Mr C.DF, USA (Villa in Catania in 2017)
For me, the reason I chose Sicily was based on an idea of where I wanted to retire. I am an American born descendant of Italy and wanted to go back to my roots. As for location within Sicily, I had no specific location in mind, other than on a beach.
After doing some online research and attempting to contact some real estate agents, I found most of them to be unresponsive. That may be an Italian trait. The Dolce Vita was the first company to respond to me. In my opinion, one of the attributes to look for in a property agent would be someone motivated. Someone who will put in the effort. Answering an email might not be proof of that, but it certainly is an indication.
I purchased a Villa in Catania with the help of the The Dolce Vita. Looking back at the journey to this point, I realized that I was very lucky. My pre-conceived ideas of what to expect were all wrong. Without the expertise of The Dolce Vita, I would never have gotten to that point.
I remember the first phone conversation I had with The Dolce Vita when they explained why they would be charging me a fee for assisting. I was a bit sceptical at first, but I had no idea how necessary this assistance would be. I’m so glad that I decided to use their services. I now know that it would have been impossible without them.
Even after the purchase was complete, Tony from The Dolce Vita was still a resource to call upon for assistance with setting up services. His willingness to answer the phone. His willingness to make phone calls for me. He even provided access to his own business associates for advice and services. These benefits are invaluable. It’s the reason why I have recommended The Dolce Vita to friends and family. They are the reason I will continue to do so. And the reason why I have engaged The Dolce Vita to assist with a second purchase.
Thank you for assisting me with my dream.
Miss A.W, UK (Townhouse in Modica in 2018)
Having spent a few months working in Sicily and fallen in love with the place, without any idea of the property buying process I set out to call this beautiful island Home.
I arranged a last minute trip to my Sicilian town of choice, Modica on the South east Coast after contacting The Dolce Vita to view a selection of places. There I was greeted by my property angel Tony, who I could not have made this journey without thanks to his relentless vigilance, patience and care.
The entire buying process was conducted so smoothly and efficiently from start to finish, it hardly registered that I had bought the house at all.
I have finally made it to Sicily to begin renovations and am still in frequent contact with Tony and The Dolce Vita as the help and communication is still flowing more than one year later – and I cannot say thank you enough.
Mr M.R, UK (Villa in Mazara del Vallo in 2018)
My journey to Sicily began in 2016 inspired by Inspector Montalbano, courtesy of the British TV Channel BBC4 and ended in 2018 in Mazara del Vallo, on the West Coast of Sicily. Along the way, many places were considered along with the question of whether to live in an apartment or go for more space that a house/villa could offer, while fitting my limited budget.
Ideally, I wanted to live close to the sea as this was the environment of my childhood and seemed a natural place for my retirement. I was suggested Mazara del Vallo by The Dolce Vita, which from my first visit felt good for its size, friendly and within an hour of International airports at Trapani and Palermo. Here, a compact villa for my budget was more realistic and with the help of The Dolce Vita, a short list was soon drawn up.
Once I identified the house I liked in Mazara, I eventually bought it at a bargain price, so the strong relationship which was established between the local selling agent and the bilingual The Dolce Vita team was very important. There were certainly additional savings made with The Dolce Vita’s expert support. Having regular contact with The Dolce Vita to explain the many and sometimes detailed requirements involved in the buying process gave me a lot of confidence, in what was essentially, a life changing decision.
I will take away from my experience that there are many differences between the UK and the Italian property buying processes, particularly around bureaucracy. From this, I would recommend to anyone thinking of a similar move to do their research in a very diligent manner and especially for non-Italian speakers, The Dolce Vita’s support would be invaluable in helping to achieve a successful outcome.
Mr I. and Mrs V, USA (Beachfront Apartment in Cefalu in 2018)
Living in New York City, we wanted a project that would give us an inspiration to work with. We were looking for something that requires creativity and will make life interesting and entertaining. For many years, we travelled the world. We particularly like Italy, because this is the country with the most beautiful colours of nature, preserved historical places and warm and peaceful people. Sicily has all of these features. It is an island where the climate is mild and the winters are warm.
We are very thankful for the help and support we received from The Dolce Vita. It was very convenient that we found English speaking professionals that helped us to understand the market and walked us smoothly through the complicated process of searching and choosing the property. The professionals from The Dolce Vita assisted us to find the right approach for buying the property and complete all the necessary legal paperwork.
It was a pleasure to work with very educated, intelligent and considerate professionals at The Dolce Vita, who never tired to answer our multiple questions. No doubt, we will recommend The Dolce Vita to our friends. As soon as we finish our renovation project in our new apartment and present it to our friends, we have no doubt that The Dolce Vita will have new customers from New York.
As International Buyers, we highly recommend that when you start your property search, the first and major help is the support of a Real Estate professional who speaks your language and where you do not feel any borders in understanding the process. This is where The Dolce Vita went above and beyond to earn their fees.