Palazzo - Edificio in Laureana di Borrello
Immobile 1* Piano Cat a/3 classe 2 consistenza vani 5+1 superficie catastale totale 114 mq via Giuseppe arimondi nr.35 piano 1 e 2; 1 piano: Camera da letto, cameretta, camera, soggiorno, cucina abitabile, bagno, 2 balconi; libero già abitabile
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingHabitable- On the market for a long time
See what needs doing and what each job costs
At €50,000 for 114 sqm, the ask is €439/sqm; with a habitable allowance of about €200/sqm, the effective cost is roughly €639/sqm versus a low-stock baseline of €376/sqm in Calabria, so it does not screen as cheap. The listing says already habitable and has 12 photos, but it has been on the market for 657 days, which is a strong negative and caps confidence.
More on the house and the area
This is a real, usable home rather than a shell: full rooms, kitchen, bathroom, flooring, stairs and balconies are all in place. The appeal is mostly practical, with a long balcony and a slight sea glimpse down the street, but the overall look is plain and quite dated. At €50k for 114 sqm it has value, yet it feels more like a solid budget base than a dream-home scroll stopper.
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€8,000 – €13,000
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.
- Very dated interiors and finishes throughout
- Facade and balconies look tired and need maintenance
- Only one bathroom shown
- Sea glimpse is distant rather than a true panoramic view
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 52/100The cluster is on the Gioia Tauro plain with the first slopes of the Aspromonte close to the east. The Petrace river runs to the south-east of this area, and the Tyrrhenian coast around Gioia Tauro, Palmi and San Ferdinando is about 15 km away. Aspromonte National Park begins farther inland beyond the lower hill towns, so it is not at the door here. The nearest town of size is Gioia Tauro, with port and rail services; Palmi is the other main nearby centre with the services of a substantial town. This part of the plain is known for olive groves and citrus cultivation.