Notary in Scalea

[brynithel3]

can anyone help? What can we expect when we meet the notary in Scalea?
Does he speak any English or will the whole transaction be conducted in Italian?

Ciao

John

Hi I dont know if it is always the same notary being used, but we completed on our apartment last week and it was all in Italian, hope all goes well....regards alyson & George

[brynithel3]

Hi Alyson and George

Thanks for the reply. Lets hope the transaction goes smoothly. My Immobiliare speaks no english.

Ciao

John

Oi Alyson & George!
Did you sneak in and out and not give us a shout 8-)
Lesley & Brian

[Lynn]

Our Notary spoke in the most rapid Italian I have ever heard. It was truly anamazing and I had to pretend I understood it with a few sage nods here and there. I think you will get the same one as there are only 2 in Scalea , I think. It's quick and all you have to do is sign. Buona fortuna. Ci vediamo a Scalea a Pasqua?

John,
Do you understand Italian or are you having an interpreter or power of attorney?
I believe the Notary needs to know that you fully understand what is going on or you need someone to sign on your behalf.
Lesley

Hi all,

It it totally against the law for you to pretend that you understand Italian during a "atto" or notary closing. The easiet way around this is to give power of attorney for someone of trust who speaks Italian to sign on your behalf. Otherwise you will have to pay a lot of money for an official interpreter (there arn't any here!).

Why would anybody be so naive to just enter into such a huge transaction (houses are not sweets) in a language they don't understand based solely on the trust of someone they don't even know. I don't want to scare people but everyone in Scalea is not an angel. I have enough horror stories to write a book and the common theme in them all is the fact that the buyers all:

-Wanted to look clever by doing it on their own
-Trusted a cowboy
-Didn't enlist the help (free help as well) of an English speaking agent in the area

I would go as far to say that these people are more careful in a chothes store than when buying a house!

It is a pity because we often end up dealing with the problems caused by this naive behavour. Such situations include:

-Couple X: Purchased a house with burst water pipes and caused €40,000 worth of damage in the below 2 apartments, also €8,000 cost to re-do 2 bathrooms and change all the pipework in the apartment. The apartment was sold as fully re-furbshed!!!, they liked the look at the seller and didn't question it. A €350 survey would have confirmed this.

-Various people: Bought new builds without damp courses on the ground floor in wet land. Within 6 months all the walls were damp and plaster was dropping off. They had to choose to spend €3000 to sue the builder or €2500 on drainage to solve the problem, what a choice to have to make. Again the agent involved said how great everything was.

-Condo disputes, properties sold with ongoing neighbour disputes, discrepencies in the deeds on parking spaces etc...

-Property sold to an infirm couple who were promised that the lift would be working. The lift has never worked and will probably never work.

-Many more, I could write a book!

Sorry to be a little negative here it is really important that your hard earned money isn't just thrown down the drain.

A good agent should point out the bad things as well as the good, also be careful of anyone who says yes to everything, life just isn't like that!

Please everyone understand that human beings are the same the world over, some are good, some are bad. Just because the sun is shining doesn't change this fact.

Best Regards, David

We were very pleased that we enlisted the help of Scalea properties (David and Tony) who helped us thro' the complete process and made buying our apartment totally stress free.

You need to ask yourself if you would be happy to go to a solicitor in the UK (or States) to buy a property and sign documents written in say Latin ? I don't think you would (the legal jargon is often bad enough !)

Sue

Hi,, The one in Belvedere was very good .He kept stopping and checking to make sure we understood what was being said and Tony from Scalea Properties was acting for us ,and was fantastic at his job ..Be very carfull and dont go in with your eyes closed.Contact Scalea Properties and see can David or Tony act for you,you will not regret it ,,,Cool

Hi Lesley & Bryan, we did a bit, were only over for a couple of days to do notary thing, I think we brought that terrible weather with us,Cools idea of a diary would be good, as when we are in Scalea have no internet access to contact anyone, will be back over March sometime, so would hope to see you then if you are about.......regards Alyson & George

[brynithel3]

Hi all

Well thanks for all the information provided. It was very enlightening.

My Italian is limited and not of sufficient standard to now the intricacies of house purchasing. We do have friends in Naples, who have offered to come with us but I don't like to ask them to travel three hours south and take time off work. But after the warning from David, I think I will ring them this evening and arrange for them us to meet in Scalea.

I will also contact the estate agent to confirm date with the Notary and to confirm that the final payment should not be made until the site is complete. We are confident that the apartment is completed but are unsure as to the progress on the pool and landscaping. Can anyone shed any light on the progress at Parco Meridiana complex in Petrosa?

Ciao
John

Hi John, have just seen your reply, didn't realise you meant no translator present, but see that David and others have kept you informed, we have also bought at Parco Meridiana and all seems to be well, progress being made on site re pool and landscaping, but make sure you feel happy to proceed, what block is your apartment in?Let us know how you get on....regards George & Alyson

Originally Posted by Alyson

Hi Lesley & Bryan, we did a bit, were only over for a couple of days to do notary thing

In that case I'll forgive you :wink:
Hope to catch you in March, looks like it is going to be a busy month 8-)
TTFN Lesley

[Lynn]

David, well consider my knuckles slapped. All deals
whether buying clothes or property can only be concluded successfully when there is trust. It is the basis of all social and economic interaction. Of course naivity causes problems but if you have a gut feeling that someone is trustworthy then you go with them. I understand Italian though I do not speak it at all well. It was the rapidity of the delivery that was the problem! We had a very good agent holding our hands too. Buying property anywhere in the world is problematic, having bought and sold many homes and businesses over the years I know what a minefield it is.

The main thing here is that John successfully concludes his deal and can come to Scalea and kick off his shoes and relax.

Hope to see you in Scalea very soon.

Lynn

[Lynn]

Oops injudicious use ofthe cursor there.Not very good with computers. But you get my point!!