Villa unifamiliare in San Marco Argentano
OTTIMA OCCASIONE - ASTA IMMOBILIARE Fabbricato su 4 livelli: piano seminterrato, con 3 magazzini non rifiniti, attualmente adibiti a deposito; piano terra con 3 locali intercomunicanti; unità immobiliare ad uso abitativo al piano primo con 3 vani ampi (2 camere da letto, soggiorno-pranzo) forniti di balcone, vano…
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 an judicial auction ('ASTA IMMOBILIARE'), which is a veto red flag for this catalog. Even though the ask is low at €149/m² versus a €267/m² baseline, auction risk overrides pricing and keeps the score in trap territory.
More on the house and the area
The tall old stone building has some village character and a pleasing historic facade, with arched details and a distinctive tower-like presence. But the photo evidence is dominated by rough storage rooms and cluttered interiors rather than a ready home, so this feels more like a big restoration/clear-out project than an immediately dreamable place to live. The price is striking for the size, but the wow is held back by livability.
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€24,000 – €40,000
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.
- Interiors shown are mostly storage/magazzino spaces, cluttered and not presentation-ready.
- Condition looks well below the 'habitable' label in the photos, with significant refurbishment/clearing likely needed.
- No bathroom or kitchen is clearly shown in usable condition.
- Auction sale: documentation and actual status should be checked carefully.
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 area sits on inland hills of the Crati valley, with cultivated slopes, olive groves and scattered woods. The Esaro valley is nearby, and the Pollino massif rises farther to the north within the wider provincial landscape, but not inside the immediate 15 km setting. San Marco Argentano itself is a small historic hill town with a Norman tower and an old centre. The nearest larger town is Cosenza, which has full services, rail connections and the main urban functions for this part of Calabria. This part of northern Calabria is known for hill agriculture, olive oil and small historic centres rather than for a single standout natural feature close by.