How do you find your dream home in Le Marche, or another Italian province?

I myself used a handy checklist in my search. Based on the points below, I pitted hundreds of houses against each other, which I viewed online.

An image formed in my head of where I would like to live and what the house had to meet.

In the end we only had 1 actual viewings before we bought our house.

Are you also looking for a house? Then this checklist can also help you find your dream home. Good luck and let me know what happened?

Checklist for your dreamhome

Locatie van het huis

Where exactly is the house located? I always look at this first, because it is so decisive for your life here. These are the location questions;

• How far is the house from places you would like to be, for example the sea or the mountains? Not just in kilometres, but especially in travel time. The roads here are narrow, go over ridges and have many bends. This means that 10 kilometers can just take you half an hour.
• Is it in a valley or on a hill? And would you like a sea view? This is very personal. In a valley, the land is flat and you can quickly reach the coast or a city, but the view of the sea is often less good. On the hill you often have a sea view even far inland, but the ground around the house is steeper.
• What’s there to do around the house? This is about how you want to use the house. Do you want complete peace and quiet and immerse yourself in the Italian life of a small, quiet village? Or do you choose a place in the city where there is a vibrant life?
• How far is it from the airport or the highway? If you want to visit your home, will you go by car, train or plane? It is handy to check how quickly and easily you can get to your (holiday) address, also for your family and friends who might want to visit.

Size of the house and land

When you have found the location where you would like to live, then the questions about the size of the house and the land are next. You can ask yourself the following questions;

• How big is the house and garden? Of course it depends on your wishes and budget how many square meters of house and land you are looking for. The only thing that struck me during the search is that the Italian real estate agents describe houses of 180m2 as small! I would say that you can celebrate a beautiful holiday with many friends in these kind of small houses. In the city the houses are often slightly smaller than in the hills.
• Is there extra land to maintain? In Le Marche many houses have farmland. It is useful to check which crops can be grown here. And who will maintain this land? Often you can ask a local farmer to help with this, or you can lease the land. This land can also be useful if you want to set up an agriturismo, because then you are obliged to grow at least one crop. Check the latest guidelines for this with the municipality where the house is located.
• Are there any additional structures, such as sheds? After permission from the municipality, you can often renovate or demolish a barn in order to build a new one elsewhere on the site. This can be interesting if you want to start a b&b, for example.

Condition of the house

Now that you know where you want to live and have determined the size of the house and the land, the questions about the condition of the house are discussed. In Le Marche you will find beautiful houses that are turnkey and where you can move in straight away, but there are also many ruins that are waiting for a new owner. What suits your needs and budget?

• Has the house been recently renovated? A house that has been recently renovated is ready for occupancy. You can expect that all building rules have been met here, but it is good to check this with the broker. The building requirements are strict in Le Marche, because this is an earthquake area. For example, you need extra reinforcement in walls and the roof.
• Is it a ruin? In Le Marche there are thousands of ruins, because houses are simply not demolished. Chances are that you will find a house that has been empty for years, sometimes with furniture in it. If a house is really cheap, you often only get a few walls that are still standing and you have to rebuild the rest yourself. For a slightly larger budget, you can buy a house in better condition. Keep in mind that all demolition and construction plans must first pass the building committee of the town or city. This is a process of several months before you can get started.
• Where will you temporarily live during a renovation? If this becomes your (holiday) home, but you still have to renovate it, where will you stay temporarily? Are you putting a caravan on the site, are you already furnishing part of the house to live in, or are you renting an apartment nearby? And do you have a car, or do you have to rent one? It is good to take these kinds of practical matters into account, because this entails additional costs.