Real Estate. Relationship with emotions affects sales among Italians.

According to a survey conducted by Immobiliare.it with a sample of 3,000 users, about two-thirds of respondents waited between two to twelve months before deciding to sell their property.

However, for Italians, home remains a nest that holds great emotional significance. Or at least, this conclusion can be drawn from the results of this survey. In fact, every third participant in the survey expected about a month to pass between deciding to sell their property and the official start of the process; 16% delayed this decision for more than a year, nearly 30% took between two to five months, and about 14% took from six months to a year.

“As is well known, for Italians, a home is not only the best form of investment, but it is also a property that is often associated with a strong emotional connection, as it represents the achievement of family success,” says Carlo Giordano, a board member of Immobiliare.it. “It’s no surprise that among the main reasons delaying the actual placement of a home on the market after the decision to sell is emotional value, above all, rather than purely economic considerations.”

If we look at the motives, we can see that the economic factor plays a secondary role in selling one's own property: 28.4% of respondents sold their property due to the need for more space (of which about 36.5% are aged 46 to 60); for just over a quarter, the sale was due to the house not being used.

"In recent years, the concept of home has changed along with the need for more living space than before," Giordano continues. "As a result, many Italians have felt the necessity and desire to change their residence, seeking one that better meets their altered life needs: additional, multifunctional interior space and the possibility of having their own outdoor area."

Nevertheless, the market rewarded those who took the plunge: while 15% of respondents spent over a year selling their property, one in five sold theirs in two months or less (with about 70% of the sold properties located in northern Italy). And of the 38% of respondents who have not yet found a suitable buyer, more than 60% of them listed their property on the market less than six months ago.