Life style in Italy
Life style in Italy
There’s a new sensibility out there. People are re-evaluating how they live, how they spend, and what they consider to be the right size for the property they live in. The Italian property market for foreigners has long been the province of the big villa: five- and six- bedroom, 300-plus square metre places that are not only big in terms of size, but also in terms of price and maintenance requirements. That fashion is changing, and nowhere more so than in Le Marche, where the ‘smart’ money in Italian property has been for some time. Kevin Gibney, director of estate agents PropertyForSaleMarche.com, can explain this change. “People are rethinking just how much house they really need,” he has noticed. “While larger properties are still a big part of the market, we’re finding that people are starting to think beyond the prototypical big villa; that they are starting to consider other, ‘right-sized’ options. ” So what does this trend towards right-sized properties really mean? “When we talk about a ‘right-sized’ property,” says Kevin, “we mean a property that delivers all the architectural interest, comfort and just plain good living that one would get with a big villa; we just deliver those benefits in a smaller package – and at a significantly lower price.” He cites as an example a turn-key restoration project on PropertyForSaleMarche.com, a property called Casa Ideale.
Casa Ideale is the perfect example. It delivers open-plan architecture, state-of- the-art construction, a gorgeous stone exterior, interior beams, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, energy efficiency and two terraces, all in a 140-square metre building, for around €300,000. That’s a far cry from a five-bedroom
People are more interested in showing their good sense than in showing off a big villa
villa with the same characteristics in double the volume for nearly double the price,” he says. Why, though, would someone give up a big villa for one of these right-sized places? Kevin responds by getting deeper into the mindset of the buyer. “The person who goes in this direction buys into the new sensibility that bigger isn’t always better. They are more interested in showing their good sense than in showing off a big villa. For lots of our clients in the current environment, a smaller, well- designed house says more about the person in a positive sense than the big villa does.” The trend, Kevin explains, is being pushed forward in Le Marche by architects who have come of age since the 2008 crisis. “These younger architects pride themselves on designing great houses in smaller volumes. Their designs are spacious, comfortable and energy-efficient. It’s amazing what they can do.” And it’s not just new builds and restorations… “We have older properties, too, that the market once passed over, that have suddenly got more attention as people seek more reasonable, less costly, lower-maintenance living spaces.” He points to a three- residence complex with shared pool called La Tenuta di Gualdo
as an example. “We embrace this right-sized trend,” Kevin concludes. “We love the creative challenges of designing these innovative spaces and how people react to them. They tell us they’re far happier and feel much freer not being anchored to a big house any more!”
People are more interested in showing their good sense than in showing off a big villa
villa with the same characteristics in double the volume for nearly double the price,” he says. Why, though, would someone give up a big villa for one of these right-sized places? Kevin responds by getting deeper into the mindset of the buyer. “The person who goes in this direction buys into the new sensibility that bigger isn’t always better. They are more interested in showing their good sense than in showing off a big villa. For lots of our clients in the current environment, a smaller, well- designed house says more about the person in a positive sense than the big villa does.” The trend, Kevin explains, is being pushed forward in Le Marche by architects who have come of age since the 2008 crisis. “These younger architects pride themselves on designing great houses in smaller volumes. Their designs are spacious, comfortable and energy-efficient. It’s amazing what they can do.” And it’s not just new builds and restorations… “We have older properties, too, that the market once passed over, that have suddenly got more attention as people seek more reasonable, less costly, lower-maintenance living spaces.” He points to a three- residence complex with shared pool called La Tenuta di Gualdo
as an example. “We embrace this right-sized trend,” Kevin concludes. “We love the creative challenges of designing these innovative spaces and how people react to them. They tell us they’re far happier and feel much freer not being anchored to a big house any more!”
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