Buy This Italian Villa for $ 66
If you’re tired of AirBnB, here’s another option: Buy yourself a vacation home. One person (who has serious real estate problems) offers his furnished Italian villa in a raffle with an entry fee of 50 euros (that’s 66 USD) without any strings attached.
What are you waiting for in your future mansion? Three bedrooms in the small village of Carapel in Calvisio, Italy, two hours from Rome, a vineyard garden and views of the surrounding countryside and national park (it’s like living in Call Me By Your Name, but not as sexy ).
In total, it is estimated to be valued at € 250,000 (US $ 282,000). But it appears that the seller is struggling to sell the house, despite all of its Italian fame.
“We tried to sell the house in conventional ways, using knowledgeable local and international agents, but the market was quiet and despite some expensive advertising, there were no serious buyers,” seller Jamie Abbott wrote on the competition website . “The house was even featured on the BBC’s Escape to the Continent (Season 1, Episode 8), but in the end the couple chose a different location. Therefore, we decided to hold this competition so that one lucky winner will receive the keys to this magnificent home in Italy. “
As such, Abbott will need just under 6,000 members to cover the cost of the house, which explains why he only “sells” 6,000 tickets to potential members (According to Insider , he has already sold 3,000, so he is on his way to success).
And if you lose, then there is also a prize for the second and third places! The first runner-up will receive about € 10,000, or $ 11,300, and the third place will receive a “fantastic basket of local food and wine,” which is not money.
Still looking for a chance to win? Visit the competition website , fill out the application form with your credit card information, and you enter. You can also purchase more than one ticket if you want to improve your chances (although one seems to be enough given the entry fee). The competition will end on September 30, 2019 and the winner will be announced shortly.
And if the competition sounds too good to be true, don’t forget about taxes and maintenance costs (which the seller estimates are roughly € 1,000 or $ 1,110 per year). In addition, it is far from any major international airport, so consider additional travel costs.
And, according to the competition website, the house is located in an earthquake-hit part of central Italy – and is only made of stone, so that has to be considered. “[…] There is always a danger of an earthquake, but the house has been fortified and has not been damaged by the recent earthquakes,” the seller wrote. “It’s built right on natural stone, which is a huge benefit as the house will move with the ground.”
So, just in case, consider the cost of earthquake insurance.