In recent weeks, almost the entire planet is struggling with an unknown and absolutely unpredictable situation, if not perhaps in the imagination of George Orwell: our lives have been turned upside down and social and work routines have experienced a strong change.

The mobility of people in many countries is practically zeroed and we are asked to STAY HOME.

The HOUSE is in fact, together with the family, the only fundamental point of this period: it has become even more the center of our life, of our affections and now also of our work.

At Via dei Colli we are operating in Smart-Working mode and we have activated every online resource to communicate with our customers, concentrating all our skills and our “anti-crisis” thinking in the search for non-standard work approach methods in these particular conditions.

It may seem strange at first glance, but the facts tell us that the interest in buying a prestigious second home in Italy has even increased in recent weeks.

Our partner Great Estate’s online site is witnessing a significant increase in users and pages visited; we receive every day from our Italian and foreign customers signs of strong interest in farmhouses, villas and country estates.

Below is the comparison between the second decade of April 2020 and the same period of 2019, with reference to the section of the website relating to farmhouses and country estates; it’s very easy to notice the significant increase in interest, with sessions more than doubled (+ 140%).

In the same time period, views have increased for all the geographical areas of origin of customers: in the case of German customers, they even quadrupled!

Anyway, it is understandable that those who are not lucky enough to live in uncontaminated green areas, surrounded by nature and characterized by large spaces, might experience the situation of forced confinement with an increased sense of claustrophobia; hence the desire to have a welcoming “buen retiro” where one can take refuge when needed, enjoying good food, fresh fruit and vegetables and in general a dimension much more serene, peaceful, secure and oriented towards physical and mental well-being. In short, in such a period you are looking for a place where you really feel at HOME and you don’t have to live at home in distress.

If we add to this that the main world stock indices have collapsed by 30% – 40% in less than a month, the solidity and safety of a home is certainly strengthened also from an investment point of view.

 

The real estate sector is likely to suffer in terms of the home sales in the coming months; the lockdown is blocking physical visits to properties and transactions will only go down. It is probable that this may also reflect on prices, which, however, are already fairly close to the long-term “floor” in our areas, which is the average construction cost; we certainly do not foresee the downfall and extreme volatility that are characterizing the financial markets.

The Italian real estate market (especially the luxury segment) tends to have a low price volatility; it is an excellent strategy of diversification and risk containment, in a period of such extreme upheavals.

The current price level is definitely competitive, very far from the time when there was a speculative bubble: investing in a property in the areas most sought after by national and international tourists can also be considered as a  “safe haven”.  Italy is in itself a “brand” country, with the highest number of Unesco sites among any other state, an extraordinary food and wine heritage and a great welcoming spirit, joie de vivre and human warmth that distinguishes its people, very evident and appreciated even during these painful moments related to the Coronavirus crisis.

Moreover, interest rates on mortgages and loans are at the lowest levels ever, with 20-year IRS rates in negative territory; investing in properties with a mortgage is extremely convenient at the moment and our financial partners are able to provide financing also to non-resident clients, typically up to 50% of the property value.

In these times, when any activity linked to physical visits to the properties is not possible, we are fully committed to updating the customers’ database, to process and deepen their requests and to select and analyse new real estate proposals that can adapt to what individual buyers are looking for.

We organize meetings on Zoom, Skype and Virtual tours with clients, sharing the PC screen so we can show videos of the properties, provide additional information that is not on the site, indicate the position on the map, give information about the region, services available and so on.

It is currently unthinkable to buy a property online without an on-site inspection, but these virtual meetings certainly provide very valuable information for you and for us: on the one hand, customers can have a much clearer idea of ​​the properties, with all their strengths and weaknesses. On ours side, observing your reactions and better understanding your tastes are elements of fundamental importance for recognizing what is most suitable for you.

The more we know you and interact with you, the more the effectiveness of the search increases: for dedicated search assignments, where we act as your exclusive advisors for the purchase of real estate in Italy, in 80% of cases the client finds the property he/she wanted .

We all have, both you and us, more time available now; we intend to make the best use of it, in order to give you the service of excellence that has distinguished us over all these years.

Contact us now to speak with one of our consultants, specifying how you prefer to be reached.

We are ready to organize your visit plan as soon as possible!

 

#everythingwillbeokay