Have you ever dreamed of buying a home in an Italian village? What about owning an investment holiday villa in the beachside towns on the southern coast? Where would one even start to begin to investigate how to go about purchasing and owning a slice of Italian property? It can seem complicated or frighteningly fraught with financial uncertainty - or is it?
Recently I connected with a business woman, Nikki Taylor who is an Aussie expat living in Monopoli, Italy who is the Founder of Italy Property Consulting. I was in Italy at the time and chatting on post in a Business Women’s Facebook group (LMBDW) that Nikki is also a member of. We connected straight away, chatting about all things Italy! I began to ask questions about her work and got very intrigued as to her journey to this point in her life?. I realised just how fascinating her story is for it’s complexity regarding her move from Australia to Italy and starting her own consultancy in the property industry.
Nikki’s fascination with Italy started in 2001 when she visited Florence on holiday. Living in London at the time, Italy was easily reachable for a quick break and upon arriving she remembers being totally captivated by the beauty. ‘I said to myself I am going to retire here one day’, she recalls yet what seemed like a forgotten pipe dream came to fruition some ten plus years later. In 2014 she found herself burnt out working in the corporate banking industry in Sydney and her soul yearned for something more. ‘I wanted a life, not to be stuck working in an office 12 hours a day but to really throw myself in a new culture, language and take on a whole new lifestyle’, Nikki says.
Nikki’s career was spent working in the banking and financial planning industries and upon arriving in Italy in 2014 she honestly did not really have a plan and speaking very little Italian she was unsure what her options where. However, she was fortunate to find work at a global luxury real estate firm called Engel & Völkers in their marketing department. ‘I have always had a real passion for property and had renovated many a home back in Australia and the real estate industry in Italy fascinated me’, she recalls. Then three years later Nikki started freelancing for a real estate company in Apulia working as a Business Development Director and managing all the international client property transactions and assisting with their enquiries and the sales process. That was when Nikki saw an untapped niche in the market. ‘I noticed that there was a recurring theme with the types of enquiries that I was receiving from overseas buyers; many of which shared their doubts & fears about buying property in Italy’, she says.
It was this that inspired Nikki to create a global community on Facebook called "How to Confidently Buy Property in Italy" where she coaches overseas buyers to navigate their way through the property buying procedure in Italy through her signature program also named "How to Confidently Buy Property in Italy" (which, I might add sold out in 1 day!)
Her group and program is purely focused on helping buyers avoid the common costly pitfalls when looking to buy property in Italy.
Many of the members of the group already have Italian heritage and reside in Australia and the United States and they are so excited to be looking to purchase property in Italy with Nikki’s guidance so they can get back to their Italian roots. Many buyers are interested in purchasing a home they can use for investment or a holiday rental or a home they can move back to when the time is right. With the help of industry leaders such as a property lawyer, accountant, currency specialist, visa expert and financial planner, Nikki is providing her audience a complete holistic service. The program guides them each step of the way so they gain confidence and ease, knowing that they have a team of professionals throughout the entire process.
‘I feel that I am acting as a bridge between the two cultures, both English and Italian and guiding the community is proving to be an invaluable service and the group is growing rapidly each week with many members writing to me regularly stating their gratitude for me creating such a group and community which has helped alleviate their fears about investing in Italy’, Nikki states.
The reality is, whilst tourism has always been a big drawcard for Italy and it’s economy, the smaller villages gain with this type of influx of new investment.
‘The fact that there is such a consistent interest in Italy, not only in the popular tourist areas but also small villages will help boost the economy in areas that are less populated and potentially create an expat trend and revive some of the villages that are lacking in a community feel and presence’, Nikki identifies.
Nikki is receiving such positive feedback from her members of her group which has been so encouraging thus far and is devoted to supporting those who are passionate to own their own slice of La Dolce Vita.
