Why the Americans buy vacation rentals in Italy

Whenever Laurie Deriu visited her stepfather SardiniaShe left the beauty of the Italian island and the relaxed atmosphere.

“It is a totally different quality of life there,” said Deriu, 60, at Business Insider. “It is not at all the agitation that occurs, especially in the northeast.”

Although she fantasizes one day to move to Sardinia with her husband, Deriu was not quite ready to leave west of Connecticut. As a regional director for a health service company, she frequently travels to the United States to work. In addition, his children and grandchildren are in the United States.

However, she always thought how pleasant it would be to live there. So when her husband asked her if she had never thought about their lifetime in part -time Italy, she jumped at the opportunity to make it work.

Derius sold their Rental property in North Carolina With the purchase plan for a property in Italy, they could rent part of the year and have fun the rest of the time. In July 2024, they closed an apartment with three bedrooms in Alghero, Sardinia, for € 405,000, or around $ 440,883 at the time.

So far, business has been booming. “He rents very quickly,” said Deriu, believing that they had around 70% of the availability of the ownership reserved within five days.

Now the derius make their Italian dreams a reality, at least for part of the year. And they make money by doing it.

The management of goods outside your main residence quickly becomes a key element of Operate the American dream. But some Americans and derius find It is easier to realize this dream in Italy – With the additional bonus to obtain guaranteed accommodation during their next vacation.

Some Americans want to personally take advantage of their investments while collecting monetary advantages

Deriu said that she is trying to divide her time between Connecticut and Alghero, ideally staying in Italy from November to May while her guests enjoy the high season during the summer.

She used Italian real estate lawyersAn Italian company that helps Americans for Italian citizenship and also offers real estate services, to help facilitate purchase. The lawyer for Italian real estate lawyers, Marco Permonian, said that he had seen an increase in Americans like Deriu who bought property in Italy.

“In the past 12 years, we have found a regular increase each year with points that we have seen in relation to Concerns about policy And social events, “he told BI, citing a 15% increase in Americans using his services in 2024 compared to 2023.

Although he does not ask his clients why they are considering Italy, he noted that The price of houses must be an important factor.

“We have customers, for example, of the state of California, New York or Pennsylvania, and to buy a house there, it costs several hundred thousand dollars,” said Permonian. “In Italy, especially in the center and southern Italy, The cost of a property is a fraction. It also helps Americans make the decision to buy. “”

Some cities in Italy offer houses to as little as 1 € – Although renovations are probably necessary. And small towns like Ollolai, a small municipality in Sardinia, are specifically targeting Americans to buy houses.

Melina Manasse and her husband closed a house in a room in October 2024 in Lecce, a historic city in the heel of the Italian boot.

Manisse, 46, paid $ 278,000 for his property. Since it has already been renovated, she has been able to list it by March 2025. Reservations have already started and she expects to earn more than $ 3,000 per month.

For manisse, the Italian house is part of a wider plan to prioritize the pleasure when choosing its investments. It has goods in Antigua and England and plans to be able to end up bouncing from one country to another without paying for accommodation.

“It was a strategic decision to invest in Antigua, which is really popular during the winter months, then in Lecce, which is really popular during the summer months, then to have a long-term rental in England, which is 30 minutes from London,” she said.

“We will probably spend two to three months in one, bounce, bounce, bounce, then you live net zero,” she added. “So they all pay for themselves.”

A deposit on the property in an American city can provide you with an entire house in Italy

Kelly Beigle and Boris Krstevski began their trip to become foreign real estate managers at the end of 2024 after buying an apartment of 1,350 square feet for € 78,000 in the province of Brescia, about one hour from Milan.

They are in the renovation process – which includes Adding a whole kitchen – And expect to pay around € 25,000 once they have finished. Beigle, 38, and Krstevski, 39, who live in Washington, DC, said that their all-in costs of € 103,000 would barely cover a deposit in the city. (According to Redfin.comThe median price of a condo in Washington, DC, was $ 480,000 in May 2025).

“We could buy a condo in DC for $ 500,000 and make a deposit of $ 200,000, then for 30 years, we have to pay $ 4,000 per month,” Beigle in Business Insider told. Invest in rental property in Italy “makes sense”.

They paid in cash, so there is no mortgage, and although the property is not yet ready for the guests, they have already traced their expected income. They found that in their region, by Lake Iseo, the units rent € 100 per night on average, and they hope for 50% occupation throughout the year.

They were trying to buy a condo at DC for some time, but Beigle could not wrap her head of the prices she saw. Italy has offered an invigorating alternative.

“My advice is: leaving the beaten track a little,” she said. “The traditional saves your money, make a deposit and take a mortgage of 30 years, and simply continue the race for rats is obsolete in my opinion.”

The journey to buy and renovate a house abroad was not easy, but Beigle said it was the right choice for her.

“I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “And I feel really motivated to broadcast this message too.”