After a few years of false starts due to covid and aging and/or ill family members, we were finally free to begin our move to Italy in the fall of 2022. Unable to obtain dual citizenship because my grandfather naturalized before my father's birth, we are pursuing the elective residency visa route. We should have no problems on that front. However, the one big obstacle many face is trying to obtain a 1+ year lease without returning to Italy, sometimes multiple times to view apartments. We were prepared to do that but thought we would try to find a suitable apartment from afar. We want to live in Liguria, specifically near the coast. Easier said than done, we soon found out. So many of the apartments along the coast are rented out short term for the summer, or if available for long-term rental, they are unfurnished. Also, as many here have discovered, Italian real estate agents are notorious for not replying to inquiries, particularly when they know the query comes from outside Italy. No doubt they hear from a lot of tire kickers or dreamers.
As one not to give up so quickly, I soon changed tactics. After viewing a property we were interested in and making sure that the ad stated it was for the long term, not summer season or touristic or transitorio, I went to the realtor's website. Clicked on Contact Us, then wrote them a detailed letter about myself, where we want to be located, the type of apartment - 2 bedroom/2 bath, autonomous heating, etc. and the link to the specific property they had listed on one of the popular sites, like immobliare.it. I then sent the email with both the English text and translated Italian. The response rate increased substantially, and today, we agreed to a rental in Rapallo with everything we wanted and 100€ below our budget. The realtor was very responsive and answered all our questions or called the owner to get the answer. She also made a walk-through video, increasing our confidence that we made the right decision. After nine months with three months' notice, we can cancel the lease. So moral of the story is that for those searching for a rental, be proactive and let the realtors know you are serious and qualified to rent. This tactic does not work on all of them, but it definitely increased communication for us and, ultimately, success!
As one not to give up so quickly, I soon changed tactics. After viewing a property we were interested in and making sure that the ad stated it was for the long term, not summer season or touristic or transitorio, I went to the realtor's website. Clicked on Contact Us, then wrote them a detailed letter about myself, where we want to be located, the type of apartment - 2 bedroom/2 bath, autonomous heating, etc. and the link to the specific property they had listed on one of the popular sites, like immobliare.it. I then sent the email with both the English text and translated Italian. The response rate increased substantially, and today, we agreed to a rental in Rapallo with everything we wanted and 100€ below our budget. The realtor was very responsive and answered all our questions or called the owner to get the answer. She also made a walk-through video, increasing our confidence that we made the right decision. After nine months with three months' notice, we can cancel the lease. So moral of the story is that for those searching for a rental, be proactive and let the realtors know you are serious and qualified to rent. This tactic does not work on all of them, but it definitely increased communication for us and, ultimately, success!
