Villetta a schiera in Via Umberto I 157
Splendido Appartamento al Piano Terra con Terrazzo e Giardino nella tranquillità di Contrada Pace a Gaggi, in provincia di Messina. Proponiamo in vendita un'ampia e confortevole soluzione residenziale situata al piano terra, immersa nella tranquillità di Contrada Pace a Gaggi. La proprietà si sviluppa su una superficie…
What it really costs
Can you move in?
Move in as it is
Condition not stated in the listingSee what needs doing and what each job costs
At €119,000 (129 m²) the listing is €922/m² and even after a modest €200/m² refresh the effective price is €1,123/m² versus the regional median of €445/m², so this is priced well above market. The ad advertises a “splendido” ground-floor apartment with 47 photos and sea 1 km, but the description names Gaggi (Messina) while the listing field says Catania, which is contradictory.
More on the house and the area
Spacious, intact ground-floor apartment with a very large living room and multiple glazed verandas overlooking greenery — clearly livable today. The layout and outdoor space give good potential, but the interior is dated and needs cosmetic updating and decluttering to feel like a dream home.
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€9,000 – €14,000
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.
- Dated, 1970s–80s interior style — needs modernization.
- Rooms are lived-in and cluttered in photos; decluttering and refurbishment required.
- Glazed verandas currently used as storage and would need work to become true terraces or living space.
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 55/100This is inside the built-up area of Catania on the Ionian coast, at the foot of Mount Etna. The Simeto plain lies immediately to the south and west, and the lower Etna slopes begin just inland. Catania has a large historic centre with major Baroque monuments and the city functions of a provincial capital, including a university, port and airport. Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage site and active volcano, dominates the landscape; the southern access roads to the Etna area and its ski lifts run up from the city side, with Rifugio Sapienza roughly an hour's drive away. The coast here is urban waterfront rather than a distinct scenic shore.