Most people who begin a property search in Lake Como start the same way: they spend time on the portals, identify a few interesting properties, contact the agents listed, and arrange some viewings.
There is nothing wrong with this approach. But it is worth understanding what it actually involves, and what it does not.
The agents on those portals represent the seller. That is not a criticism: it is simply how the Italian property market works. The agent’s relationship is with the person selling the property. Their fee, typically around 4% from each party, is paid by both buyer and seller, but their primary obligation is to the vendor. Their interest is in closing the transaction.
A buying agent is different in one specific and important way: we work exclusively for the buyer.
When Ultissimo takes on a client brief, we have no properties to sell. We do not hold listings. We do not have relationships with vendors that we need to protect. Our only obligation is to the person buying.
That changes what we do at every stage of the process.
During the search, we approach our network of more than forty local agents and off-market contacts on the client’s behalf. Rather than responding to what is listed, we specify what we are looking for and ask the market to respond. The properties a client sees through Ultissimo are not the ones at the top of a portal: they are the ones that actually match the brief.
During viewings, we accompany every client personally. We ask the questions that do not appear on the listing: what are the access rights to the waterfront? What has the planning history of the property been? What are the neighbours like? What is the owner’s motivation for selling? The answers to these questions are often more informative than anything in the brochure.
During negotiation, we negotiate directly, in Italian, on the client’s behalf. Knowing the market, knowing the vendor’s position, and knowing how to read the process gives buyers a material advantage they would not have negotiating independently or through a vendor’s agent.
After the offer is accepted, we remain closely involved through due diligence, legal process, and completion, working alongside our recommended English-speaking lawyer in Milan.
A significant proportion of the most desirable properties in Lake Como never appear on any public platform. The owners prefer discretion. They are not in a hurry. They want the right buyer rather than the widest possible audience.
Access to these properties is built over years of relationship-building with owners, notaries, and local advisers. It is not a feature that can be replicated quickly, and it is not available to buyers who approach the market through portals alone.
When we take on a new client brief, the off-market enquiry goes out alongside the listed market search. For many clients, the property they eventually buy is one they would never have found independently.
Our clients come from the UK, the UAE, Switzerland, the US, and across Europe. Most of them have one thing in common: they do not have time to navigate an unfamiliar market in a language they do not speak, and they cannot afford to make a significant financial and personal decision based on incomplete information.
Some are buying for the first time in Italy. Some have bought before and been frustrated by the experience. Some have been searching independently for years and come to us when they are ready to move efficiently and with confidence.
What they have in common is that they want someone on their side. Not another agent with a list of properties to sell. An adviser with a single interest: finding the right home at the right price.
A bespoke blend of luxury, lifestyle, and property expertise with Ultissimo - start your journey today.
Brand & Web Design by Lark Brand Studio