keyitaly.com’s blog

In answer to an email query from Bernard McCarthy about property and real estate sales, and especially finding estate agents Calabria, the answer is that a lot of sales in Italy, and in the south of Italy especially, are handled by small local agents who you won’t see advertised anywhere, certainly not on the web and in English. A lot of property sales in Calabria in fact never see the light of day - as they are done privately, between individuals. Further to this, you’ll see an idiosyncrasy of Italian property sales here - which is that much of the time people appear to be attempting to sell a property without disclosing a price or even that it’s on the market!

This ‘anti marketing’ is probably an outward manifestation of the occasional Italian obsession with privacy, and with other people knowing their business dealings, also of a powerful mistrust of the authorities and the tax police. Much in Italy is still done on a nod and a wink, though the practice of declaring one price for a property sale to the tax authorities, while actually realising a much higher one thanks to envelopes stuffed with euro notes, is fast declining. So how DO you find estate agents Calabria, not to mention the homes they’re trying to sell? You’ll find a selection of property for sale in Calabria on keyitaly.com of course, and this will give you a feel for the market and the prices. But the first thing to do is unarguably to take a holiday in the place. We never cease to be amazed by people who ask us about property in a certain region … then profess ignorance as to whereabouts in Italy the region is. Calabria is a beautiful region, with endless miles of coastline (being the toe of Italy, you’re never far from the sea). It has superb mountainous national parks.

It has coastline on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and abuts Sicily across the Strait of Messina. There is the vast mountain plateau of La Sila, which can be snowclad in winter as well as sunbaked in the summer. Coastal resorts include spectacular Tropea, with its cliffside dwellings, beautiful Cosenza and Scilla. There are dense pine forests, countless lakes. And this is an ancient land, colonised by the Romans, the Greeks, by Byzantium and the Goths (as well as a dozen invaders since). There are historic towns including Catanzaro, Cosenza, Lamezia Terme, Crotone and Reggio Calabria. There are Swabian castles, ancient monasteries and tiny mountain hamlets.

Above all, there is endless sea and sun. So before you start seeking out estate agents Calabria, start with your own researches. Take a holiday, hire a car, travel around, find properties you fancy (and there will often be real estate in Calabria standing empty) and ask around. The vendor will invaribably eventually appear!
Property for sale, Calabria, Italy