Via Argine Secchia Sud, 12, Quistello
Via Argine Secchia Sud, 12, Quistello. Habitable, autonomo heating.
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingHabitableSee what needs doing and what each job costs
At €39,536 plus an estimated €66,200 for habitable-condition work, the effective cost is about €319/m² versus €359/m² for comparable Lombardy homes—a modest discount. The 331 m² farmhouse is described as habitable with autonomous heating, but the listing is sparse, has only five photos, and does not specify bathrooms or other key condition details.
More on the house and the area
The interiors are bright, modern, and broadly usable, with a fitted kitchen, finished flooring, heating, and contemporary bathrooms. However, the property lacks historic character or a distinctive setting, and the unfinished bathroom plus inconsistent listing details reduce confidence in true livability. At €39,536 for a reported 331 sqm, it has strong bargain appeal if the size and legal condition are accurate.
Decoration, tired fittings, a bathroom or a kitchen. The house is liveable as it stands.
Our read of the photos is €200/m². There is no published price band below €350/m², so the range is that figure widened by the spread of the lightest band.
Materials only, work you may do yourself€22,000 – €37,000
Wiring, water and sanitary work of any kind, heating, air conditioning and gas go to a registered firm by law, and so do flues and the air openings for gas appliances. That labour stays in the bill. Yours is the stripping out, plaster, paint, floors, tiling and carpentry.
Labour is 61% of a renovation price on average and 67% at the median, across 191 items of the Emilia-Romagna 2025 public price list. Materials are the rest. An averaged price list, not a quote.
Materials you buy yourself carry 22% VAT; supplied by the firm doing the work they go at the 10% renovation rate. On a €30,000 materials bill that is €3,600 of extra tax.
Household wiring installed before 13 March 1990 counts as compliant if it has a main breaker with overcurrent protection, protection against direct contact and a 30 mA RCD. Having a firm bring the existing wiring up to that and certify it is the cheapest lawful route.
- The listing facts are inconsistent with the gallery: it is described as a farmhouse with 0 bathrooms, while the photos show a modern apartment-style building.
- One bathroom appears unfinished or missing fixtures, so full move-in readiness is uncertain.
- No private garden, land, or meaningful Italian landscape view is shown; the exterior is a dense modern development.
Estimate from the listing and its photos, not a survey. Treat it as the starting point for your own quotes. An Italian builder's quote is normally written without VAT and without design fees, so add about a quarter to any figure a firm gives you.
The area around
Location score 33/100This is the central Po plain around the Secchia valley, with flat agricultural land, drainage canals and scattered farmsteads. The Secchia runs just west of Quistello, and the Po is a little farther north. Mantova is the nearest city of size, with major services and the Gonzaga city monuments, including UNESCO status for Mantova and Sabbioneta, but that is outside the immediate landscape. The area is known for irrigated farming and for the lowland economy of fields, embankments and small service centres.