Good grief. Try this idiot on for size:
A woman who bought THREE of Italy’s €1 houses has warned of the real price of renovating the bargain-priced properties.
Solar consultant and business owner, Rubia Daniels, took up the fantastic offer in Mussomeli, Sicily – but quickly realised that it would total a MASSIVE €60,000.
No doubt she thought that the houses were going to be in pristine Islington-style condition, and that she could just move in and start enjoying the bargain. (She bought the other two for her children, by the way.)
Of course, what she got for her $3.90 were three houses that were in a state of disrepair approaching write-off — hence the low price — in a dying village without, say, a Home Depot (US) or Homebase (UK) outlet anywhere nearby.
And frankly, even if the whole tripartite reno does cost €60,000 she’ll still have three houses that cost €20,001 each, in this place:
…which quite frankly looks like any shithole town in Sicily where even €1 is too much to pay.
I think I remember some whiny bitches in the wake of Oprah’s big giveaway – you mean I have to pay TAXES on this shit!? I don’t have that kind of money!
The Stupid is strong with them.
Never been there, so I’m curious as to what makes a town in Sicily a shithole? Are they missing something good, or do they have too much of some bad thing(s)?
Most towns in Sicily are in a state of disrepair: crumbling walls, streets full of potholes, failing infrastructure (e.g. water, electricity and as for wifi…). Add to that NYFC-type crime rates in the larger towns, or (like Mussomeli) desertion by most of the young people for parts far away… there’s a reason that the towns’ governments are trying top bribe people like this fool woman to buy old, broken houses for pennies and rehab them.
Remote, no decent paying jobs, lacking infrastructure.
Basically for generations these villages have been shedding their young population faster than they can get replenished, to the point they’re almost completely deserted.
That aside though, if it only takes 20k Euro to renovate one of those houses to where it’s decent, it might well be a good deal.
I’ve heard from other parts of Italy having the same problem and similar offerings that they require a guarantee that the buyer has at least 150k Euro to spend on renovation.
It’s almost impossible to cheat an honest person. An honest person would look at this opportunity to get something for nothing, realize that doesn’t happen, and look for the catch. A dishonest person sees an opportunity to get something for nothing and doesn’t look any further.
Two old classified (remember them?) ads in newspapers (how about them) come to mind:
“Time is running out to send me $5.” Accompanied by an PO Box.
“Send $5 for a genuine .25 pt diamond. ” Again with a PO box.
A point is 1/100 of a karat, so .25 pt is 1/400 kt, meaning a spec of diamond dust.
In neither case was there fraud, the first never promised anything, the second would mail you a bit of diamond dust taped to a piece of paper.
Hmmm, Sicilia is not the ugliest place in the world and 20K Euro is not that much for a home to retire in the sun. Providing of course that you can mind your how ” Business ” and not that of the locals.