Gianluca's story

“Knowing that you were going to renovate the property made me happy.”

Gianluca

Good morning Gianluca, can you talk a little about yourself and the house you sold?

The house wasn’t mine but instead it was my grandparent’s house. When I was 18 years old they decided to put the house in my name because I was their only grandchild. Then several years ago my grandfather passed away, and then later my grandmother. I thought it over for about a year before deciding to put the house up for sale.

I was indecisive for a long time because the house is in a central location, in a good neighborhood, as well as close to my office. But given the fact that it needed major renovations and that I personally like living far from the chaos of the city, I decided it wasn’t the right home for me and therefore I preferred to sell it.

Had you considered renovating it and renting it out?

Yes, actually there were many options. One option was renting it out, especially because it’s located in an area that is well connected with public transportation and would have appealed to university students. However, I was turned off by the idea of having to deal with tenants and all the issues that come up with a rental property. Another possibility was transforming it into a Bed & Breakfast, but I just didn’t have the time to dedicate to this option.

When you decided to sell, was Casavo your first option for doing so?

No, honestly it wasn’t. Initially I did a search for real estate agents, and chose an agency that seemed the most capable of selling the project to a potential buyer. It was a house that needed a complete renovation, so it was necessary that the person handling it knew how to market it correctly. Then, actually, it was Casavo that found me! Casavo contacted the agency I had listed the property with and that is how the adventure with you began.

What was your first impression of Casavo?

Actually, I never met directly with the Casavo team because it was all done through my agency. Therefore my only contact was with the “offer” from Casavo. My first impression was however a little wary, it was something new that I wasn’t familiar with. The idea that a company would quickly purchase my house left me a little perplexed to the point that I figured there was something strange going on. So I decided to research and find out more information. I read some articles published in Sole24Ore, and this gave me more confidence and reassured me, so I decided to move forward with the sales process.

What was your impression of the sales process?

Honestly, the model wasn’t complicated to understand, it seemed very clear to me. Before this, I’d had time to get all the forms and necessary paperwork for the sale, and I have to say that this was the most complex part of it. It was my first time selling a house so I had to really study everything with the help of the agency I had entrusted the sale to. However, in the end I was able to understand every aspect and, even with the initial complexity, my overall impression was that of dealing with a big organization. I must say that this reassured me quite a bit.

Was the promise to “sell your home in 30 days” fulfilled?

Yes, certainly, I feel like saying that it was almost too quick. I didn’t know about the speed of the process and I wasn’t in a hurry to sell. I expected to get an offer that aligned with my expectations. So I have to say that at the beginning all this speed scared me a little, I asked myself why there was a rush to conclude the transaction. Then after doing my research I understood that Casavo, by doing this process in a more industrialized manner, is able to significantly reduce the timeline of the process which can be a big advantage from a certain point of view.

Speaking about the offer you received, did it therefore meet your expectations in terms of the purchase price?

Initially my expectations for the sales price were slightly higher, but I have to be honest, in the 5 months in which the property was on the market the offers I received were absolutely in line with what I actually received from Casavo, so I would say that certainly it was in line with the market value.

So what were your reasons for choosing Casavo?

Let’s just say that perhaps Casavo arrived at the right moment, meaning that if I had received the offer immediately after listing I don’t know if I would have accepted it. By then, in reality, I had already reassessed what the real market value of my home was by putting together the various offers that I had previously received and so I realized that it was a fair offer. Another reason why I chose to sell to Casavo was knowing that you would renovate the house, and this pleased me: I was very emotionally attached to the home so knowing that it would be brought back to life made me happy.

And finally, dealing with an innovative startup, with so many new ideas to introduce to society made me feel “in line with the times” and pushed me to put my trust in you even more.

So can we say that you are satisfied with having sold your house to Casavo?

Yes, pleasantly surprised! It all went according to plan, in the agreed upon timeline, and there were no complications!

Thank you Gianluca for doing this interview and good luck in the future!

Thank you!