This Croatian Town Is Selling Homes For 20 Cents And Will Chip In $5K For Renovations
It’s a weird world we live in. You can’t get a decent lolly bag at the corner shop for 20 cents anymore, but in Croatia that same coin can get you a house.
Taking a page out of Italy’s book in a bid to lure younger residents, the Croatian town of Legrad is now selling homes for dirt cheap and will throw in $5k for renos – but there’s a couple of strings attached.
If the last year made you rethink city living, then maybe a deal like the one on offer for Legrad is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
The area in question is rural and surrounded by meadows and dense forests, so you could make a pretty sweet, simple life here for a while — and that’s the thing: if you want to purchase said property, you’ll need to commit to staying for 15 years. The other caveats are that buyers are 40 years or younger and financially stable.
Many of the homes on offer are dilapidated and need a lot of work, but to sweeten the deal the town will actually pay buyers roughly $5,200 (25,000 HRK) to put towards fixing up your fixer-upper.
Located in northern Croatia near the River Drava and Hungarian border, this once-thriving town suffered a population decline after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918.
Legrad used to be a big deal – it had the second-largest population in Croatia – but the last century has been a cruel mistress. After locals flocked to bigger cities like Zagreb, it’s never recovered; there are just 2250 residents. Enter the 20 cents (1 HRK) offer.
The news first came out last year and the town saw interest from people across the globe, including Turkey, Russia, Colombia, Argentina, and Ukraine, according to the town’s Mayor. In fact, there’s only a handful of the original 19 abandoned homes left.
Immigration to Croatia is apparently challenging and as a result, the mayor prefers to stick to buyers who live domestically. But hey, if you’re up for a challenge and happen to have EU citizenship, then don’t let that stop you from snagging the deal of the century.
(Lead image: Wikimedia Commons)
