Buying a House in Italy: Why I Lost It After 3 Years
- Danny McCubbin has been forced to give up his 85p home in Italy(Image: Danny McCubbin)
- A man who snapped up a dilapidated property in Italy for merely 85p has been compelled to sell his house - after he was unable to locate workers...
- Danny McCubbin,58,bought the house in Mussomeli,Sicily,where a 'Case 1 Euro' scheme was introduced to attract foreigners to the region.
An aussie chef bought a house in Sicily for just 85p but had too sell it back after struggling to find builders to renovate it
A man who snapped up a dilapidated property in Italy for merely 85p has been compelled to sell his house – after he was unable to locate workers to refurbish the property in time to satisfy a stringent deadline.
Danny McCubbin,58,bought the house in Mussomeli,Sicily,where a ‘Case 1 Euro’ scheme was introduced to attract foreigners to the region.
The Australian, who had been living in the UK for 17 years, felt the chance to own a property abroad at such a reduced price was unachievable to resist and encouraged others to follow suit.
Still, the stipulation was that purchasers had to renovate the house within three years of buying to secure complete ownership.
And with worker shortages in Italy’s building sector, the requirement proved challenging to satisfy as the chef – who has worked for Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Foundation – was unable to find anyone to help him in renovating his dream property within the deadline.
He was compelled to sell the property back to an estate agency after only a few months, receiving his payment back, as it proved extremely challenging to find builders.
Speaking to iNews,he said: “It was very arduous to find a builder and over time the house deteriorated.
“By the time I did find a building company, it was double the cost to renovate it. I decided it was not worth it for me anymore.”
Danny said he was disappointed, having relished the peaceful lifestyle in Mussomeli, a town of just 11,000 residents.
Though, it didn’t put him off as he managed to snap up another bargain property for £6,700 (€8,000) which needed less renovation work.
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He ended up buying himself a house in mussomeli, Sicily, where a ‘Case 1 Euro’ campaign has been launched to encourage foreigners to the area.(Image: Danny McCubbin)