In Milan the property year has two starts: January and September. The second is often the liveliest: families have decided over the summer, companies relocate managers, international buyers return to the city. Those who want to sell in autumn have an advantage if they reach September ready.
1. Documents first
It is the least glamorous step and the most decisive. A home with its paperwork in order sells faster and negotiates better. You need:
- Title deed, cadastral records and floor plan, up to date.
- A check of planning and cadastral compliance: small discrepancies, if discovered late, can derail a completion.
- The energy performance certificate, required just to publish the listing.
- Condominium rules, latest accounts and minutes, with any approved works.
- System certifications, where available.
August, with quieter offices, is a good moment to hand them to a surveyor.
2. Small works
There is no need to renovate. What is needed is to remove what distracts: a damp stain, a door that does not close, a dead bulb, a wall to repaint. Visitors notice the flaws first and the qualities after. For those living in the home they are selling, 2026 is also the last year of the 50 per cent deduction on works in a main residence.
3. The home on show
Fewer objects, more light. Photographs and viewings should tell the story of the spaces, not of who lives there. Often it is enough to tidy, remove some furniture, choose textiles well. In prime homes professional staging almost always pays for itself.
A home is sold twice: first in the photographs, then when the door opens.
4. The price
It is the decision that matters most. A price that is too high at the start is the surest way to sell later and for less: careful buyers look at how long a property has been on the market. It is better to start from a valuation based on real sales in the area, not on listings.
5. Timing
If everything is ready by mid-September, the first viewings come when demand is highest. Those starting in October find a market still good; those starting in November risk overlapping with the holidays.
September in Milan is the month of new beginnings. It applies to homes too: arriving prepared makes all the difference.
Real estate advisor · Milan