He is part of the dream team that made the success of “Houses at First Sight”, a program linked to the world of real estate. Today it is said on StartupItalia: «It is difficult to reconcile the world of TV with work and private life but what satisfaction! Milan? The only Italian city that can compete with European capitals and housing is expensive there”
The issue of high rents, especially in large Italian cities such as Milan, Florence, Rome, Turin, Naples is still a topic of debate. After the protests launched by students in recent months and the tent “camps” in front of the Politecnico di Milano, prices show no signs of falling. According to recent research conducted by Idealist, Rental costs in Italy are growing. The average increase on a national scale recorded by the real estate portal is 5.3% during the first quarter of 2024, equal to 13.9% compared to the same period last year. The increase translates into an average price per square meter of 13.2 euros per month. But which are the most expensive capitals? And will the cost of rent go down in the future? For our Tuesday column dedicated to the world of real estate we talked about it with an exceptional guest, Ida Di Filippo, one of the participants in the program “House At First Sight“ broadcast on Real Time with the new season. But before we tell you what she told us, let’s look at some data.
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Where has rent increased the most in Italy?
According to Idealista research data, there were increases in 59 of the 86 capital cities monitored. The greatest increases in prices, in the first quarter of 2024, in particular were recorded at Treviso (11%), Rome (8.8%), Bergamo (7.9%), Palermo (7.5%) e Naples (7.3%). Cosenza brings up the rear (only 0.1%). Stable prices instead in Cremona and Cesena; decreasing in the other 25 capitals, especially in Agrigento (-8.2%), Sassari (-7.9%) and Avellino (-5.3%). Significant increases, but still below the national average, were also recorded in Turin (4.6%) and Bologna (3.4%). However, the data from Milan (1.7%) and Florence (1.6%) are surprising, as they have more contained rebounds. Yet both the Lombard and Tuscan capitals – which are only slightly affected by the wave of price increases – are at the top for the most expensive rents.
In which cities are the most expensive rents paid?
From Idealista’s research it emerges that Milan is the city with the most expensive rents, with a average price of 23.3 euros per square meter, followed by Florence (20.7 euros/m²), Bologna (17.2 euros/m²) and Venice (17 euros/m²). They also appear in the Top 10 of the rental rankings Rome (16.1 euro/m²) e Naples (14.7 euros/m²). Caltanissetta instead stands out for the average cost of 4.9 euros per square meter, followed by Vibo Valentia (5 euro/m²) e Reggio Calabria (5.4 euros/m²). If Milan is in pole position, Milan and in second position Florenceand, in the South, among the large capitals, Bari it is the city that has seen a greater increase in rents (18% more in 12 months) for a price per square meter of 11.7 euros. Also increasing at Naples, by 13%. But will these prices fall in the coming years? The real estate agent Ida Di Filippo answered us.
Face to face with Ida Di Filippo
Of Campania origin, Ida Di Filippo works in a real estate agency in the center of Milan. TV, for her, arrived a bit suddenly. Today, together with Gianluca Torre and Mariana D’Amico, colleagues from “Casa A Prima Vista”, she is among the television characters most loved by the public, also on social media.
Before delving into the topic of rentals, can you tell us how your experience in TV began?
It all happened very quickly and unexpectedly. Sometimes I stop for a moment and think: “I’m living a dream”. I am 42 years old and even before TV I felt fulfilled, now I have been catapulted into a world unknown to me, completely new and, at the same time, fun. My experience began with a casting that some friends convinced me to do. I simply presented myself as “myself”: in reality, I am just like on TV. After the audition, we recorded a “zero” episode with Gianluca Torre and Mariana D’Amico, which went well above all because it was, right from the start, very spontaneous.
Did you expect this positive response?
Absolutely not, it was completely unexpected, also considering that in the hour in which we are on air there are many programs that are already very established. None of us three expected such success but none of us ever stopped believing that it could even be possible. Less than a year after its broadcast, it is a priceless satisfaction. I ended up on TV a bit by chance and I’m really enjoying it, I always have a lot of fun and I never stop dreaming. A good feeling was created between us and we became friends, even if Mariana on TV will never admit it. (ed laugh)
What do you believe were the keys to your success?
I think we work because we do something real, without frills. On TV people want to see authenticity and I really believe that the secret of our success was, first and foremost, simplicity and authenticity. We don’t have a precise script, we go a bit off the cuff and, furthermore, our target is not well defined: we are followed by teenagers, families and the over-65s. Now it happens that when I leave the real estate agency where I work, they stop me on the street asking me for a selfie or an autograph, some of them hug me. It’s really a great satisfaction.
How did you manage to combine your commitment on TV with your work?
Combining my work with television in the first few months was very hard and I have to thank my colleagues who have done and are doing so much to help me and support me. Sometimes it happens that we record even 4 days a week and it is very complicated to organize work appointments. And then, in addition to this, there is also private life, an aspect that I don’t want to neglect.
Moving on to the topic of high rents, do you think prices in Milan will drop?
I will respond first of all with a premise: Milan is the only Italian city that tends to resemble the large European capitals and tries to follow in the footsteps of London and Paris, maintaining very high standards. If you want a house in central London or Paris, you’ll pay dearly for it. This is the price of a city that offers so many opportunities and when investors come from all over the world, it is a natural consequence. At the same time, we are seeing mortgage rates rise and, for this reason, fewer people are thinking about buying and are flocking to renting.
In your opinion, isn’t there also a theme of speculation?
I won’t go into the merits but I recognize that, especially for those who are students who still don’t have a job, living and supporting themselves in Milan is very complicated, but from a market point of view what is happening cannot be a bubble. Milan is a city that always tends to improve itself, through continuous redevelopment of neighborhoods and an increasingly wider range of services. Who doesn’t want a house in Milan? This city offers everything you want: if you want a tech house it’s there, if you like living in a historic area, you’ll find the historic house. All this, however, has a cost.
What do you think of the EU green homes directive?
Italy is a nation that boasts a long-standing history. There are cities like Rome or Florence where redeveloping some houses as class A is effectively impossible. Perhaps the directive can be applied to new houses, or those under construction, but not to historic buildings. I have also followed acquisitions of historic homes and, sometimes, when you go to do work to increase the energy class you realize that reaching certain parameters, in certain contexts, is just not possible.
In closing, in your opinion, why do so many viewers follow your program?
Aside from the fact that we’re nice (ed laughter), I think the program itself has value from a practical point of view, helping people understand what you need to look at when you enter a house that could potentially be yours. Furthermore, it has allowed the category of real estate brokers and agents to return to the fore. We Italians have a bit of “the brick culture” within us, we are curious about this world by our nature. To think that Immobiliare.it, just to give an example, is among the most visited sites after midnight.
