Latest news with #Mussomeli
The Sun
19 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
I left frantic UK life to buy 85p home in sunny paradise – now I'm building property empire for cost of two pints
AFTER years of enduring the rat race as a jewellery dealer in the UK, George Laing took a gamble on a new life in Europe - with just 85p. With gruelling hard work and patience, the Brit is slowly transforming a derelict three-story building into his dream home - and he has another plan up his sleeve. 15 15 15 He has just finalised the deal on a SECOND 85p house - and intends to purchase up to 15 more over the next three years. When George snapped up his first home in Sicily for only 85p over two years ago, he was well aware of the long, painful and pricey process he'd have to endure during the renovation. The property was in desperate need of an overhaul, with a hole in the roof and no running water or electricity. Several wooden beams were rotting from both ends and worrying cracks lined almost every wall in each room. The bathroom was a tiny box and the kitchen was simply a metal stove connected to a propane tank. But beyond the gloomy exterior and lackluster interior, jeweller and business mogul Laing saw its potential. And even with no prior background in revamping anything close to a three-floored home, George was determined to get stuck in. He now spends two weeks a month at home in the UK and the rest in beautiful Sicily, working tirelessly to complete his future kingdom. George even plans to open up an antiques shop in Mussomeli at the end of the year so he can continue his jewellery business in Italy. Speaking to The Sun, the young homeowner has revealed just how far he has come in the past 12 months. I left UK to buy 85p home - I get perfect weather, cheap booze & better neighbours He said: 'It's surreal to see the first house coming together - we've got water, electricity, and now we're onto the exciting part: fitting out the kitchen and bathrooms with marble from a local quarry. 'I want the finish to be as beautiful as the bones of the building. 'Once the first house is finished, we're throwing a huge celebration — the mayor's coming, the neighbours are invited. "It's not just a personal milestone, it's a community one. "What started as a crumbling €1 house has now started to turn into a beautiful, liveable home." Just 10,000 residents live in George's new hometown of Mussomeli. The sun-soaked region of Sicily has long been known as a glorious haven for those wanting the laid back European lifestyle. George, who lives in Eastbourne and used to work to London, says the drastic change in vibes is one of the key factors behind why he purchased the home. He explained: "In Sicily, life is just a bit slower. "You've got a different quality of life, and obviously the weather is 25-30 degrees everyday. And it's a beautiful place." 15 15 15 Despite living in a foodie paradise, renovating the home hasn't been without its challenges. He said: "It's been like a full-time job mixed with the most personal kind of DIY adventure. "I've overseen everything from rewiring and plumbing to sourcing materials locally and working with Italian builders who don't speak a word of English. "Navigating Italian bureaucracy without being fluent in Italian was definitely up there. "Also, understanding the true structural condition of the property - it's not always obvious what lies behind the walls until you start breaking them open. "And of course, doing all this on a tight budget meant I had to be hands-on with almost everything." But George loves the lifestyle so much that he has just finalised the deal on a second 85p house. BIG PLANS He said: "It's a totally different challenge, and I'm already planning how to preserve what's special, while breathing new life into it. "And I'm planning to purchase another three to five in the next year, another 10-15 over the next three years. "I've learned so much and now I want to go even bigger and begin to grow my property portfolio. "There's also something incredibly addictive about rescuing these abandoned homes. "I'm passionate about bringing life back to these forgotten places and helping others do the same." 15 15 15 From the first moment he arrived, George could tell he had entered into a tight-knit community. The locals in Sicily are very different to what George is used to. He quickly became friends with his Italian neighbours - although he admits he still has to use Google Translate to chat with them. And being in his early 30s, George has been thrilled to find the price of alcohol is drastically lower in Italy. He said: "It's just nice to buy things that are a lot cheaper. "You get a beer or a cocktail in Sicily for €1.50 or a glass of wine for €2 - whereas it's £7.50 now in London for a pint. "Even just living there day to day you spend less money, which is a nice bonus." 