Villa unifamiliare in Garbagna
OTTIMA OCCASIONE - ASTA IMMOBILIARE Proprietà di un’immobile abitativo e di un fabbricato ex rurale. L’immobile a uso abitativo, su tre livelli, risulta composto da: ingresso e cantine al piano terra; cucina, soggiorno, ripostiglio, W.C al primo piano; tre camere da letto al secondo piano. Il fabbricato ex rurale, su…
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 "asta immobiliare" (judicial auction), which is a veto red flag regardless of the low ask. The habitable house plus ex-rural storage buildings at €45,001 for 187 sqm looks cheap on paper, but auction risk makes it a trap for this catalog.
More on the house and the area
The ivy-draped stone-and-ochre facade has real storybook charm, and the old rural character is the main wow here. It is not a ruin: the main house shows stairs, floors, a bathroom and usable rooms, but interiors are plain and tired, so this feels like a livable house needing significant refreshing rather than a dream move-in home. The low price for 187 sqm boosts the appeal.
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€12,000 – €21,000
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 look basic and dated rather than attractive.
- The ex-rural outbuilding appears to be storage/barn space, not ready living area.
- Overgrown exterior and ivy suggest maintenance and likely renovation work.
- Auction sale: due diligence on documents and occupancy is important.
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 66/100The cluster is in the hills of the Val Grue, on the Ligurian Apennine side of south-east Piedmont. The Grue stream runs through the valley and the Curone and Borbera valleys are nearby. The nearest larger town is Tortona, which has rail services, shops and the main everyday services for the area. Garbagna is listed among I Borghi più belli d'Italia. This part of the province is known for mixed wooded hills, small valleys, hazelnuts, vineyards and quiet stone villages rather than for a single dominant landmark.