Buying a property can put a hole in the wallet, especially with the inclination in the cost due to population in contrast with the area remaining, and the market growth. In the pricey world, it is unusual to find a deal as low as what this Brazilian ex-pat woman signed for.
Rubia Daniels, a 49-year-old woman residing in California, bought three abandoned houses for only $3.30 (which roughly comes out to be Rs 270). She bought the houses in 2019 and is finally fixing them up.
Daniels, who works in the solar industry, heard about Italy offering dirt-cheap prices for abandoned houses in a bid to repopulate far-flung towns in the country. Upon hearing the news, Daniels felt a special spark that prompted her to act on her hunch.
She told Insider, “I was so amazed. It was one of those things where you have to see it to make sure it’s true. I did my research, and within three days I had my plane ticket, a rental car, the hotel, and I left.”
Soon, Rubia left for Mussomeli to look at the properties and finalize the deal.
Notably, located near the center of Sicily, Mussomeli is an island off the mainland of Italy- a small town of some 10,000 inhabitants.
The pandemic may have hit Italy really badly, affecting its population drastically, the country was facing issues even before the tragedy.
Italy was combating a serious issue of dwindling population and was offering staggering prices for its empty towns. For instance, back in 2019, the Sicilian town of Sambuca di Sicilia was selling houses for as little as $1 in an effort to revitalize the area.