Well, it’s more an abandoned goat shelter but still!
In August 2024, I finally decided it’s time for change. Time for a new beginning, time for a new project, and time for a new challenge. While I wouldn’t say it was a rushed decision, we did decide quickly which direction we’d wanted to head towards, which was a house to renovate, surrounded by nature, in Northern Italy. I wanted to be close to water, he wanted to be close to the mountains, and anyone who’s been to Lake Como knows it combines both. The perfect place to be.
The only problem? Well, Lake Como is not exactly known for its cheap prices 😅 And in the beginning, we thought we wouldn’t even be able to look at any properties in the region. However, we were so wrong! So after doing a little bit of research online, we decided to spend our summer holidays in that area, looking at different properties, and actively looking at what a life at Lake Como would look and feel like. Instead of doing tourist-y things, we went to local restaurants, sat by the lake, experienced different supermarkets, drove to nearby activity spots, and met different people.
If you’re ever looking to buy a property somewhere, I highly recommend driving around the full area, staying at different spots, and experiencing everything to see which area you like best! This truly was a game changer for us, as some properties we had saved were in areas we ended up not liking at all.
Long story short, in September, we spent our summer holidays at Lake Como, exploring the region and looking at different properties and agencies to work with. Never did we expect that the first house we’d visit would be our dream house, the house we’d end up buying!
But let’s go back to the beginning … we drove to the north of the lake, a place we stayed at 8 years ago, which was definitely the foundation for moving to that region. We fell in love with that area back then: the mountains, the lake(s), the closeness to big cities such as Milano, Como, Lugano, and more, as well as being close to our hometown in Southern Germany, and the dolce vita that is so typical for Italy. When ticking the boxes of what we wanted, it was clear that Lake Como ticked off basically any of them. Anyone who’s ever thought of relocating will know how difficult ticking the boxes can be, so agreeing on an area was a big milestone.
However, when staying up north, we figured it was not the place we saw ourselves living at. It’s a beautiful region, super close to high mountains and to proper ski areas (which is important to us), however, it somehow felt too much like the countryside. The villages are a little different to areas in the south, also the architecture. We felt it didn’t exactly give us the feeling we had hoped for, so even though we looked at some incredible houses and properties, we didn’t want to move forward with them in that region. Additionally, we had a few rough evenings with millions of mosquitos (lol), and mosquitos were one of those things that we had on our list as a deal breaker (if you’ve ever had a night with mosquitos, you know what I’m talking about here).
In the second half of our stay, we had picked out a couple of different properties we wanted to look at, however, our guide of the area told us he wanted to show us something else first – another house that was on my list, but to be honest, it was at the end of it. I wasn’t sure what to think of viewing this property first but went with it anyways. And boyyyy am I glad we did!!!
As soon as we were on the road which leads to the house, and as soon as we saw the view, we were sold. I remember that we looked at each other and immediately knew: that’s it. However, it does feel a little weird wanting to buy the first house we properly viewed. And to be honest, calling it a house is a little overrated. The house we looked at was actually an abandoned goat shelter. Dirty, worn down, in an unlivable condition. But sooo much potential!
What followed was a deep dive into learning all aspects of buying a house in Italy. While I’ve experienced purchasing processes in different European countries through clients and family members, I have never actually gone through it myself. So this step was definitely paired with a lot of knowledge and personal growth. Besides that, though, I have to admit it has also been a rollercoaster of emotions. Particularly, when you want the house but haven’t bought it yet. The fear of not having your offer accepted, the fear of someone else being quicker with the offer (especially as we knew two other people had put offers out too), the fear of the sellers not showing up at the notary’s, or something happening to them which would make the purchase difficult, or even just that they decide not to sell it any longer. I’ve also been super anxious that the things that have been promised to us (like no debt on the property, the allowance to build, etc.) would be actually true- because if that wouldn’t have been the case, we would’ve needed to let go of this dreamy place …
Long story short, after going back and forth, clarifying a few open questions we had, speaking with a local construction company, and making first drafts for the interior design (to see if it would actually fit our vision), we placed our offer in early October. After desperately waiting for feedback, and definitely to our surprise, our offer was accepted without any counter negotiation! Yay!!! The first big step was done. We signed everything, payed a deposit, and then had to wait for the next steps. It is quite typical in Italy to undergo three different steps when purchasing a house, to which I’ll post a separate blogpost soon (sign up to my newsletter to not miss this!), so the next big step would be the first notary appointment, which happened in December, just before Christmas (what a perfect Christmas gift!). Until then, we used the time wisely to prepare a floor plan, first 3D models of the house, spoke to different brands who would support us, and simply dreamed of our future life at this beautiful place. I also learned a lot about renovating old Italian buildings, about the materials, and the options we had, which was overwhelming yet interesting.
So, in December we finally went back to our little house to sign the first big deal at the notary’s. Seeing the house for the first time in a different season than summer was beautiful. Since all the plants had less leaves, the view across the lake was even more beautiful, and the strong winter sky made the lake stand out in its deep blue even stronger. Additionally, we were blessed with fresh snow in the Swiss mountains (which we’re looking into from our house) the day after the notary’s appointment, which was definitely a full circle moment. One of my favorite things to do is ski and spend time in snow, which made this so very special to me.
The notary’s appointment went incredibly well. All documents were proven, the sellers showed up, all parties were happy to move forward with the process, and we signed the documents. From what I’ve learned, the first notary’s appointment is the most important one, as it equips you with all necessary documents to finalize the purchase of the house, as well as the most important documents have been proven until that point by the notary’s office itself. So making it through this appointment has been a really, really big step which took away so much pressure and worry. Now, I am a true believer of the universe making things right for you, so even if this would have not worked out fine, I would have seen it as sign — everything happens for a reason. However, as it simply was a true dream of ours to own this property, we were beyond excited to have made it here.
One thing I definitely learned along the way is, that buying a house in Italy definitely takes time. For good reasons, actually! Many things are being clarified before the final notary act, such as building permit, landscape authorities, municipality stuff, and also the ownership. So the wait is not wasted, it actually secures you that you’ll be able to do all the things you like to do, before draining yourself financially. The final notary act, in our case, was in June. I visited the house a couple of times beforehand, met our architect, discussed all the things we wanted, handed in our plans with the local authorities, and so on. The months between January and May were definitely intense (but SO much fun), and a lot happened behind the scenes, while we waited for the final act. So, once we had the date set, our excitement levels just got higher and higher, until the final appointment was finally made.
A perfect day! Sunshine, warm summer days, not a lot of tourists yet, we enjoyed a day with so much laughter and happiness. We went out to have drinks to celebrate with our local friends, had a beautiful lunch by the lake, and spoke with the construction company right after. The changes that we’ll make will be SO big, and so great. I cannot wait until you see the drafts and ideas we have. Writing these words after knowing all building permits have been approved and we can now start with all our visions coming to life is definitely a very special one, that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
The next few months will be full of new content! I will share the house tour with you, the plans, the visions, and some incredible partner brands that I have teamed up with and who’ll be part of this one-of-a-kind renovation. The house should be given the love and attention it deserves, and I truly feel like we’ll be able to give it back its character and beauty with the changes planned. While this is something I’ll talk about in more depth soon, too, I can already say that the beautiful old characteristics will be kept as much as possible. Of course, the house should be livable and will therefore be equipped with the newest standards of technology and modernness, but the details will be mesmerizing. Lots to come on my social media channels! Make sure to follow along for different content on all platforms. I am very curious to hear your feedback on it and cannot wait to take you along this journey.
