Making an offer
Protect yourselves before you sign
The purchase offer is already a commitment: if the seller accepts, you're bound by it. Before signing, have the home checked and write in the conditions that protect you.
How long: Signing takes a day; the seller usually has 7–15 days to accept
How it works
1. Checks before signing
Planning and cadastral compliance, mortgages and seizures, unpaid service charges.
2. The price
Start from the local price per m² and the condition of the home. A first offer 5–10% below the asking price is normal.
3. The conditions
“Subject to mortgage approval” (salvo concessione del mutuo) for the amount you need, an acceptance deadline, dates for the preliminary contract and completion, what stays in the home, the home vacant at completion.
4. The cheque
A cheque made out to the seller, handed to the agency and not cashable before acceptance. Never cash, never transfers to strangers.
What it costs
- Planning and cadastral compliance check (surveyor): around €300–800
- Mortgage-register search: around €50–150
- Cheque with the offer: often €5,000–20,000, which becomes part of the deposit (caparra)
Who does what
- Agency: takes the offer to the seller; the form is theirs, but you write the conditions
- Surveyor you trust: planning and cadastral compliance: the issue that blocks the most completions
- Notary (even at this stage): can review the offer and run the mortgage-register checks
Watch out for
- Signing without the “subject to mortgage” clause: if the bank says no, you lose the cheque you handed over.
- Offer forms already filled in by the agency: read and correct them before signing.
- The agency fee is due once the offer is accepted: ask beforehand how much and when.
Questions to ask · the agency
- How much is your fee and when is it paid?
- Do you already have the APE, floor plan, land-registry search and deed of provenance?
- Are there any other offers in progress?
General guidance, updated on 13 October 2026: for important decisions, talk to the bank, a notary or a surveyor.