What is an Italian Estate Agent
below are two links that explain it in Italian and in reality you should get a good grasp of the rules and regulations as to who is allowed to help you in a property purchase here its worth sitting with a dictionary and going through this before jumping on aeroplane
The legal definition in brief in English
Under Italian law an agent must be registered with the local Chamber of Commerce, and should also lodge with the local Chamber of Commerce a specimen of his draft terms and conditions of business. This will involve some form of supervision, and ensure a minimum of professional qualifications. Where the agent is not registered, he will be liable to fines and other penalties and, more importantly, may not be entitled to the commission on the sale of Italian real estate.
simple rules
The prospective buyer should also ask for an invoice, a written receipt and a written statement expressly indicating that any payment effected by the foreign buyer is on account of the purchase price for the property in question and will be returned if the transaction is not progressed. Payments in cash should be avoided as it is illegal to effect any payments in cash in excess of Euro 12,500 for each transaction in Italy, under current money-laundering regulations. Any breach could result in heavy fines and criminal prosecution.
A typical trick
Other restrictive clauses may be included in the documentation submitted for signature to the foreign buyer, such as limitations of liability, lack of any legal commitments on the part of the seller, etc. The presence of these one-sided clauses is usually shown by the tell tale request to sign the same document twice. This is a requirement of Italian law for unfair, unbalanced or unusual clauses, and should be a warning to the foreign buyer not to sign the particular document, without legal advice.