This is definitely one of the most important questions for international buyers … HOW MUCH DOES IT ALL COST?

As with anywhere in the world, there are still costs, commissions, fees and taxes involved when buying a bargain property.

Here’s a simple chart to hopefully make this easier to understand. And this is it. There are no other hidden fees or costs – just these.

An easy rule of thumb when budgeting is 15% on top of the asking price or 20% if you’re using a law firm/lawyer. It could be less than this but it’s better to error on the higher side than to come up short, especially when exchange rates are involved.

As an example, our home in Sardinia cost €40,000 but the total we paid for everything was $52,000 because the dollar started to slip against the euro right when we were about to finalize the purchase.

PURCHASE PRICE

First, there’s the agreed upon sale price, of course. 

Then the deposit of ten to thirty percent.

REALTOR

Whether you use your own realtor or the seller’s, you’ll want to ask them upfront what their commission is going to be because it does vary depending on the agency and the location. 

It’s usually 3 to 5% plus 22% tax.

Some agencies charge a flat minimum fee on lower priced properties which is somewhere between 3 and €5,000 for homes under €100,000. 

This is actually very fair as they are doing the same amount of work on the lower end properties as they do on the higher end ones.

LAWYER

Also, if you choose to use a lawyer, you’ll still need to pay the buyer’s side of the realtor’s commission. 

The law firm’s fees do not replace the realtor’s commission. 

So, before you decide to use a law firm or not, make sure you take this additional expense into consideration. 

The firm should be able to give you a detailed price list for their specific services or a choice of a few different packages.

In 2026, a broad ballpark is between €2,000 – 6,500.

NOTARY

One professional service you HAVE to use in Italy whether you buy through a realtor or directly from an owner is a notary.

Notaries fees are NOT included in the realtor’s commission or lawyer’s fees.

Notaries in Italy charge between 1 to 3% of the property price for the deed service, but they also may have flat rates or minimum fees for cheaper properties. Be sure to ask about this upfront.

GEOMETRA or STRUCTURAL SURVEYOR

If you decide to contract a geometra or structural surveyor, their fees will most likely be due up front or before receiving the report. 

It’s safe to budget around €500 to €800 for each of these.

These are optional and not required by law.

REGISTRATION TAX

The one-time registry tax will be either 2% or 9% depending on how you plan to register it. 

The rate is 2% for a first home or somewhere you’re going to call a permanent residence or 9% for a second home. 

If you’re not eligible for residency in Italy, you have to register it as a second home even if you don’t own any other homes. 

But this rate is based on the cadastral value, not the actual sale price of the home.

For example, we paid €40,000 for our house but the cadastral value was only €23,450 so the 9% registration tax was €2,111.

LAND REGISTRY TAX & MORTGAGE TAX

There’s also a flat €50 land registry and €50 mortgage tax which is payable even if you don’t have any land or a mortgage. 

The notary collects and pays both of these on your behalf.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

To get a power of attorney notarized in your home country will probably be around €50 if needed.

You only need a power of attorney if you’re not going to be present at the closing at the notary’s office.

TRANSLATOR

If you don’t speak Italian, a translator is required by law (and this is a very good protection for international buyers!)

The translator does not need to be a professional or hold any certifications or qualifications – they can be a friend or family member so long as they swear under oath (or something like that) they are fluent in Italian.

If you don’t know anyone, your realtor or lawyer can most likely recommend someone.

Our translator was €800 and that included the translated deed – both written and verbal and representation at the notary’s office for the closing.

OTHER EXPENSES

Other financial factors to consider include wire transfer fees, exchange rate fluctuations, hotels and transportation surrounding the closing dates, and possibly a week or so in a hotel while your utilities get connected.

PAYMENTS & TRANSFERING FUNDS

You don’t need an Italian bank account to buy a house in Italy. In fact, you can’t even open one unless you’re a legal resident.

The most common way to do the financial aspect of the purchase is to simply wire money from your bank account into the recipient’s bank account. 

For now, you cannot use Revolut or Venmo or PayPal or anything like that to pay the realtor and notary. It must be a traditional international wire transfer. I’ve also heard of a lot of people using WISE but I’m not personally familiar with this platform at all.

Somewhat surprisingly, many banks, even in small communities, do wire transfers for their customers – both domestic and international – frequently and will be happy to assist you.

Here are six tips to make this go smoothly and easily:

1. Ask your realtor or the seller upfront how they can/prefer to receive the funds and how much their fees are to receive the money so there is no confusion or misunderstandings.
2. BE SURE the FULL FUNDS are received by the correct parties IN ADVANCE of the scheduled closing date. You WILL NOT be able to complete the sale unless this is all in place.
3. Check in advance how much you can send in each transaction and if there are any cut-off times.
4. Send a bit extra to cover any fees on the recipients’ end for each transaction.
5. DO NOT LEAVE THE PAYMENTS UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. Some realtors/notaries might not even schedule the closing date until the full funds are received to avoid any mishaps or delays.
6. Check how much you can withdraw in Italy daily for the translator. They will most likely want to be paid in cash at the notary’s office on or before the closing day.

FUTURE EXPENSES 

~ Annual Property Tax (IMU)

~ Garbage Tax (TARI)

~ Utilities & Internet

~ Home Insurance

All of this is explained in more detail in the 16 ESSENTIAL VIDEOS for SERIOUS ITALIAN HOME BUYERS.