Edited by Alessandra Conforti
Stefano Calafà, real estate professional who has long been with Great Estate & Chesterton real estate group, tells the story of one of his latest sales.
Stefano, what kind of property is it?
It is a completely renovated apartment in the historic centre of Spoleto, only a short walk from the Market Square. Located on the first floor of a period palazzo, it has a living room, kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, separate utility room and cellar on the ground floor. It was sold for € 230,000.
Had it been for sale a long time?
The apartment had been for sale with an external agency to Great Estate & Chesterton real estate group, we were contacted under the sole agent contract-real estate search of dedicated buyers. The property was on the market for about 1 and half years.
Had the property received many viewings before being purchased?
The apartment received a dozen viewings and a not successful offer, before being sold.
What kind of relationship did you have with the sellers?
The sellers were managed by the local agency involved in the negotiations; it took several meetings with the sellers since the “due diligence”, made by our qualified technicians, revealed some issues. The preliminary agreement provided some assistance to finish and resolve some of these issues which was the seller’s responsibility, and we had overseen the effective implementation of this.
Instead what kind of relationship did you have with the buyers?
The buyers contacted us in the summer of 2013 and since then, entrusted us in full, dedicated to research-the search for the right property, by signing a “sole agent” contract. We selected a number of properties, with the clients having constant feedback, listening to their needs, preferences and disposable income. They then visited these selected properties in the course of their stay here in Italy at the end of October. The relationship with the buyers continues today, as we are assisting them with the set up of the internet, transferring utilities, recommending furniture retailers and reported and supported activities such as, insurance advice.
A 360⁰ support service then! Let’s talk about the negotiation, was it long?
No. Since the decision to purchase, the acceptance of the offer by the seller was in about 2 weeks.
Were the buyers looking for that particular type of property or did they change their minds during the search?
Clients knew they wanted to buy a property in a historic, mid-sized town, though; they were not clear as to what town in particular. Essential for the clients was to be in a centre well served by rail and road. Properties had been viewed in Orvieto, Sarteano and Spoleto, before the choice was made on the latter.
We can therefore say that the sole agent contract simplified things?
Absolutely, because with this service, the buyer is looking with a team of experts and selected interested properties, obviously based on the specific features sought by the client. In this way, the perfect property is found with greater ease and in less time.
