Sicily Real Estate
Frequently Asked Questions — Sicily Real Estate
Last reviewed: August 2026
Answers to the questions buyers and sellers ask most often about Sicily Real Estate — how the portal works, what it does, and what it deliberately leaves out.
Buying
What is Sicily Real Estate?
Sicily Real Estate is a portal connecting property sellers in Sicily directly with buyers from abroad. It is operated by Terra Mia Immobiliare, the sole proprietorship of Oskar Golde. Every listing is presented in German, English, and Italian.
Is Terra Mia Immobiliare an estate agency?
No. Terra Mia Immobiliare is not a real estate agency, not a team, and not a law firm — it operates this and two other platforms in Sicily. The portal does not broker the sale, is never a party to a purchase agreement, and does not give legal, tax, or financial advice.
Are listings checked before they go online?
No, deliberately not. Details on condition, price, size, and ownership come solely from the seller; the platform does not verify land registry entries, building permits, or energy certificates. Dealing directly with the seller means knowing exactly who you are dealing with, without a promise the platform could not keep.
What happens after sending an enquiry about a listing?
The message goes straight to the seller of that property, with nobody in between; the sender gets an email confirmation that it was received. Negotiation happens directly between seller and buyer, with no further involvement from the platform.
Does using the portal cost anything for buyers, and is there a commission?
No. Browsing and enquiring is free throughout, and no commission is charged on either the enquiry or a later sale. Only the seller pays, in the form of a listing fee.
In which languages is a property listing shown?
Every listing is available in German, English, and Italian, regardless of the language the seller originally wrote it in. That trilingual bridge between Sicilian sellers and international buyers is the core of the portal.
What does buying property on Sicily look like, in outline?
After agreeing on a price, Italian practice typically moves through a preliminary agreement (compromesso or contratto preliminare), often with a deposit. A notary then completes the transfer of ownership with the notarial deed (rogito or atto notarile), after which the purchase is registered with the cadastre and land registries. The exact steps depend on the individual case and are guided by the appointed notary — Terra Mia Immobiliare itself does not accompany the purchase.
What is the codice fiscale, and does a buyer need one?
The codice fiscale is Italy's personal tax and identification number, required for practically any formal transaction in the country, including a property purchase. Foreign buyers typically apply for it through the Agenzia delle Entrate or an Italian consulate, usually before the notary appointment.
Can someone from abroad buy property on Sicily?
EU citizens can acquire property in Italy without special restrictions. For buyers from outside the EU, it depends on a reciprocity condition between Italy and the buyer's home country, which the appointed notary checks before any commitment is made.
What additional costs come on top of the purchase price?
In Italy, costs beyond the purchase price typically include notary fees, a registration tax, and cadastral and mortgage taxes; the exact amounts depend on factors such as whether the property becomes a first or second home and whether the seller is private or a business. Because these rates can change, this page deliberately does not quote a figure — a notary or commercialista calculates the exact total for the individual case.
Selling & Listing
How does listing a property for sale work?
The seller registers for free with Terra Mia Immobiliare and first creates the property as a draft in the listing assistant — with photos, location, floor area, number of rooms and the other key facts. Registration, the draft, photo uploads and reviewing the translations cost nothing; as long as the listing is a draft, it is not publicly visible. The plan fee is only due on publishing — after that the listing is online in three languages and enquiries go directly to the seller. Viewings, negotiation and the sale itself then take place directly between seller and prospective buyer.
What does a listing cost, and is there a commission?
There is a fixed fee per plan, never a commission — neither from the seller nor from the buyer, not even when a sale succeeds. Four plans are available (as of August 2026): the sale listing at €89 (180 days, one property), the rental listing for long-term rentals at €39 (120 days, one property), the landlord year at €99 (365 days, one continuously active rental listing) and the broker year at €490 (365 days, unlimited sale and rental listings). All amounts are gross prices; how VAT is shown is answered in its own question below. At launch, the discount code START50 gives 50% off every plan.
How long does a listing run, and what happens when it expires?
The term depends on the plan: 180 days for the sale listing, 120 days for the rental listing, 365 days for the landlord year and the broker year. After expiry the listing is hidden and can no longer be found publicly; there is no automatic renewal. Hidden does not mean deleted, though: details, photos and translations remain in the account and are available again immediately with a new booking.
Does Terra Mia Immobiliare check a listing before it is published?
No. The details about condition, price, floor area and ownership are the seller's responsibility; the portal checks neither the land registry nor building permits or the energy certificate. The seller decides when the listing goes online — the only requirements are a booked plan and a fully completed listing. This open boundary is a deliberate choice, rather than promising a check the platform could not deliver.
Does Terra Mia Immobiliare arrange viewings or handle the negotiation?
No. Viewings, price negotiation, and the sale itself happen directly between seller and buyer; the platform's role ends at routing the incoming enquiry.
Who can list a property through the portal?
Both private owners and estate agencies can create a listing after registering for free. The only requirement is a Terra Mia Immobiliare account — there are no further eligibility checks. For agencies with several properties there is the broker year; the details are in the next question.
Can an estate agency list its clients' properties — and which plan pays off?
Yes. Estate agencies list the properties they represent on the same platform as private owners; the broker year exists for exactly this: €490 for 365 days with unlimited sale and rental listings. From the sixth sale listing onwards it costs less than individual listings, and beyond that the number of properties no longer matters. Two limits belong before the booking: all properties run under one agency account — separate logins per client or client-file management do not exist today — and the 365 days apply to the plan, not per property: listings created later expire together with the plan.
What does the trilingual listing do for the seller?
Every listing appears in German, English and Italian and thus reaches prospective buyers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the USA and Italy in their own language. For the seller that means one single listing, three language markets — without translating anything themselves and regardless of the language it was written in.
Which details and photos does a good listing need?
Meaningful photos achieve the most: exteriors, living spaces, kitchen, bathroom, garden and the location — taken in daylight and in high resolution. Add the floor area and, where relevant, the plot size, the number of rooms, year of construction and condition, the energy class from the energy certificate (APE), the sale price or monthly rent — and an honest, specific description. Since the portal does not check listings, the impact rests entirely on these details; complete data and a realistic price decide the enquiries.
Who translates the listing?
The seller writes in their own language; the listing assistant keeps a separate version for each of the three languages and shows per language whether it is complete. Each version can be reviewed and changed before publishing — that look is worthwhile especially for place names, amenity terms and price details.
How do sale listings and rental listings differ?
For sales there is the single listing at €89 for 180 days. For long-term rentals there is a choice between the single listing at €39 for 120 days and the landlord year at €99 for 365 days (one continuously active listing); the broker year covers both property types. Short-term holiday rentals are not offered through Sicily Real Estate.
How is VAT shown on the plan fee?
The amounts quoted are gross prices and, for private customers, include the statutory German VAT of 19% (as of August 2026) — the platform is operated by Terra Mia Immobiliare, a sole proprietorship based in Germany. Businesses in other EU countries receive the invoice without German VAT under the reverse-charge procedure, provided the VAT ID (in Italy: partita IVA) is entered and confirmed at checkout; a VAT ID submitted only later requires the invoice to be voided and re-issued. For customers outside the EU no German VAT applies — business and private alike. The amount payable remains the same in every case.