An Australian couple chasing a mortgage-free life overseas have been dealt two unexpected blows to their plans, both entirely out of their control.
Sophie Bouali made headlines earlier this year after posting a video detailing how she and her tradie husband, Adam, purchased a property in Italy for the price of a luxury ute.
The couple secured the two-bedroom residence near Tuscany for $90,000 and had expected to swiftly offload their Queensland home as part of their relocation plans.
However, a downturn in the Australian property market and a setback in Bouali securing her Italian citizenship have meant the couple needed to change tack.
“The original plan was to move straight to Italy once I received my Italian citizenship, which we were expecting in August 2026,” she told nine.com.au.
“As that still hasn’t come through, we’ve decided to sell our house and move in with family in Perth while we wait.”
While Bouali admitted they expected a much quicker sale, it hasn’t played out as hoped.
“It’s definitely taken longer than we anticipated,” she said.
“Unfortunately, the timing of listing our house coincided with another interest rate rise and a shift in the property market.
“We’ve had plenty of interest, but I think a lot of buyers are being more cautious given the current climate.”
She recalled how they bought their house in Brisbane during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when properties were selling at the first home opening.
“We even bought our house off-market. There was so much demand,” she said.
“But now the market has shifted, so it’s a lot different and stressful selling in a buyer’s market. Even though it’s taken a bit longer than expected, the feedback and turn out at opens has been positive so that’s reassuring.”
Australia’s auction market has been thrown into reverse, with Cotality data revealing capital city clearance rates have again fallen below 50 per cent.
Across the nation’s capitals, 1882 auctions were held this week, a 33.1 per cent rise on the previous week, but still 41.8 per cent lower than the same time last year.
C oupled with this, the Reserve Bank of Australia recently lifted the cash rate to 4.60 per cent, with yet another rate hike expected in November.
Despite the unexpected setbacks, Bouali understands that now it’s just about patience.
“ There’s no hard deadline,” she said, referring to the couple’s Italian move.
“We’ve been talking about moving to Italy for years, so having a goal date always felt like a good way to keep ourselves accountable and make sure we were actually working towards it.
“At this point, it’s really just a matter of waiting for my citizenship to come through. Once it does, we’ll be ready to go.”
Their journey to move to Italy began in late 2023 as a casual scroll through overseas listings.
It eventually led them to a small town of around 6000 people, within reach of Rome and close to Tuscany’s southern border.
From the couple’s calculations, living costs in smaller Italian towns can be significantly lower than in Australia – in some cases by around 30 per cent – making the prospect of a mortgage-free life far more achievable.
As for what awaits the couple: a move-in-ready home that spans three levels.
Upstairs are two bedrooms, one with a balcony, the other with its own powder room, while the main level includes an open-plan kitchen and a renovated bathroom. The ground floor includes a garage, cellar and laundry.
The home features traditional touches like terrazzo floors and exposed timber beams.
The property is currently being rented out.
“We’re lucky to have an amazing property agent who helped us purchase the house and is now helping us manage the rental side of things, so we have someone we trust looking after it in the meantime,” Bouali said.
Reflecting on their decision, Bouali said if she could approach the move differently, she would take more time to build a financial buffer.
“We bought the house right at the top of our budget, which was a bit stressful at the time. Thankfully, everything has worked out, but having some extra money set aside would have given us more flexibility and peace of mind if unexpected costs came up,” she said.
“I’d probably tell myself to be a little more patient and make sure we had a bigger financial buffer.”
She added that buying property overseas “is a big learning experience”.
Bouali has previously spoken about the additional costs buyers need to factor in, such as purchase taxes, notary fees, property inspections and agent fees.
She said in their case, those costs came to about $18,000.
“I think having that extra breathing room would have made the whole process feel a little less daunting,” she said.
Yet, there’s always a silver lining.
“It’s a happy change of plans though because we get to spend time with family that live on the other side of the country,” she said.
“And experience a city I haven’t lived in before. Plus, we can fly directly from Perth to Rome once we’re ready.”
As for how the couple plans to support themselves financially, Adam sold his electrical business in 2025 and now co-runs Sophie’s language education business.
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