By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-20 07:00:23 | Updated at 2024-11-23 18:47:31
3 days ago
A charming village in Italy is offering Americans the chance to own a home for just $1 to rejuvenate its community.
The picturesque mountain town of Ollolai sits on island of Sardinia has long been trying to persuade outsiders to move after decades of depopulation.
But following the most recent US Presidential election, the rural village has honed in on attracting and even prioritizing Americans, as many have sought to leave amid Trump's win.
'Are you worn out by global politics?' the town's 'bring life back' campaign website asks.
'Looking to embrace a more balanced lifestyle while securing new opportunities? It’s time to start building your European escape in the stunning paradise of Sardinia.'
Following the November 5 election, Google searches for 'move to Canada' surged 1,270 percent while similar searches about moving to New Zealand climbed nearly 2,000 percent while those for Australia jumped 820 percent, company data revealed.
The 'bring life back' campaign was created to appeal to American expats, according to Ollolai Mayor Fransisco Columbu. As the campaign offers struggled to take off, empty homes to buyers starting were marketed just €1 - $1.05 USD.
'We have specifically created this website now to meet US post-elections relocation needs. The first edition of our digital nomad scheme which launched last year was already solely for Americans,' Columbu told CNN.
The picturesque mountain town of Ollolai sits on island of Sardinia has long been trying to persuade outsiders to move after decades of depopulation
The charming village is offering Americans the chance to own a home for just $1 to rejuvenate its community and attract new life
Ollolai has previously tried to lure new residents with housing schemes as in the past century its population has shrunk from 2,250 to 1,100 with only a handful of babies born each year
The town hall’s website has been flooded recently with 38,000 requests of information on houses, mostly coming from the US, Columbu said.
Columbu added that he 'loves the United States' and is 'convinced Americans are the best people to help revive his community.'
The campaign offers three tiers of accommodation: Free temporary homes to certain digital nomads, one-euro homes in need of renovations and ready-to-occupy houses for prices up to $105,000.
Columbu says he’s set up a special team to guide interested buyers through every step of the purchase, from organizing tours of the available residences, to finding contractors, builders and navigating required paperwork.
He also said photos and plans of available empty properties will soon be uploaded to the website.
Ollolai has previously tried to lure new residents with housing schemes as in the past century its population has shrunk from 2,250 to 1,100 with only a handful of babies born each year.
Many families have also left the village during tough economic times, in search of work and better lives, CNN reported.
The 'bring life back' campaign was created to appeal to American expats, Ollolai's Mayor, Fransisco Columbu said, as the campaign offers dilapidated, empty homes to buyers starting at just one euro - just over one dollar
Revival plans have not been going as well as local authorities had hoped, since 2018, only 10 homes have been sold and renovated, the village's mayor, Fransisco Columbu said
Beginning back in 2018, the town hall started selling empty, broken down homes before it went on to rent empty spaces for just a single euro, yet again.
Starting last year, the town hall launched a 'work from Ollolai' program for digital nomads, but so far, only four Americans have been hosted.
As part of the program, the town hall pays to rent the homes from local families for the remote workers, paying roughly 350 euros per month for multi-floor, two-bedroom residences. Utilities, bills and council taxes are also covered.
But, revival plans have not been going as well as local authorities had hoped, since 2018, only 10 homes have been sold and renovated, Columbu said.
'The village remains half empty, we still have about 100 unoccupied cheap homes potentially on sale, ready to move in. We have mapped and listed them all, and soon photos will be online for buyers to take a look at.'