15 Three spacious storeys of room to play with and a classic Italian balcony at the front were paired with a glorious marble staircase. George is proud of his bold choice and says despite his pals being nervy about the move he is now confident it was the right choice. One of the main reasons he left was the struggle to find a home in and around London on the cheap. He said: "Financially getting on the property market in London or anywhere in the UK is incredibly hard. £5,000 in the UK isn't going to get you diddly squat." Another key factor is not having to pay an astronomical mortgage. Getting on the property ladder is notoriously hard in the UK due to the lack of available housing, surging house prices and rising bills. In 2023, 42,000 Brits left their lives behind and moved to a new EU nation. For George, when he heard Italy was flogging homes for less than £1, the bold move made sense - something others are now getting on board with. He said: "Seeing something so neglected come back to life is incredibly rewarding. "Also, becoming part of the local Sicilian community sharing food, stories, and wine with neighbours has made this much more than just a renovation. "It's been a total life reset in the best way." How does the €1 house scheme work? DEPENDING on the region, a number of towns and villages across Italy have offered the cheap €1 properties to encourage people to move to the area. There are around 25 regions who are taking part, each with a number of properties. Many of the areas have a dwindling or aging population and hope to build the community again. The properties range from small houses to larger villas, but are all in a very rundown condition. The conditions for buying each property also vary, but the majority of them need large renovation works which are part of the scheme According to Maurizio Berti, who runs the website "The houses are owned by private individuals who often want to get rid of them so as not to pay taxes and heavy taxes. "We are talking about dilapidated or unsafe properties that need major renovations." Conditions include notary fees, paying an additional three-year buying guarantee policy of €5,000 (which is refunded when it expires) as well as starting the project within two months once permits are given. The houses are put to an auction where people can bid on them so they technically aren't all €1. While some do sell for €1, on average houses sell for around €5,000 euros, although some are up to €20,000. Some of the schemes even offer to pay you money for buying a home if you can boost the economy with a new business venture. 15
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Brit reveals what it's really like to buy a 85p house in Italy – and the amazing secret he found inside
A JEWELLERY dealer swapped the UK for Italy and bought a house for just 85p - and the property came with a surprise. George Laing, 32, was handed the keys to the abandoned four-bed house in the Sicilian town of Mussomeli in 2022. 2 It was part of Italy 's popular €1 homes scheme, set up to encourage the renovations of crumbling, yet beautiful, properties. When he moved in he realised very quickly that he had his work cut out. The electrics, plumbing, bathrooms, structural repairs and roof update all needed doing. He told The i Paper: "It wasn't liveable at all when I bought it.' However, after a few years of hard graft, George is now able to live in his Italian dream house while he works on the renovations. He has almost finished the whole top floor of the property. In an attempt to save the pennies, he is doing up the entire house on his own. He has estimated his final costs to be between €5,000 and €10,000. "Someone else renovating the exact same property could have easily spent €40,000 or more,' he said. The house spreads over 1,291 square feet over three floors. Watch the video to see inside the family-of-seven's caravan home It has two bathrooms and a small balcony with views over the town. He stumbled across some hidden treasure tucked away in various nooks of the house. A purse filled with gold jewellery was stashed in a bedside table drawer. Then he came across a padlocked chest in the kitchen, which had a biscuit tin inside. However, it wasn't filled with biscotti - it carried eight ring boxes. The most valuable pieces were an 18-carat gold chain, which was valued at £851 and a 19th-century 14-carat emerald stone ring with pearls valued at £595. Despite keeping a few pieces aside for himself, he auctioned around £2,127 of the stash. As well as jewellery, there were plenty of antiques, including a vintage 1950s hen clock, a collection of postcards, religious statues, crystal vases and an antique gilded mirror. Italian law states that as the new owner of the house, George is the rightful owner of the antiques. The house has been abandoned for decades and the heirs of the property had no interest in personal belongings left in the house. So under Italian local law, the contents of the house were included with the purchase. George decided to move to Italy after becoming fed up with the soaring cost of living in the UK. He said: 'I was spending well over £1,300 a month for my small one-bedroom flat. "The private water and electricity companies have increased their rates by 400 per cent over the last five years. "The UK taxes me 40 per cent on my wages. A cup of coffee is £5. 'Once you add this all together I was just about surviving in London even though I was working full time and doing other projects on the side to make money." He said that he decided he needed to make a change and wanted to "thrive, not survive".
