Tips to sell your property in Tuscany
You’ve decided to sell your property. Your first instinct? Call a real estate agency to get the listing live. WRONG! The absolute first step is to pick up the phone, call your trusted technician, and schedule an appointment for a Due Diligence report.
WHAT IS REAL ESTATE DUE DILIGENCE?
Due diligence is a technical, legal, and cadastral investigation aimed at validating the compliance and marketability of a property. The analysis typically rests on these three pillars:
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Technical: Verifies the physical state of the premises and compliance with building and urban planning regulations.
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Legal: Confirms ownership and ensures there are no encumbrances (such as foreclosures or mortgages).
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Cadastral: Checks that the floor plan on file matches the actual layout of the property.
THINGS YOU MUST KNOW…
NO: The fact that the Cadastral (Land Registry) floor plan matches your home does not prove legal compliance.
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The Catasto is a fiscal archive: Its purpose is purely for tax calculation.
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The plans filed with the Municipality—the building permits (Licenza, Concessione, Permesso di Costruire or CILA/SCIA)—are the only documents that truly matter for a sale.
NO: Carrying out technical checks only after finding a buyer is one of the gravest mistakes you can make. HERE IS WHY:
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The TIME Factor: Building and cadastral amnesties (sanatorie) are long processes. They often take months between surveys, filing paperwork, and response times from municipal offices.
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The “Fatigue” Effect: A motivated buyer has emotional and practical urgency. If they discover the closing is delayed by months due to an undeclared discrepancy, their enthusiasm vanishes—and in most cases, they walk away.
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Price Discounts: If problems emerge during negotiations, the buyer will use the need for a “sanatoria” as leverage to demand a heavy discount or, worse, to cancel the offer.
DON’T FORGET!
PROFESSIONAL PRICE VALUATION: This is vital to prevent emotional attachment from setting an above-market price, which unnecessarily extends wait times and leaves the property sitting on the market for years.
APE (Energy Performance Certificate): Required by law. Without the APE, you cannot even begin promoting your property (it lasts for 10 years—it doesn’t expire like yogurt!).
