The fee map
Buying in Italy costs 7–10% on top. Here is where it goes.
Nobody in this market publishes the whole fee picture, because almost everybody in it is paid out of one of the fees. We are not, so we can.
Estate agency — buyer's side
3–5% of the price + 22% VAT
Yes, the BUYER pays an agency fee in Italy. Both sides do. This surprises almost everyone from the UK or US.
Estate agency — seller's side
3–5% + VAT
Paid by the seller, priced into what you pay.
Notary (notaio)
€1,500–3,000
A public official, not your advocate. Required by law to complete any sale.
Purchase taxes
2–9% of cadastral value
2% if you take residency within 18 months; 9% as a second home. The single biggest lever in the whole sum.
Geometra / survey
€1,000–2,500
Optional in law, essential in practice — cadastral errors are routine and become YOUR problem at the deed.
Sworn translation & interpreter
€800–2,000
Required at the notary if you don't speak Italian.
€1-scheme deposit
€1,000–5,000
Scheme purchases only. Refundable — if you finish the renovation on the comune's schedule.
Typical ranges for small-town purchases, stated for planning. Exact figures depend on the property, the province and your residency — which is what the calculator and our reports are for. The whole sequence — offer, notary, quotes, bank — is written down in the Buyer's Kit for £49.
The part nobody says out loud
“Free” buyer's agents are paid by the sale.
Several services find property for foreigners “at no cost to you”. They are paid a share of the selling agent's commission — which means they earn nothing if they tell you to walk away, and more if you pay more. That is not advice; it is sales with better manners.
Borgonova takes no commission from anyone — not agents, not builders, not sellers. When we are paid, it is by you, in plain figures published on the site. It is the only arrangement where “don't buy this one” is advice we can afford to give.