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sussex man who owns 85p Sicily home besieged with advice requests
A man who bought a house in Sicily for 85p says he has been inundated with thousands of requests on social media asking for his advice on how people can buy their dream home at an affordable Laing, from Eastbourne, East Sussex, bought a three-storey house in the town of Mussomeli in December 2022, and is just two months away from finishing renovation 32-year-old said since he shared his story, he has received between 30 and 40 messages a day across his social media platforms - even from as far afield as said: "I have never expected to get so much attention from people asking advice on how to buy bargain properties. "I was even contacted by someone from Bondi Beach who said living in Sydney has become virtually unaffordable and they want to buy a home in Mussomeli."Mr Laing said most people who contact him were hoping to buy their dream homes in Italy for between €20,000 and €50,000 (£17,000 to £42,000), which require little renovation to the UK House Price Index, as of February 2025 the average property cost in this country is £268, cheap homes in Sicily are part of an initiative across Italy to sell unused properties to attract new residents to poorly populated Laing said while his Mussomeli property itself cost just 85p, the other associated costs included agency fees, legal costs, an energy certificate and notary costs which came to a total of £4,000. "Living in the UK has become increasingly difficult. Many people are struggling to keep up with their mortgage and bills," Mr Laing said."People just want to have a better quality of life and not be trapped in a cycle where they can't enjoy life." Mr Laing said he planned to buy between 15 and 20 properties in Mussomeli over the next five years to rent out."I also hope, at some point, to purchase an abandoned village in Italy, convert rundown homes so they have capacity for self-running electricity and water," he added."These homes are for people who need help, they can live in them for free. In return they do community work such as farming, so the village can be self-sustaining."
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘I bought 6 homes in Italy for $1 each'
A US woman has revealed how she snapped up six properties in Italy for the bargain price of $1.06 ($AU1.65) each and transformed them into dream homes. Rubia Daniels, who is originally from Brazil but lives in San Francisco, purchased six crumbling houses in 2019 in Mussomeli, a centuries-old hill town in Sicily, through a local initiative that aims to breathe new life into abandoned real estate, according to SWNS. With Australian real estate prices soaring, and the Italian government's relaxed property laws, many Aussies have also jumped on the one euro scheme. Ms Daniels explained the houses came with a catch: they were in various states of ruin, with some missing roofs and lacking basic infrastructure. 'I packed six suitcases of all my tools and a generator,' Ms Daniels recalled to the outlet. The 51-year-old planning consultant flew out with her husband and brother-in-law to collect the deeds, having spent a total of about $US25,440 ($A39,600) after administrative fees and agency costs, the New York Post reports. 'I save $3k a month living in a bin' Despite the dilapidated conditions, the mum-of-three felt at ease with the undertaking. 'I'm comfortable with the idea of transforming things and breaking walls,' she said. 'For example, my husband panics when he sees me eyeing up projects like this, but for me it's just a combination of excitement and joy.' The first property, which was completely collapsed, is now fully renovated. It 'has a beautiful marble bedroom,' she said. The restoration cost her approximately $US63,600 ($A98,850) and she hopes it will require no further work 'for 50 years'. Her vision extends beyond family homes. One of the six properties is earmarked as a future wellness retreat offering yoga and meditation classes. 'It would be nice to give back to the community this way,' she said. Ms Daniels also furnished the properties using local vendors — installing everything from sinks to flooring sourced nearby. 'We wanted to do it with the community in mind,' she explained. 'We love it here — it's much nicer than California.' What drew her to Mussomeli wasn't just the bargain prices, but the way of life. 'Nobody is rushing around, everything is affordable,' she said. 'A coffee and a croissant costs €1.50. In California, it's a very stressful environment and everything is so superficial.' Now, her two aunts, aged 70 and 82, plan to retire in the hilltop town permanently. And while her project initially raised eyebrows back home, the once-overlooked Sicilian village has gained international attention. At least 30 people are looking at one home now, she said, explaining how the influx initiative has grown in popularity. For Ms Daniels, the appeal was clear from the start: 'You're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire'.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Mother, 51, reveals how she bought six crumbling Italian villas for less than £1 EACH for family and friends to move into... and unveils their incredible transformation after years of DIY
