Casa indipendente SP44 & SP50, Portella Castanea Messina ME
Asta casa indipendente a Messina (ME) [SY561874] SP44 SP50, loc. Portella di Castanea 98155 Messina ME, Italia Casa indipendente con piscina e corte di pertinenza SP44 SP50, loc. Portella di Castanea 98155 Messina ME, composta da: a) una unità immobiliare (appartamento a civile abitazione), zona cens. 2, classe 11,…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Livable, but something basic is worn out
In the listingHabitable- Sold at judicial auction
See what needs doing and what each job costs
This is explicitly a judicial auction listing ('Asta', 'asta giudiziaria'), which is an automatic veto regardless of the very low €189/m² versus the €445/m² baseline. The ad also states photos may not correspond to the property, so despite sea proximity and large size, it is not a standard retail home purchase.
More on the house and the area
The only convincing positives from the photos are the sizeable plot and a pool/courtyard setup in a green area near Messina. But there are no trustworthy real interior images, and much of the gallery is clearly promotional or stock material, so the home's beauty and actual livable condition are largely unverified. As a dream-home listing it has weak wow because the usable reality is too uncertain.
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€17,000 – €28,000
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.
- Listing explicitly says published photos may not correspond to the actual property.
- Interior photos appear to be generic stock/render images, so condition and character inside are unproven.
- Roadside/junction position looks exposed and not especially peaceful.
- Auction sale adds practical/legal complexity and possible uncertainty about occupancy or status.
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 55/100The cluster is inside the built-up area of Messina on the Strait of Messina, with the Peloritani mountains rising immediately behind the city. The coast here is the urban waterfront of the strait rather than a resort shore. The nearest substantial town is Messina itself, with a major port, ferry links to Calabria, a university, hospitals and full city services. This stretch of the strait is known for ferry traffic and for the narrow sea passage between Sicily and the Italian mainland.