Questions to ask every agent
- How many homes like mine have you sold in this area in the past year, and at what price? Ask for concrete examples, not general statistics.
- How did you arrive at this valuation? A serious valuation is based on real sales and local prices, and explains the home's strengths and weaknesses.
- Where will you advertise, and in which languages? In Bolzano a listing only in Italian misses part of the buyers.
- Who does the viewings and how do you screen buyers? A good agent checks in advance whether visitors already have a mortgage or funds.
- How long is the agreement and how can I withdraw? Have the expiry, renewal and penalties explained before you sign.
Exclusive or open listing
With an exclusive listing only that agency can sell the home for a set period: the agency has more reason to invest in photos, adverts and viewings. With an open listing you can use several agencies, but often none really works on it, and the same flat appears online at different prices, which puts buyers off.
If you choose exclusivity, ask for a reasonable term and a written plan: what the agency will do in the first weeks and when you will review the price together if viewings do not come.
Estate agent commission in Bolzano
Commission is agreed in the listing agreement and is usually a percentage of the sale price, paid by both seller and buyer. Always ask for it in writing, with VAT shown, and when it is due (usually when the purchase offer is accepted).
Warning signs
- A valuation much higher than the others, with no sales to justify it.
- Pressure to sign a long exclusive agreement without a sales plan.
- No Chamber of Commerce registration number: anyone acting as an estate agent in Italy must be registered.
- Requests for money before the sale for "advertising" not included in the agreement.
An agent from Bolzano or from your town?
For a home in Laives, Appiano or on the Renon, where the agency is based matters less than whether it knows that area: ask about recent sales in your town. You will find the town pages in selling a home in Bolzano and nearby.
A neutral guide
Casa Bolzano is not an agency and does not take on sales: this guide promotes no one. Compare several agencies using the questions on this page and choose the one that gives the best answers about your home.
Before you call an agent
Going into the meeting already knowing your home's price range lets you spot an inflated valuation. Get the free estimate by address: two minutes, no obligation.