Looking for a new home in Italy – part 8

'La pratica va avanti, the file is progressing!'
How many times had we heard this reassuring statement? Even Roberto used it when he saw that we were once again near despair, and tired of waiting.
'The most important thing is that we always take a step forward,' he said several times and then we only thought How much longer? because a snail also moves forward, but so slowly.

After we reached an agreement with the bank manager about a mortgage of 280.000 euros, with a fixed interest rate and a term of 15 years, this still had to be approved by the Board of Directors. However, that was a formality, Roberto told us on Tagliaferri's authority, because the practice had long since been pre-cooked by the board of directors.

At the previous meeting, the local bank manager promised that he would send our file immediately and that it would come in dieci, al limite quindici giorni green light would follow, either: la delibera, the release. Unfortunately, after two weeks we still hadn't heard anything. Had the bank manager just not let us know or was there really none yet resolution? Again and again those uncertainties, it was nerve-wracking.

Now even the optimist Roberto was getting too excited and he called Tagliaferri again to tell him the truth this time clearly in an un-Italian way.
'We've been working for five months, Tagliaferri, and we always deliver immediately what you need, even documents that are actually irrelevant. Even the valuation report has been in your possession for weeks now. Now it's time for you to give something back! It can no longer be like this.'

Tagliaferri had to agree with him. He promised to call head office himself to find out how our practice was standing (va avanti?) and let us know immediately. That 'immediate' turned out to be a flexible term because he only called back after a few excruciatingly slow days. But this morning he finally came with the happy announcement that the mortgage application was through. There was just one little thing…

Men, from the High floors, says Tagliaferri, wanted us to buy the land first before the mortgage deed would be passed. But we didn't have the money for that! This issue has been going on since the first meeting at our home in early November. I remember it well, it was a long time ago, somewhere in the dark past, the almost disappeared and forgotten year 2020…

In order to make the bank a bit nicer and to win over, we stated at the time that we had already bought the land. Which was not true as we only had a compromise, signed a preliminary purchase contract, with a substantial down payment of 20.000 euros, more than a third of the purchase price. The defenitive deed, transfer and passage at the notary, we had postponed because we lacked the necessary cash. We couldn't buy the land until we had the mortgage. Pretending to the bank that we could, was pure bluff.

• 

• 

Unfortunately, the local bank manager kept coming back to it and Roberto (we had put him forward as spokesman to do this delicate job; we ourselves sat there nodding dutifully but looking perplexed) to admit that the although the sale was almost complete, there was an unexpected delay. A very credible excuse that you can always come up with in Italy. Completely at the Bank of Piacenza, expert in delaying tactics.

'The money is there, but it is in the bank in the Netherlands and the significant (so we) prefer not to use that ability,' Roberto added a little more to the excuse. 'At the moment it is easier and faster to use a small part of the mortgage for that.'

The bank manager fell for it and the problem we created ourselves seemed to be solved. Until Tagliaferri came up with it again on behalf of the general management. To us, that is mouthpiece (spokesperson) Roberto, the task of dismantling this bomb under the mortgage. He had to convince the bank manager again that the purchase of the land was no problem, but would only happen after the mortgage deed had been signed. If necessary on the same day, but after.

We first waited patiently for the bank manager to call us with the festive news about the mortgage application. We did not show that we were already aware of this so as not to give the director the feeling that everything had been arranged behind his back. Which was the case. No, we really had to befriend him now.
Tringgg. There you had him. Just when we were in the car, after a visit to the land that we already more or less owned. Roberto put on his sweetest voice.
'Oh, good, good. E anche prima del previsto.'

Nico and I frowned at each other through the rear-view mirror. The approval of the mortgage application, faster than expected? You can also exaggerate, Roberto.
"Ah," Roberto said afterwards, "when you've finally gotten what you want from someone, you should pet him like he's your dog." Good, Bello, good.

From the answers that Roberto gave after the first message from the bank manager, we concluded that he did indeed bring up the purchase of the land again. Would our months of torture end up here at the last minute? Fortunately, Roberto remained very calm.

'We see"It'll be fine," he said confidently. 'We'll go there tomorrow morning and see what's possible. I made it clear to him last time that we don't want to use money from the Netherlands, but part of the mortgage sum, so he can't go back on that.'

I wasn't so sure. Was the head office's opinion not decisive here? We had no money from the Netherlands at all, so if the High floors stood our ground, we should have passed the cap. Crowdfunding, just like the participants of the most recent I leaveepisodes we used to gloat about.

'You go on such an adventure without thought and if you are short of money, act pathetic and start begging? Come on!' we judged, masters on the lower wall, mercilessly, slumped lazily on the sofa, about the stupidity of the TV emigrants. And now it was our turn! The knot that was already around my stomach pulled itself even tighter. Tomorrow to the bank manager… Glance at infinity, mind at zero, what was that in Italian?

There we were again in front of the mudguard at the director's office. We followed the discussion between him and Roberto again with squeezing buttocks. Fortunately, the director was willing to come to a solution. As long as we had the land purchase deed passed on the same day as the mortgage, then there was no problem. And not even if we were to sign the mortgage deed first, in the morning for example, so that we could use part of the money later in the day to buy the land.

'No problem,' said the director to our relief. 'I'll bring the check with the required amount to the notary.'
wow! What a sudden helpfulness! Good Bello, good!

If we were to engage a civil-law notary right away, we would soon have our mortgage and land in our hands… Fortunately, we had been smart enough to check with a notary yesterday. One that, according to Roberto, would be willing to give us some priority.

Signing the mortgage deed was therefore a matter of a few weeks at the most, wasn't it? We looked at Roberto hopefully. But he was silent. It wasn't until we thanked the bank manager and stood outside that Roberto responded to our expression of hope.
'C'è un piccolo problema,' he growled. "There's a little problem."

'What then?' we cried in unison.

'The passage of the deed of sale of the land can be done on the same day as that of the mortgage,' whispered Roberto, 'but not at the same notary…'

🇮🇹Reading tip: Want to read more fun stories about life in Italy? You can find it in the three parts 'Italiaanse Status' by Stef Smulders, available at bol.com.