housearounditaly estate agents in avellino campania

[Nielo]

Originally Posted by adriatica

whatever anyone comments on the agents... i would do a good deal of research regarding that area... it is one of those often mentioned as a chosen site for the new waste dumps to sort out the rubbish problems of naples and the surrounds... its also quite famous from before for its other waste dumps... abusive ones... that contain god knows what...

now from the picture in your link the house looks very good value for money...in fact too good... property prices in Campania are much higher in general than most other south central regions... and you maybe just have to ask yourself the question why... apart from the warehouse designation

if your italian is ok then this article might be of interest
Legislatura 15 Atto di Sindacato Ispettivo n° 3-00196

regarding waste problems... its a couple of years ago but nothing much changes there... and highlights some concerns

my thoughts on cheap or very cheap properties are this... there are some properties of value to be had in Italy in areas without problems and properties free of major legal or building regulation problems... but they are rare and unless you are very lucky will be hard to find...

living here in Italy and with good local knowledge of the area... it took us almost a year to find a house which we considered good value and within the area we were searching... and we were living just outside that area anyway and had been for quite a few years... many houses were well overpriced...other that were not had a myriad of other problems which only came to light because we knew the area or my father in law... a retired Italian Geometra spotted a bit of a problem for us... we were lucky being able to do our house hunting in this way...from afar it is much harder and to my mind requires confidence ... a lot of trust...in who you deal with

now the main problem i see in most buying that goes on here in Abruzzo ... is at the lower end of the property market... those houses below euro 50,000 say... where its essentially hard for people who have that much to spend to consider paying a solicitor to check things for them.... the percentages come out too high... and if running on a tight budget ...pushing oneself to the limit its a risk that seems sensible to take... and in many cases it will all work out fine.. but there are enough stories going around.. people you either get to know or here of.. forums like this where problems are highlighted ...on occasion... to my mind to say its almost daft to not get your own independent advice...

abruzzo suffers more than many areas from this because it is an area where many people are looking within the low start price market... where people are spending say e150k plus the houses will often be less problematic... but essentially people will often see an investment in a solicitor as good value as the percentage now at these sorts of prices arrives at something much more reasonable... although many of these international type law firms are very scant in their checking up processes ... there are several posting on that... they do provide a light sort of protection... and if involved early on can often scare a bad agent doing a bad deal off

so like life everywhere the more exposed and vulnerable people as someone on this forum once said get sh**ted...

i keep saying this... if it appears to much like good value... it isn't...there will be something wrong... research things in the area by looking at italian websites selling properties... say eurekase... or FIAIP have i think case it... they are country wide... and you will be able to compare prices better...

heres a thread from a fair while ago

http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/pro...abruzzo-3.html

when asking a direct question about any agencies you have to understand that forum rules preclude any open negative comments and often as in the link i posted you will find that SOME positive posts have other things behind them as the cynical comments within that thread show...

That is the beauty of the PM system, if people have had a bad experience with an agent and want to share the information they can do so privately.

I seem to have heard good and bad about almost every agent I have heard of in this area. Some people will have had a good experience and will be willing to recommend whilst others will have had problems and deliver warnings.

Adriatica is right, as often as not it is not the agent that is the problem but the property, so do your own research and don’t part with any money until you are satisfied that you know what you are buying and why it seems such a bargain.

[juliancoll]

Forgive me, but a little background history may be helpful here. Nusco is a typical small town in this area and like many others, was badly damaged by the 1980 earthquake.

The Italian Government eventually got around to compensating people for their homes and the funds allocated had to be used for rebuidling. As the Government had taken so long in organising this, many of the inhabitants of these small hill towns and villages had already abandoned the area - which were already in steep decline anyway due to high unemployment - and they re-established their homes elsewhere.

The compensation eventually resulted in plans being drawn up and foundations laid, but many properties were left in a skeletal or "al grezzo" state (as Esthers house is) because the owners had no intention of returning and more importantly, the final (and largest) phase of funding was only released when properties reached this stage of completion.

No one wanted to live in these areas - no one wanted to buy and owners couldn't sell - so they abandoned the place, took whatever funding and compensation they could obtain and ran.

