Reviews

I was afraid of underselling the penthouse where I had lived for twenty years. Alessandra Ferrante brought me a valuation based on real comparables and an asking price we went through line by line. Before the viewings they corrected a land-registry discrepancy nobody had ever noticed. The negotiation was firm and courteous, and at the notary there was not a single surprise.

We were relocating for my husband's job and had a tight window to find a home. Valentina found us a terrace apartment in the historic center and walked us through every step of the Italian process, from the offer to the deed, including a call with the notary in English. The terrace faces west, and the evening light is exactly as she described it.

We had been searching around the lake for three years and had grown wary of everyone. Francesca was candid from the first viewing: she told us which villa needed a new roof and which jetty would need a permit that takes time. The timings she gave us proved honest, and the landscape paperwork was ready before we sat down with the notary.

I wanted a home for the whole year, not just for the Christmas weeks. Anna had me see the chalets both in summer and out of season, because she said a mountain town is understood in the months in between. She explained running costs and shared areas more clearly than anyone else had. I now go up every month.

We wanted a real farmhouse, not an imitation. Leonardo showed us only three houses in two months, but they were the right ones, and before any offer he had the wiring, the well and the land classification checked. We spent less time and fewer nerves than we feared. The negotiation with the heirs, long and delicate, was handled with great tact.

It was our parents' house, and we siblings live in three different cities, so I feared endless arguments. Alberto kept everyone informed with a single weekly update and presented only serious offers. The final price was close to what we had imagined, and the inheritance paperwork was settled with the notary without delays.

As a German I expected the bureaucracy to be the difficult part, and I had prepared for it. What I did not expect was that the Taormina office would arrive with every document already translated and a list of what the seller still had to regularise. We signed without unpleasant surprises, and the renovation was coordinated by the same office.

I buy slowly and I read everything. For my two purchases, one in Milan and one in Como, each office handed me the complete file on the building, including the minutes of the last owners' meetings, which is far from guaranteed. The first valuation arrived later than I would have liked, but the figures were cautious and nobody tried to hurry me.

We had fallen for a ground-floor apartment with a courtyard. Marta gently talked us out of it and showed us the marks the water had left on the walls. We bought on the first floor instead, and the technical survey she arranged spared us two unpleasant discoveries. She also introduced a restorer, who gave us a realistic calendar for the works.

I was relocating for work and needed a home ready to move into. Irene understood at once what I wanted: quiet, a proper desk, and an office within walking distance. The lease was explained clause by clause. My only remark is that the inventory arrived a few days late, though it was complete before I received the keys.

We rented a villa for two weeks in August with two other families. The house was as described, the welcome was well organised and the Porto Cervo team arranged a boat for us at short notice. The only hitch was a router that needed resetting on the first evening, sorted by the next morning. Everything else was handled with great discretion.

I am an engineer and I wanted numbers before opinions. Chiara gave me the history of the leases, the maintenance record and an honest list of the building's weak points. The purchase took longer than planned because of a pending condominium decision, but she told me as soon as she knew. I appreciated the plain language.

My son studies in Naples and we wanted an apartment in Posillipo that could also become a holiday home. Salvatore discovered that the registered floor plan did not match the actual layout. He flagged it before the offer, we renegotiated the price and the seller regularised everything. I would never have noticed it on my own.

The apartment was on the fourth floor with no lift, and Pietro told me straight away it would not be quick to sell. After two months without a serious offer he advised me to adjust the price, explaining why with comparables in hand. A fair offer followed. I would have liked it to be faster, but I appreciate that he never raised my hopes.