The home is no longer just an asset or an investment, it represents an experience, and this is even more so the case with luxury homes. We do not merely purchase a home; we purchase the “pleasure of living”, or what we expect to be able to live within the home.

How do we translate this need into the search for a prestigious home?

It is an actual journey, starting with identification of the neighbourhood in which one wants to live (which must be well-served), looks at location (which should have a unique personality) and, lastly, focuses on the property, which now more than ever must have the essential characteristic of “brightness”, increasingly important due to the greater amount of time that we spend at home, even during times unheard of in the past.

An increasingly lived in home, even by different people throughout the course of the day, which opens up to a multitude of functions and to greater liveliness.

During the first half of 2018, the prestigious properties market in Milan and Rome confirmed the recovery observed in 2017. In particular, Milan’s freehold segment showed the greatest activity, while Rome recorded increased stability, although with differences based on zone. Prices are confirmed as essentially stable compared to the prior half-year in both cities, albeit with a slight positive trend in Milan and a slight decline in Rome.

Average sales times in Milan are confirmed at around 5-6 months, while the time necessary to complete negotiations in Rome amounts to 7 months. In Milan, the average discount decreased, although only slightly, to 10%, while the situation in Rome appears to be unchanged with an average discount of about 13-14%.