Laura found me the way a lot of the best stories start: almost by accident.
She had set off on a solo trip across the Lombardy lakes, viewing properties on her own, working through a list of agencies. She was convinced she had an appointment with a well-known international agency on Lake Maggiore. No one showed up — it turned out the appointment had never actually been confirmed on their end. I was, as far as I can tell, the only agent who answered.
From First Meeting to a Very Specific Set of Dates
What followed was a series of calls, narrowing down what she was actually looking for, region by region, house by house. Then one day she wrote: we’re coming to Italy to see houses between the 3rd and the 6th of January.
I told her not to.
Saturday, Sunday, a bank-holiday Monday, and then Epiphany on the Tuesday — nothing would be open, no viewing would happen. So instead: the 29th and 30th of December.
Two days, three lakes — Maggiore, Como, and Iseo — in a December cold enough that I spent both days in heavy boots and double socks. Laura’s daughter did the entire tour in Birkenstocks.
The House I Had Told Them Not to Buy
Somewhere in that whirlwind tour was a property I had specifically advised them against — the renovation it needed was too extensive, too open-ended, not what we’d discussed as realistic for their budget and timeline.
Then they saw the windows. And the view.
It won them over. If I’m honest, it won me over too. We are, right now, working through that very renovation with Giorgio and his team at Bonkasa.
An Offer, a Due Diligence, and a Notary Who Cost 5,000 Euros Too Much
We made an offer. It was accepted. Marco and I ran the technical due diligence — and, unusually for this kind of older property, everything came back clean.
The agency handling the sale, Arca Immobiliare — run by a FIAIP colleague — recommended their trusted notary for the transaction. I requested a quote. It came back significantly higher than expected. I compared it against my own notary’s fee: a difference of roughly 5,000 euros for essentially the same work. After some negotiation, the price came down to something reasonable, and we moved forward with the deed.
Four Days Before the Deed, a Phone Call I Wasn’t Expecting
Four days out, the notary called. We needed to postpone by a month.
The property had passed to the seller through her late husband’s inheritance, entirely to her, and the children hadn’t formally waived their claim to their reserved share. One of those children had a legal guardian, which meant the waiver required a judge’s signature before anything could proceed. There was nothing to do but wait for the court. One month later, we were back at the notary’s desk, and this time nothing stood in the way.
Choosing Tile, Not Just Signing Papers
In July 2026, Laura and her family were back in Italy — this time not to view houses, but to choose materials for the renovation in person.
The last open question has been how to finance it. We looked at options with my mortgage broker here, but in the end, financing through the US turned out to come with fewer restrictions and better terms than anything available locally — proof that sometimes the most Italian part of an Italian renovation is figuring out it doesn’t have to be financed in Italy.
Still Very Much In Progress
Laura’s story isn’t finished — the renovation is ongoing, the house is still becoming what she saw in it that cold December afternoon. But it’s already, in its own way, proof of something I tell every client who’s tempted to rush: the right house sometimes looks exactly like the one you were told to walk away from.
“I’ve worked with Barbara over the course of the last year to search for, purchase, and now renovate a home in Italy. While I consider myself fairly savvy, I would never have been able to navigate these processes while working full time from the US and not speaking Italian. Barbara acted as my advocate during every step of the way – negotiating the purchase prices, conditions, preferred vendors, and coordinating between more than a dozen agents and vendors involved. She is endlessly patient, seeking to understand what we want/need (and flexing when that changes), translating that to everyone else on our behalf, and explaining what options we have.
Barbara has a deep understanding and experience with the purchase and renovation processes in Italy, and all of the nuances that go with it. There were multiple times during our purchase that Barbara let me know – after the fact – that she had negotiated a significantly lower rate for one thing or another. The amount of time she saved me is immeasurable. Purchasing a home in Italy was easier than buying my home in the States – and I attribute that all to Barbara streamlining the process, organizing all the things that need to be signed or paid, and staying on top of it for me.
I would not hesitate to recommend Barbara to anyone considering a property in Italy.”
Thinking about buying property in Italy?
Whether you already have a house in mind — even one that scares you a little — or you’re just beginning to explore the Italian lakes,
you deserve:
Technical protection
Clear communication
Coordinated local support
Emotional steadiness
Because buying a home in Italy is not just a legal act.
It is a life decision.
✨ If you are considering purchasing property in Italy, let’s talk.
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