California, United States

A woman, who hails from California, United States, bought three abandoned houses in a small town in Italy for just $3.30 and is now busy renovating the properties, as per a report published by the New York Post.

49-year-old Rubia Daniels became interested in the properties when she learned that they are being offered by the country at a low cost to repopulate deserted villages located in remote areas.

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Steal deal

The three abandoned houses were bought by her in 2019. Daniels stated that she was left "amazed" by the idea and was curious to know if it was true.

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"I did my research, and within three days I had my plane ticket, a rental car, and the hotel, and I left," she said while speaking to Insider.

The three empty properties were bought by the woman for only $1.10 each by the end of her 10-day tour to Mussomeli which is a small village in Sicily in July 2019.

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The sale and purchase of abandoned properties were confirmed by a representative of Case 1 Euro, which was in charge of the Mussomeli housing development.

The woman now has different plans for each of the three buildings which she owns in Mussomeli. Daniels said that she will use the first house for residential purposes whenever she visits the town.

The second house will be converted by her into an art gallery so that she can "give back to the community" and the third property will be renovated into a wellness centre, which she considers as the "biggest renovation".

The woman started the repair work of the abandoned houses in 2019 but the deadlines were pushed forwards because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At present, the renovation of the facade of the first two properties is almost completed. This is not the first case when a property has been purchased at such a low cost. 

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'House at price of a coffee'

In 2021, another town in Sicily called “Castiglione di Sicilia” was offering houses which had price equivalent to a "price of a coffee", according to a report published on CNN.

The 900 abandoned houses listed by the town were located in some of its oldest parts. The majority of the 900 houses were dilapidated and hence, sold at a symbolic price of $1.20.

The properties which were in better shape had a discounted price which started from €4,000 ($4329) to €5,000 ($4329). However, the new owners of the properties needed to finish the renovations within three years.

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