I bought a €1 house in Italy and it was NOT what I expected

ITALY'S €1 houses have hit the headlines in recent years, where run down Italian towns sell off dilapidated properties for the bargain price.

However, with many costing more than they say, and lots needing a full renovation, many Brits have spoken out about their experience of buying the €1 houses.


Danny McCubbin, 58, originally lived in London 17 years working for Jamie Oliver.

However, he decided to buy one of the €1 houses after reading about them in Sicily, where he initially raised €25,000 to convert it into a community food project.

He told the Mail Online: "I liked the fact that the whole process was very clear and transparent."

However, he was forced to sell it soon after and has warned of all of the problems he ran into – including paying to register the property and the legal fees, which can cost thousands.

He also faced soaring building costs and a lack of builders being available due to the pandemic.

After realising he wouldn't have enough money for the conversion, he sold the house back for €1 – but lost €3,000 in the process.

It wasn't all bad – he said he had "no regrets" having found other properties since and has since met new people and now has Italian residency

Other Brits had much more luck with the €1 scheme.

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Jose Ramos, 43, from Milton Keynes, bought two of the €1 houses pre-Covid, one of which has already been renovated.

He said he has since gone on to buy another two which will become holiday homes.

The two things that helped? Speaking the language – thanks to his mother – and doing some of the building work himself.

He said: "I was able to find workers by asking around [in Italian]."

Other success stories include 73-year-old Eli Halawani from Israel who bought a huge €2 house, with plans to convert it to a B&B, while Tonia and Steve Brauer from California bought a property, who did it up and sold it to move to a newer part of town.

Solar consultant and business owner, Rubia Daniels, bought and renovated three €1 properties in Mussomeli, Sicily, but warned that the renovations are likely to run to tens of thousands of pounds.

She said: "People need to have a level of reality, if you sell me a house for €1, I know I'm going to have to fix it.

"They're revitalizing the town and that's why the house is coming to you for €1. Then, you have to do the work."

Here is everything you need to know about buying and renovating a €1 house in Italy.



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