Following the results of the 2024 presidential election, searches related to emigrating from the U.S., including if it’s possible to buy Canadian citizenship, began surging. Similar searches have spiked following past presidential elections as well.
Over the past week, however, people have also searched about the possibility of buying cheap homes in Italy. One VERIFY reader texted us to ask if it’s true an Italian village is selling Americans $1 homes following the election, and people on social media are also asking if it’s a real offer.
THE QUESTION
Is an Italian village offering $1 homes to Americans following the election?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, an Italian village is offering $1 homes to Americans following the election.
WHAT WE FOUND
Ollolai, a village on the island of Sardinia in Italy, is courting American homebuyers following the presidential election by offering them homes for as little as $1. Ollolai and other Italian villages have made similar offers to people around the globe for several years.
However, the cheapest homes available require renovations that will push the cost of the home much higher than just a dollar.
A website run by the village titled “Live in Ollolai” offers homes from 1 Euro to 100,000+ Euros ($1.05 to $105,000) for people “worned [sic] out by global politics.” The earliest appearance the website makes on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is Nov. 13, 2024, just over a week after the U.S. presidential election.
The website itself makes no direct mention of Americans or U.S. politics. However, the village’s mayor, Francesco Columbu, told CNN that “the website was specifically created to attract American voters,” who would receive “preferential treatment” when applying.
“We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all,” Columbu told CNN. “We can’t of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.”
The website promises any prospective buyers that the village will guide them through the process of buying and renovating the home, as well as navigating whatever paperwork Italy might require the homebuyer to go through.
Ollolai’s website says 1-Euro homes will need renovations, but there are “move-in-ready” homes at affordable prices that “require minimal renovation.”
Italian villages such as Ollolai have offered homes for as little as 1 Euro for years, but the cheapest homes have always come with the caveat that the buyer will need to pay for renovations.
CNN first wrote about Ollolai in 2018, when it reported the village was selling hundreds of abandoned homes for 1 Euro each.
“The real estate bonanza comes with a catch, though,” CNN wrote at the time. “The 200 stone-built dwellings up for grabs are in poor condition and buyers must commit to a refurbishment within three years, which will likely cost about $25,000.”
Other villages in Italy, such as Mussomeli on the island of Sicily, similarly require buyers of 1-Euro homes to renovate the homes within three years of purchase.
In May 2024, CNBC reported on the true price of Italian 1-Euro homes purchased by two Americans. Both Americans first purchased their homes in villages in Sicily in 2019.
One of them won their home in an auction after bidding 5,555 Euros, which was about 5,900 Euros (about $6,200) after taxes and fees. That homeowner then bought the neighboring home in a private sale for 22,000 Euros and spent about 425,000 Euros renovating the combined space. In total, the homes and renovations cost about $475,000.
The other homeowner bought three homes in another village for 1 Euro each. Each building came with a 500-Euro realtors fee and a 2,800-Euro deed — that’s about $10,500 between the three buildings. At the time, that homeowner had spent about $35,000 in renovations.
Ollolai’s website says prospective buyers will be able to explore properties online soon. Ollolai also maintains a separate website for foreign remote workers to apply to rent a home for a month in Ollolai for 1 Euro.
Ollolai is just one of several villages listed by websites promoting 1-Euro home deals in Italy.
The trend began when some Italian villages began making the offers to attract foreigners to boost their local economies and offset aging, declining populations.
The offer does not come with Italian residency or citizenship. Any American seeking to live in Italy will have to apply for residency separately. The U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Italy describe the process for obtaining legal Italian residency.
While Ollolai’s offer was announced following the election of Republican Donald Trump, people looking for a more liberal government may not find that in Italy. The country is currently led by a right-wing political party with roots to post-WWII fascist groups. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has anti-LGBTQ+, anti-abortion and anti-migrant positions.
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