We’re not normally ones to question a good thing, but could it be that there are too many incredibly beautiful Sicilian hilltop towns selling houses for €1?
Following €1 houses going on sale in the towns of Salemi and Troina, now Sambuca di Sicilia is preparing to put some dilapidated properties on the market for less than the price of a cannolo. Fifteen new houses in the ancient hilltop town will hit the market soon, according to the Daily Telegraph.
In fact, this is the third time Sambuca has made the offer available. From early 2019, it put 17 houses on the market at €1 each. Unsurprisingly, the municipality had thousands of enquiries about the properties from all over the world – including from Sopranos and ‘Goodfellas’ actress Lorraine Bracco, who made a TV show about her renovation of one of the houses.
There was a catch: the €1 figure was a minimum price. As with other similar sales, the houses are sold at auction. The most expensive in Sambuca went for €25,000, according to CTV.
Buyers also had to spend a minimum of €15,000 renovating each property, and post a €5,000 deposit until renovations were complete. Bracco, who has Sicilian roots, described her house thus: ‘There was a dirt floor, caving in walls, there was a bamboo roof, no plumbing, no electricity…’ Sounds like a bit of a fixer-upper.
However, now that the €1 house market is getting more competitive, some towns have started offering generous subsidies and bonuses to buyers to help them get the renovations done. Despite being drop-dead gorgeous and handily close to Palermo, Sambuca might have some serious competition.
Still, a house in Italy for less than €45,000 upfront (that’s £40,000 or $55,000)? We’ll admit it doesn’t sound like a terrible idea right now.
And if you’re looking for a new life somewhere less remote, these are officially the best cities to move to in 2021.