“I recently purchased an apartment in a small town in Tuscany. I knew the town I was interested in and had also found an apartment that had captured me. Family members referred me to a realtor, and I did make an offer on the apartment, and it was accepted. I had also contacted a notary. While it may seem as though I was far along in this process, I was also becoming aware that I was becoming increasingly overwhelmed. Though I had family and friends in Italy and spoke some Italian, as an American, I was a foreigner when it came to navigating the purchase of a property in Italy. This led me to look online for help, and I quickly discovered Barbara Bersini with “Your House in Italy.” I scheduled an appointment with her online, and we met. I was aware that she usually offers a full package and assists with finding a place and exploring towns, but that part was done when we met. We reviewed how she could be helpful to me, beginning with consult and support and much more.
From my first meeting with Barbara, I felt so relieved. I found her confident, knowledgeable, warm and welcoming and comforting as we navigated the process of the purchase of a property in Italy. She is also fluent in English. Suddenly, I had someone in my life who was really guiding me through the process, step-by- step. That was enormously helpful, and lessened my anxiety greatly.
There were numerous things that Barbara helped with as well. I needed help with setting up utilities, reviewing the contracts and settting up gas, water, and electricity. She assisted with my homeowner’s insurance. She drove to the Comune four hours from her home, to assist with
setting up payment for the IMU and TARI (garbage collection). Looking back, I do not know how I would have gotten through all of this without her help. I do speak some Italian, but the
contracts and getting on the phone with people re clarifications about the contracts would have been beyond my linguistic abilities. Wifi was very important to me, and after reviewing my options together, Barbara assisted me with choosing a plan and got all of that in place
and it worked well. Throughout this process, on my behalf, Barbara also assisted in communicating with others involved in the process including the realtor, surveyor and seller. She also sat in on the deed signing.
I feel very fortunate to have discovered her and benefitted from her kindness and her expertise. During this process, she was available and supportive, often assuring me that it would all get done, and “calmly.” I am very grateful for Barbara’s expertise and support throughout this process. If I were to do this again, I would involve her much sooner. I am deeply grateful.”