Independent property advice for buyers in Sicily
Wherever you are with it, from an idea you keep coming back to through to a property you’re ready to buy, we tell you what’s really there before you spend anything. A registered geometra in Termini Imerese who has guided buyers through this before, and someone on the English side who has done it themselves.
Why buyers come to us
Six things that make the difference when you’re buying a house in a country you don’t know.
A registered geometra
Every technical check is carried out by Gabriele Crivello, registered with the Collegio Geometri di Palermo.
Everything explained in English
You deal with us in English. We handle everything that happens in Italian.
Fixed fees, agreed upfront
You know what each service costs before you commit.
In the UK and in Sicily
Your point of contact is UK-based and in Sicily regularly. Our surveyor is in Termini Imerese, on site whenever it matters.
We’ve been through it ourselves
Not theory. One of us has bought and renovated here; the other has locally guided buyers through it for years.
Two people, start to finish
You’ll always know who you’re speaking to, and it’ll always be one of us.
What we do
Everything between finding a house and living in it.
We check what you’re buying
Before you commit, we tell you what’s actually there. Gabriele visits the property and goes through the cadastral records, the planning position and the physical condition: roof, walls, water, electrics, drainage. You get a written report in English covering what’s sound, what isn’t, and what it will cost to put right.
We get you through the purchase
Codice fiscale, bank account, and the documents the English spreaking notaio needs. We translate the compromesso before you sign it and explain what you’re agreeing to, then attend the completion with you. Whatever can be handled without you flying out, we’ll handle.
Stress-Free Renovation Management
Trades who turn up, quotes that are actually comparable, permits filed, and work checked before anyone gets paid. You get regular updates with photographs. And once it’s done, we can keep an eye on the house while you’re back in the UK.
Who you’ll be dealing with
There are two of us. Gabriele is a geometra in Termini Imerese and has spent his career surveying and building in this part of Sicily. Alex is UK-based and in Sicily regularly, and bought and renovated a property near Termini Imerese before any of this existed.
Why buyers come to us
You can’t tell from the photos whether it’s worth the flight
Eight flattering pictures (possibly some AI tweaking) and four hours of travel. We go instead, and send you proper photographs, a walkabout video and a red, amber and green rating on everything that matters, so you know whether to book the trip.
The paperwork decides more than the house does
A property can look immaculate and still be unsellable, unmortgageable or illegal to extend. We check what’s on the record against what’s actually standing, and tell you what it would take to put right.
Every comune has its own rules
What you can build, extend, convert or install is decided locally and varies town to town. We deal with these offices in person, in Italian, and know who to ask in each one.
The listing won’t mention the access
How you reach it in February, whether the track belongs to someone else, where the boundary actually runs, what the neighbour has permission to build.
Water and power are never a given
Mains, well or tank, and whether the well is legal. Whether the drainage goes anywhere legitimate. Whether the supply can take what you’re planning.
Nobody else in the room is working for you
The agent is paid by the seller. The notaio is neutral by law. We’re the only people whose job is to tell you what you’re actually buying, while you still have every option open.