Selling your Property
Firstly, it is important to point out that La Porta Verde is not an estate agency (agenzia immobiliare). We are an Italian s.r.l. (limited company) licenced and registered* with the Perugia Chamber of Commerce as a marketing and consultancy company for estate agents in Umbria, numbering over one hundred at present.
In Italy estate agents charge statutory commission of 3% to the seller and 3% to the buyer, although we know some agents that charge 4%, 5% and even 6%! When they work with us they agree to share their normal commission with us - we receive the buyer's 3% and they have the seller's 3%, so it costs neither the buyer or seller any more than dealing directly with an agent. We are not working in competition with the agents, preferring to help them sell to a wider market. They can, of course, sell their properties to their own clients independently of us. We have a wider choice of properties for you to choose from, and we never operate an exclusive contract.
For clients who approach us directly to sell their property we must involve an estate agent in the sale so we have formed a partnership with
Casambiente s.r.l. , a highly reputable company with whom we have a long-standing relationship. According to Italian law it is now necessary to state on the final contract the name of the estate agent, how much they are charging in commission, and even the cheque number! So, as a vendor, you will receive an invoice from Casambiente for 2% commission, which is stated on the contract, and an invoice for 1% commission from La Porta Verde for marketing and consultancy services and is due at the time the buyer completes the deposit stage (the
compromesso). For properties where the agreed selling price is below 100,000 euros the minimum charge is 1,000 euros to La Porta Verde payable at the compromesso stage, and 2,000 euros to Casambiente payable at the final contract.
We never ask for an exclusive contract, believing that the important thing is that you sell your property and putting it with two or three agents will improve your chances.
Before a property can be sold it must be registered on the land registry (catasto). We would also need to see some photographs of the property before actually coming to see it so that we can assess its suitability for our clients. Then we would arrange an appointment to view the property, at which point we take all the photographs and gather information. We would need copies of the ownership contract (l'atto or il rogito), the land registry document (visura catastale), certificates and permissions for any work done, and any plans of the house (planimetrie) and land (mappa catastale) that you may have available. If there is a mortgage we would need a copy of the letter showing it has been paid off and cancelled before the final contract is signed. We would also require you to sign a form, which is a simple contract giving us authority to advertise the property for you.
Clients coming from other countries are often on a tight schedule and may need to visit at weekends. Please ensure that you are available as much of the time as possible or there is a trusted key holder nearby. If you happy to do so you can let us have a key to show clients around.
First impressions are very important so the property should be clean and tidy with grass cut and pools vacuumed. Warm the house up a little if it's cold. Ensure the house has a pleasant smell. A few fresh flowers will help, but fresh coffee and home-made bread is a little obvious these days. All rubbish should be removed and anything that may distract a buyer should be dealt with. Even a derelict house will benefit from a tidy up, even if the rubbish is put in bin bags and piled in a corner. If it is derelict then make sure that it is safe with dangerous parts cordoned off and loose roof tiles removed.
Make sure the front door is in good condition and repaint it if necessary. A broken lock or jammed door can upset a client even before they go inside. If you have a guard dog then make sure it is under control or removed during the visit. Being leapt on by a snarling Rottweiler does nothing for a house sale, not to mention a pair of tights or white trousers!
Other distractions may not seem so obvious. A can of Italian beans on a kitchen worksurface will attract a client's attention, whereas in England for example a tin of Heinz beans wouldn't get a second glance. This may seem pedantic but you must allow a client to give their full attention to the house or they may miss something important.
If the house is left empty for some time then the sink and shower waste traps can dry out in the heat creating a nasty smell from the drains, so run the taps a short while beforehand and ensure all toilet seats and covers are down. Go round and open up all the shutters to get as much light as possible into the house. Switch on any table lamps to improve the atmosphere. Give it a quick dust over and make sure everything is tidy. Something like a wasp nest in a window can be a severe distraction. Put personal effects like toothbrushes and used soap away in a cupboard to make it feel as though it already could be their house, not somebody else's.
We like to take our own photographs during the visit and publish as many as thirty or forty on the web page for the property. We feel that people coming from distant countries need to have a clear impression of the house before booking flights, accommodation and time off work. We don't want them to be disappointed. Check out a few properties on our website to see the range of photographs we take, then go round the house looking at it from a photographer's point of view.
With all due respect, please leave the selling to us! It is nice to be introduced but so often a client is then bombarded by information from sellers. All it does is indicate that you are desperate to sell and the offer, if there is one, is lower than it would have been otherwise. Stay in the wings and if a client has any questions we can then direct the question to you if we don't already know the answer.
La Porta Verde has clients all over the world, America, Australia and even Russia, and our website currently receives over 3,000 page views^ per day with an average visitor stay of over 5 minutes^, so it gets plenty of exposure. We advertise in several appropriate magazines and attend property exhibitions. Please don't be too disappointed if your house doesn't sell to the first visitor. Rest assured, if your property is suitable for a particular client we will certainly point it out to them.
* Perugia Chamber of Commerce No. 238569
^ These figures are not automatically updated. They are an average over a given period within the last two years and are provided by a website tracking company.