Saying this, other houses were completed - some to very high standards - owners claimed for the best marble, fittings and finishes - as they were able to prove they had a high end value property before the earthquake and maybe also had private insurance. These houses are good value and well built, but the problem still remains - they are not popular simply because of their location and the surrounding contamination problems, alongside an ever declining population.

Putting aside other problems, they can make fab second/holiday homes, but you have to enjoy living in almost a ghost town for 10 months of the year if you are considering this on a full time basis. The summers are hot, breezy and very pleasant, but the winters will freeze the balls off any brass monkey.

Seriously though, Adriatica has also given many other very valid reasons why this area remains unpopular. Standing on the top of rolling hills and taking in the truly stunning views is all very well - but what if the very land you are standing on is slowly poisoning you? Campania has the highest level of Cancer in Europe!

Vast areas here have been badly contaminated within the past 10 years or so. No one knows exactly what has been dumped there. The toxic waste seeps into the water supply and the food chain. Research carefully, calculate and accept any pros and cons before "you pays your money". I would also look carefully into landslip in the area - especially if your house is on an exposed hillside.

Places like Leoni, Nusco, Frigento, Castel Baronnia, Gesualdo, the three Lombardi towns and Conza are also quite insular and people there can be a little bit suspicious - it can be a bit difficult to be accepted as an "outsider" in some of the smaller places. It's much easier if you have relatives/connections nearby - failing that - bring your own cauldron and take note that the preferred method of transport is a broomstick.

A black cat is optional.

[Nielo]

Originally Posted by barn_elms

I have the highest regard for adriatica's postings and integrity and read Nielo's with interest.

[heard good and bad about almost every agent I have heard of in this area]

If Nielo has (my italics) Then I would say let's advertise those that nothing bad has been heard about and put a health warning on the rest.
Sorry if it appears that I can't join the 'Society for Being Nice to All Estate Agents' just yet but the wounds are still a bit raw!

However, in defence of housearounditaly, what little I had to do with them was not negative and since estherina34's situation is with a sub-agent, Head Office might well be mortified if it is the case that a house on their books is being marketed by them with the catastale designation (and its consequences) not being properly explained to the prospective purchaser.

I am aware that you hold Adriatica in very high esteem, but in my post I was actually agreeing with him.

Quote

[Adriatica is right,]

This forum had problems in the past, where rival agents were posting and in order to avoid one agent bad mouthing another and getting the site into legal trouble we were all asked not to post defamatory statements. This is fair enough, Italy Mag is a business and does not want to be on the wrong side of a legal case. The pm system is there for you to deliver any warnings privately, which absolves the Magazine of publishing a libel.

I honestly believe that if you started a thread and asked people to post only about any agent they had never heard a bad word about, you would have a very short thread.

I do not count myself as a member of the 'Society for Being Nice to All Estate Agents' either. The original post asked about Housearounditaly. I bought my house through them and feel qualified to comment but I did state “I can only speak for myself and my own experience”

Barn-Elms, you have obviously had a rough time may I respectfully suggest you direct your anger at the people who misinformed you and not at me.

[Nielo]

Originally Posted by barn_elms

I think that a pm might have been the appropriate medium for that somewhat intemperate response to my fairly modest post. It seems to be clear case of reading more into what was said than was actually there, which makes it difficult to explain or challenge the interpretation. All I can say that no anger was directed at you and that my wry observation that you had allowed that some agents had not had a bad word said against them was a little tongue-in-cheek.
The Society that I mentioned was an attempt at a bit of humour - apologies if it fell flat...

Your post was public, named me repeatedly and quoted me, with your italics added, therefore I feel that my post challenging you should also be public and has drawn a public apology, which I gratefully accept.

[Musetta]

mmmm...I just scanned these replies...but have you all BEEN to Nusco? Nusco is very charming (I think anyway) - actually, I think it's one of the most charming in the area! It is not a ghost town at all (although, yes - very small). Avellino is not Tuscany. True. VERY true. that's what I love about it actually :-)

"Places like Leoni, Nusco, Frigento, Castel Baronnia, Gesualdo, the three Lombardi towns and Conza are also quite insular and people there can be a little bit suspicious - it can be a bit difficult to be accepted as an "outsider" in some of the smaller places."

SERIOUSLY? I have had the exact opposite experience; I truly find the people of Avellino to be the MOST welcoming, helpful and friendly I have met anywhere in Italy - you will certainly always be an outsider in Italy no matter how long you are there or in what region, but I have found the locals to be really wonderful and we have made many dear friends.