A mother-of-three has radically transformed six crumbling Italian villas she bought for just £5 all in to allow her friends and family to move in. Rubia Daniels, 51, paid just one euro for each of her six homes in Mussomeli, Sicily, in April 2019, taking advantage of a council scheme to encourage people to renovate abandoned homes. Admin costs, agency fees and the deeds took the cost of each property to 4,000 euros (£3,400), a total of 24,000 euros (£20,500). Several of the properties were bought with fully collapsed roofs and infrastructural issues such as no water and no electricity. But Rubia - a planning consultant by trade - used her 16 years of experience in the construction industry to break down the walls and renovate the properties. Now, some of the six homes are reaching completion and she hopes her family and friends will move to the Mussomeli area to work and retire. Rubia was keen to make the most of the council scheme and was one of the first to buy the homes - signing three for herself and carrying out the paperwork of one for her adopted daughter and two for her aunts. Her two aunts, Marilu Ferreira, 70, and Marua Fatima, 82, plan to move into their homes in Mussomeli permanently for the rest of their retirement. She spent a total of £20,500 on her homes Rubia - who is originally from Brazil but has lived in San Francisco since 1996 - said: 'We bought all six in April 2019. In June, I did all the paperwork and then got the deeds later that summer. 'I packed six suitcases of all my tools and a generator, and then me, my husband and my brother-in-law, who was in Brazil, flew out to get the keys. 'The house was fully collapsed, but now it's fully renovated and has a beautiful marble bedroom. 'Once the roof was fixed and water tight, the rest of it sort of fell into place from there. 'It's been my passion and I just have so much feeling for these houses and the community as a whole.' Rubia believes her job makes her adept to the task of converting a derelict property into a beautiful Italian home. She said: 'I'm very comfortable with the idea of transforming things and breaking walls. When I see something fully collapsed, I can already see what's going to look like, which is not for everybody. 'For example, my husband panics when he sees me eyeing up projects like this, but for me it's just a combination of excitement and joy. She said: 'I want to convert one of them into a wellness centre, where people can come and do yoga and meditation and the like' 'But you have to see beyond the way a place looks at the start, and imagine how it's going to be in the end. 'And my 'one euro' home is exactly the way I imagined it, and I'm proud because it was a small investment.' Rubia spent a total of 60,000 euros renovating her first purchase in Mussomeli, with the intention that she will not have to do any more work 'for 50 years'. But she hopes she can do up each of the rest under this budget. She said: 'I want to convert one of them into a wellness centre, where people can come and do yoga and meditation and the like - it would be nice to give back to the community this way. 'My daughter's one is almost done, we did a full remodel. I have a few changes still to make to mine, but it's my aunts which are the ones we're trying to move along the most now. 'I'm very happy I landed there and bought them early after reading an article about the project, because there are about 30 people looking at just one home now - they've increased a lot in popularity. 'When I first told my friends and family about it, they couldn't believe it.. They thought I was kidding when I said I was going to buy six. 'It can be intimidating, but you're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire and it's just a really fun project - especially when your husband and entire family help out with the manual labour.' 'It can be intimidating, but you're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire and it's just a really fun project', she said 'People actually mean it when they ask you how you are, and it's this social aspect which really attracted me to the area', Rubia said of living in Italy 'We sourced all the furniture locally, everything is from that little town - the kitchen, the flooring, the mirrors, the bath and sink. 'But we wanted to do it with the community in mind. We love it here - it's much nicer than California. 'People actually mean it when they ask you how you are, and it's this social aspect which really attracted me to the area. 'Nobody is rushing around, everything is affordable. You can eat really well with very little money - a coffee and a croissant costs Euro 1.50. 'In California, it's a very stressful environment and everything is so superficial.'
