Puglia Case Study

Commuter grind to Puglia unwind

Simon Greenwood and Charlotte Senior decided to make the move overseas and out of the London’s commuter Rat Race in their twenties. BuyAssociation.co.uk Property Editor Paul Collins talks to the couple about their new life in Italy’s south.

Introduction

For most couples in their twenties in London, the thought of moving out of the country to a slower pace of life and a reduction in stress is not something they feel they are able to do – and many feel they are not yet ready to leave the city lifestyle. One couple found themselves forced into making changes to their lifestyle initially, and decided to seize the opportunity to make a move overseas.

Like most people their age, Charlotte and Simon were busy making their way in their chosen careers in London, along with all of the other parts of life in London that go along with that – commuting, socializing, and at the same time trying to save money for their ideal property in the UK. After a time, even though both were enjoying successful media careers, they became aware that they weren’t completely happy with the stress and commuting.

Making the move

In fact, Charlotte began suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome and Simon was less than happy with the feeling of being in the London Rat Race. The time seemed right to look at living overseas – the couple were both ready for a change of pace and making a move overseas before settling down and starting a family made sense.

With a good deal of research and a list of the things that they both wanted from their new place to live, they started on their search for a new life abroad. After consideration, the couple settled on Puglia as the place to start looking. “We chose Puglia because it fit our requirements for a coastal location with a great climate. It was also useful that Simon already had a good grasp of Italian,” says Charlotte. “The final reason that appealed was the fact that after some research it became clear that the region was very 'up and coming' and would therefore be a good place in which to invest and also to start a business.”

Making the initial move out to Italy, Simon and Charlotte decided to make their home in a local B&B and begin their search for their perfect property from there. When you spend time in a country, especially a significant amount of time like this, it is amazing the amount of properties that you can get around to view. This makes it all the more impressive that Simon and Charlotte didn’t give up on their dream even when it took longer than expected to find somewhere to buy.

After six months of living in the B&B, they still didn’t have a property in which to settle down, and began to worry about what they were going to do. The solution came about in their friendship with the owner of the B&B, Alfonso Carbotta, and with it the idea for the business they now run.

Lessons put into practice

The couple are in little doubt about the importance of getting to know people in the local area, and used this as the main philosophy in their new business. “It was actually key. We had been having little success carrying out the househunt on our own with no contacts and no experience. We had happened to form a great bond with Alfonso Carbotta and it was through a friend of his that we were shown the property we eventually bought.”

The property search taught Simon and Charlotte a lot about the property market in this part of Italy, but also gave them a real insight into how the lifestyle they craved permeated through to the local property market. “We were looking forward to a more laidback lifestyle generally, but we made the mistake of not realising that the same ethic would also apply to the property market,” says Charlotte.

The lessons they learned, as well as the experience of working closely with Alfonso, prompted them to set up A Life in Puglia, advising people on buying in this new and emerging region of Italy. Simon was sure of the business philosophy when he and Charlotte finally found the property of their dreams. “We’ve learned a lot about what not to do and are able to help our clients avoid the same mistakes,” explains Simon, who used to work in publishing. “We have the useful combination of being English, and able to relate to other Brits’ concerns, in addition to the invaluable benefit of a well-connected Italian — we found Alfonso’s help so essential that we have asked him to become a business partner and advise our clients.”

Finding their own property was of course the first step in getting settled into their new life in Italy, but now that they have completed renovation on their house, Simon and Charlotte can concentrate on their business and new interests. “We oversaw the whole renovation ourselves, and specified or designed what we wanted to be done,” says Charlotte. “It was not without its challenges, but was ultimately very rewarding, as we now have a lovely home, renovated to our exact taste, which we are proud to own.”

The changes in lifestyle have been large for the couple, but there is no doubt that they are changes they were happy to make. After her illness, Charlotte is now recovered and has changed her diet to exclude wheat, yeast, dairy, sugar, red meat and alcohol altogether. These limitations, particularly in a country like Italy, have not prevented her from enjoying the freshness of the local produce, and she has now taught herself to cook.

Achieving ambitions

Another thing Charlotte has managed to achieve with the spare time she now has is to write her first novel. This is something she has wanted to do for some time but only now, with the extra time and inspiration she has found in Italy, has she been able to complete it. Charlotte’s novel is currently in the final stages of editing.
For Simon, the change has given him the opportunity to run his own business using all of his experience in the past months, helping other people to achieve their dreams in the same way that he and Charlotte have been able.

The aim of the business has been to provide a service for people who are looking to buy property in Italy, but also to give advice from the initial idea to buy in Italy, right through to taking the keys to a newly-renovated property and beyond. Their network of contacts in the region they now believe is perfect to help get anything done – from organising property transactions, to finding trades, to helping with in red tape and paperwork involved in Italian life.

Three top tips

For people who are looking to get themselves a new life in Italy, or even for people who are looking to buy a holiday home in the sunshine and warmer climate of Puglia, Simon has three tips to get started.

Firstly, moving to Italy will be so much simpler if you have local contacts to help guide you along the way. “If you can, seek the services of a trusted dual-speaking representative. We found the majority of our problems melted away after meeting Alfonso but know how lucky we were to have met him by chance!” says Simon.

The second piece of advice is make sure you have a contingency budget available for those hidden costs that will come up at some point, no matter how well you plan or how transparent your agent. “Find out how much you are likely to be paying for the whole operation from taxes through to fees etc and always keep a certain percentage aside say 10-15% percent for surprises,” Simon says. “This is always advisable with building works, but we aim to make sure throughout the purchasing process, to explain exactly what fees and taxes you would be liable to pay.”

Finally, Simon recommends that buyers visit the area in which they are interested as much as possible, both in summer and in winter. Not only will it give you a much better idea of how it will be living there throughout the year, but you will also discover parts of the region that you have never seen before. “Visit the area first, so that you can get a feel for it. It sounds obvious but we advise spending at least a week or ten days exploring your area of choice and the others around it”.

The fact that Simon and Charlotte are building a business making sure people do not make the same mistakes as they did is not only candid and honest on their part, but should also give their clients great confidence. They have managed to build a network of trusted professionals in the region, which should be the basis for a thriving business.

Their story is also one that should serve as an example to many younger people living and working in the UK’s cities and commuting to work through the daily stress of public transport or traffic. I’ll bet I’m not the only one feeling a twinge of jealousy.

For more information on buying in Puglia visit www.alifeinpuglia.co.uk

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