vignaverde and the vendors.
All went to plan and we are now the proud owners of a lot of work ! We are yet to connect services and do the building workds but we will be using Vignaverde and will report back !
Regards
Mrs L Marsh (UK)
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