Quote:
Originally Posted by Tenshi28
I am not sure how far USD200,000 (barely 150,000 euros) will get you in many places in Italy or Sweden, you'll probably have to aim at smaller towns.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Habbakuk
I don't think the area will matter as much as finding a good housing agent and good deal for an apartment.
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There is no MLS in Italy, so most agents only know of the houses in his listing and no one else's. Even agents on the same streets would not know of each other's listings by sight.
In 2000, I was back and forth between Italy and the States looking at properties. I worked with at least 20 agents on the phone and email before narrowing down to a handful. I then accompanied four different agents (not all at the same time) and
physically viewed many dozens houses in half of the towns in Tuscany and Umbria before stumbled upon our home.
It was a very small (~90 m², less than 1000 sq ft) 12th century home in Northern Umbria. One bedroom, one tiny bath, a den, etc. all spread out on three stories and located inside the town's medieval walls. The town is also small (37K total population, but only 5,000 inside the walls). We lived there for seven years.
In Nov 2007, we sold it for $174K, an average price for that market. Newer homes outside the walls sold for much more than ours, but they were also much more modern.
Your $200K will buy you something in Italy, but not a whole lot of something, unless luck is on your side.
Remember, mortgage is still not the common practice in Italy, and since almost all Italians own their houses free and clear, they do not sell their homes unless they absolutely must. Most families have multiple houses passing down from generation to generation. What do they do with so many houses? They give them to the young married couples in their families who need their own places. In the mean time, the houses sit empty but lovingly maintained. "Buyer's market" never happens in Italy.
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