There can’t be many of us who’d turn down the opportunity to live in a quaint little house in a quaint little town somewhere in the European countryside. Luckily, that chance has just arisen – and it might be a little more affordable than you think.
The French town of Saint-Amand-Montrond, down the road from Bourges in central France, has announced it is selling a two-bedroom house for just €1, and it’s looking for prospective buyers.
That’s right, for just €1 (that’s a measly 85p) you could acquire an entire property. It has a living room, kitchen and loo on the ground floor, plus two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, along with a courtyard and a garage. Not too shabby, right?
Well, it is a little shabby. While the asking price of €1 is probably kicking around in your pocket somewhere, what you’ll be buying is a bit of a fixer-upper. The house hasn’t been lived in for 12 years, and the town hall estimates the cost of renovating to be a whopping €127,800 (£109,000).
But don’t let that burst your très chic bubble – much like the homes that have gone up for sale in Sicily and Sant’Elia a Pianisi over the last couple of years, you won’t have to cover the costs of all those works yourself.
François Blondieau, the town’s deputy in charge of urban planning, told Ouest France that the town would offer the new owner ‘significant subsidies’ towards the renovations.
Applications to buy the house opened on April 1 and will close on June 15. Prospective buyers can pay the place a visit between May 15 and the closing date, with the successful applicant expected to sign the deeds in January 2025, and have the work completed by July 2028.
There is just one other catch – this offering is a bid to attract more permanent residents, so a select committee will be stipulating and rejecting any applications from people looking for a second home. The expectation is that you’ll live in the house permanently, for at least a decade.
Though it’s small (with a population of just over 9,000) Saint-Amand-Montrond has a lot to offer. It’s home to an eleventh-century church as well as a Cite de l’Or - Pyramide des Métiers d’Art, a quirky, futuristic-looking concert hall.
So, if you like the sound of living in this little French town for the next ten years, you can add your application into the mix right here.
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