[Nielo]

Originally Posted by barn_elms

Once again you're reading slightly more into what I have said than actually exists. My apology was for the humour or lack of it in the mention of a fictional Society. In fact if I'd known that you held the following view, found in one of your posts, I'm not sure whether I would have been quite so charitable.

Thank you Barn-Elms, I am flattered that you have searched back through over a years worth of posts to find something to quote out of context.

Here is the full post, the content of which I feel is balanced and which I am happy to stand by.




QUOTE=Nielo;63292]Thank you Manopello, your post shows both sides of the divide.

Who is to blame if someone buys a house without even bothering to see it?

Agents have a duty of care but then again so do buyers. If, a few months down the line the buyers discover some (almost inevitable) nasties, they will no doubt blame the agent.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are dodgy agents out here (well everywhere) and I would never stick up for them or their sharp practises, and I know some people come unstuck even after exercising due care and diligence but it is also true that a fool and his money are easily parted.

Some agents give the whole profession a bad name and some buyers give all buyers a bad name.

If these discussions make the buyers more aware, then it should make it more difficult for agents to get away with the sorts of scams described here and everyone will be better off for it.[/quote]

I neither need nor want your charity so I will bow out now and let this thread get back on topic. Good luck Estherina34 and sorry for taking the thread off topic.

[estherina34]

crumbs...have i started world war 3..hehe...come on guys..its me in the mess not you...thank u for your help tho...positive and not so positive..my mum was born in a village next to nusco,so i do know the area quite well,admiteddlly only for holidays..but ive been going all onf my 34 yrs of life!so i dont have a problem with the area..just the house listing..we are working on it...and possibly getting a recommended geometra involved from a relation over there...what a to do tho!!shame it had to be quite so difficult and worrying...even if it is only 31,000 euro's!

[juliancoll]

Originally Posted by Musetta

mmmm...I just scanned these replies...but have you all BEEN to Nusco? Nusco is very charming (I think anyway) - actually, I think it's one of the most charming in the area! It is not a ghost town at all (although, yes - very small). Avellino is not Tuscany. True. VERY true. that's what I love about it actually :-)

"Places like Leoni, Nusco, Frigento, Castel Baronnia, Gesualdo, the three Lombardi towns and Conza are also quite insular and people there can be a little bit suspicious - it can be a bit difficult to be accepted as an "outsider" in some of the smaller places.

SERIOUSLY? I have had the exact opposite experience; I truly find the people of Avellino to be the MOST welcoming, helpful and friendly I have met anywhere in Italy - you will certainly always be an outsider in Italy no matter how long you are there or in what region, but I have found the locals to be really wonderful and we have made many dear friends.

Yes, I have been there - and I am very serious that it can be a bit difficult to be accepted as an "outsider" in some of the smaller places. However, to understand completely what I am saying, I hope everyone will read my entire post as a whole - especially the part where I say -

Originally Posted by juliancoll

It's much easier if you have relatives/connections nearby - failing that - bring your own cauldron and take note that the preferred method of transport is a broomstick.

A black cat is optional.

Esther seems to know the area well enough and may even have relatives there, but my post was not really directed towards her as I am unable to help regarding the house listing. It was just general information that hopefully gave a little historical background into how these things can come about. There are lots of these types of houses in the area - my post explains some of the reasons why they exist.

PS. Things are misunderstood on here all the time, so just in case anyone wants to know if I was serious about the cauldron, broomstick and the black cat - the answer is erm......... yes!

[juliancoll]

Originally Posted by barn_elms

Intelligent, articulate, informative stuff, but is the agent correct in telling Estherina34 that the current C2 designation for a property in this area can easily be changed to A3 or some other habitable status?

Thank you for the compliment Barn Elms, (I assume it was directed my way, but I may be allowing my inflated ego to boost an already high opinion of myself.) However, you are right to question the integrity of the agent telling Esther that the current designation is easily changeable. I have no idea as I have not faced this challenge - all I know is that I would employ the relevant professional to find out how feasible it was, which seems to be exactly what Esther has now decided to do.

I wish her well.

[estherina34]

aww ur like dear friends to me now..if i eva get this place and do it up...fancy a parteeeeeeeeeee!xx whooohooo!