Many people get in the real estate business for the financial opportunity. The truth is that it can be a grind, with long hours, emotional clients and little downtime. Those of us that stay in Real Estate tend to have a passion for, not only the business, but for the homes themselves.
When we decided to take our family to Italy for 12 days and 3 cities, we thought a lot about the logistics. With 3 children (young adults, really, at 22, 19 and 16), the thought of hotel stays was not particularly appealing.
I was discussing this with a friend of mine when she mentioned an apartment concierge service that she had used in Italy,
Italy Perfect. We spent some time on their website and were able to sub-let a 2 bedroom apartment in Rome, with a pull-out couch, for 5 days. The cost was much less than we would have spent for hotel rooms (we are way passed smashing in to a single room).
For a Realtor, renting an apartment was even better than just the added convenience. I had a first-hand opportunity to experience housing in a European city! The place that we rented had air-conditioning, a kitchen, a washer (no dryer, as is common in Europe), 2 bathrooms and a lovely roof-top deck (great for hanging the clothes out to dry). In my jet-lagged state, I managed to neglect to take any photos of this apartment, but have provided the link to
DANZA, Rome, Italy.
It was a great experience for my kids to see that hiking up 4 stories to an upper level apartment with no dryer and a combination shower-toilet area (dubbed a sh** & shower by my oldest who ran into this when traveling in South America) , is not uncommon in European cities. While this particular apartment did have an elevator, we only used it for arrival and departure with our bags. At all other times, we used the stairs--a great way to work off some of the fantastic food and wine.
With the internet, it is now easier than ever to stay in local housing and avoid using hotels. With sites like
Italy Perfect,
Windows on Italy (in my next post),
VRBO and numerous home swapping sites (I have no specific experience with these), it is easy to find the right place for your travels and group. Be sure to do your homework and take the appropriate steps to protect yourself when ever using a private rental or home-swapping site. If you do it properly, however, it can lend an additional level of learning and a unique experience to your travel, both at home and abroad.
Later, I will be posting another blog about our apartment in Florence--and this one I have pictures.
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3 Comments on Italy Travel, perfect for a Realtor!
Very cool! I have often thought there has to be a better way than staying in a hotel for a trip like that. Now I know!
Very cool! I have wanted to travel to Florence because I have heard nothing but that it is just gorgeous. Some day!
Hi Holly - Mary & I have been renting houses and apartments in Europe for almost 20 years now, and we have always been very pleased with the properties and the affordability. And it gives you a completely different experience than staying in a hotel. With so many places available over the internet, it is important to do adequate research, but it's actually pretty easy to find the good ones.
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