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Regions
Cianciana

The majority of houses in Sicily are owned outright, that is to say that no mortgage usually exists on them. Chains, such as in England do not normally exist either, therefore exchanges of contract can be made within as little as three days of agreement being reached (including land searches). In most circumstances though we are able to arrange for the initial contract to be signed the same day as viewing. Obviously though it can depend on individual circumstances but, completions are rapid and far speedier than in the UK.

Legal Fees Legal fees and property tax are levied as one and are payable together at the the signing of the final contract and by the buyer. It is difficult to give a precise figure as it is dependent on several factors; the property, the situation, the government valuation and first or second property owned. As a guide though, if you do not have residency costs would be around 10% and with residency around 4%. (You may opt to take the lower figure and then have 18 months to apply for and gain residency or pay the difference. We can assist with both.

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Commission Fees
Our fees are payable by the buyer and are charged are as follows: (including translations with owners and solicitors.)

Under £10,000 - 5% of the selling price
£10,000 - 50,000 - 3% of the selling price
£50,000 to £100,000 - 2.5% of the selling price
£100,000 to £1 million - 2% of the selling price
Over £1,000,000 - 1% of the selling price

Ownership
To be able to purchase a property here you will need, initially, a national insurance number. This we can arrange through the solicitor prior to signing and is included in the legal fees.

Later, and to get services connected, and whilst not essential, it is preferable to apply for residency. We can assist you with this.

It should be remembered that the island and region of Sicily, part of Italy, is a full member of the European Union and all inter EEC conditions, benefits and laws apply as they do in the UK.

Health and Medical Treatment
UK residents remaining in the Sicily for less than six months at a time may use as normal, as they do for holidays, their E111 (available from British post offices) to gain free medical treatment. For those wishing to live or stay longer than six months it will be necessary to register with the area health authority to continue to gain free medical treatment. This registration is free and is easily effected.

The health system in Sicily is far, far better than that in the UK with ample and good facilities, free prescriptions for all and waiting lists for most operations at around a week or two or less. Family doctors are on call day and night and each village/town has a 24-hour fully manned casualty department. Paramedic ambulances are based at these emergency centres to provide fast responses in times of need, the average response time being around five minutes. Some towns, like Cianciana, also have a heli-pad and a flying ambulance/doctor service in addition to the above. Most medical staff and doctors speak some English.

Chemists operate a rota system of opening as in the UK, with the added advantage that they will open up out of hours should you have an emergency need. Doctors are also on call at nights and may be telephonedd direct rather than through a call-taking service.

All bars, cafés, buses, trains, offices and public places in Sicily are strictly non-smoking.

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Visas and Entry Regulations
No visas are required to enter Sicily and it is possible to live here without even applying for residency but, taking residency (without in any way affecting your British citizenship) does bring many advantages and is recommended. One immediate advantage for property purchasers is that reduced legal fees apply to those with residency. (You may take of advantage this benefit at the time of purchase and then have up to 18 months to apply for and gain residency and to avoid that financial penalty.) Residency also helps much in the connection of services such as water, telephone and electricity.

You will, however, if you intend to live here for more than 26 weeks per year, need to obtain an EEC visa.

Bank Accounts To open a bank account in Sicily a national insurance number is required. This can be provided by our solicitor at the time of signing your contract to buy a property and comes at no cost. Water Tap water is perfectly safe to drink and is in fact, to a higher standard than that of the UK. Water is metered but cheaper than in the UK with a normal annual bill for an average household of around £35.00 per year – paid in arrears.

Council Rates
Rates are based on the property, paid annually and in arrears and, are far lower than those in the UK. The owner of a modest town house would expect to pay around £100.00 per year and a countryside resident much less.

Buying a Property in Sicily
Buying a home on the Mediterranean island is easy and speedy, far more so than in the UK. As no chains exist here, gazumping is penalised and doesn’t happen. Only one solicitor is used and acts for both parties - property sales are completed sometimes on the same day as viewing or at least within several days, land searches included.

We are normally able to arrange an appointment with the solicitor for the same evening as viewing/decision should you require. (Solicitors work from 6.30pm until 9.00pm.)

There are two ways to complete the purchase in the presence of a solicitor:

The easy steps to buying:

All this is done, most times in one day, and you then own a home in the Mediterranean.

You will quickly see then that it is possible and usual, during even a short viewing trip, to decide upon a home, complete the contracts and to return to the UK the owner of a property abroad. It is advisable to open a bank account whilst you are here, to facilitate the easy transfer of funds from the UK: For this you will need a national insurance number and the solicitor can provide you with this when signing the contract.

Our agent in Sicily is there to help and guide you, not only during the sale but also with bank accounts, residency, dealing with local authorities and connecting services and registering with doctors.

If you would like to add information to this page please email us with the details. If you are an agent selling property in this country and would like to add your properties to this site, please email us or call us on 00 44 1702 603210. If you would like to add a reciprocal link to this page, please go to our links page. If you would like to add your banner/text link here, please email us with the details.