I bought an 85p house and turned it into my dream home – it even has its own spa and wine cellar
AN American woman turned an abandoned "one euro" house into a £384k dream home - with a spa, outdoor kitchen and wine cellar.
Meredith Tabbone, 45, decided to bid on a €1 (85p) house on a "whim" after her friend sent her an article on the scheme.
Bids started at just a euro - but she threw in a random offer of £4,400 - for a 1600s disused building in Sambuca di Sicilia in Sicily, Italy.
The building had no electricity or running water, and the roof was thick with asbestos.
Meredith bought the home next door for £27,000 and knocked through to create a four bedroom, five bathroom property.
She spent £384k and five years creating her dream house fit with an outdoor kitchen, spa and an outdoor party room.
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Meredith, a financial adviser from Chicago, said: "The house was in very bad condition - but in many ways, it was everything I expected it to be and more.
"It had so much charm.
"It had such interesting architectural detail - you could really see the history coming through the walls.
But it was a fixer-upper, to say the least. It was worth it - it turned out well.
"It's modern but in keeping, [so its a perfect] holiday home."
Meredith began researching how to get an Italian citizenship in 2016 and discovered her dad Michael's great-grandfather, Fillippo Tabbone, came from Sambuca di Sicilia - a small village in Sicily.
After reading an article on people bidding on one euro houses in Italy, Meredith threw in a bid in January 2019 and found out she has been successful in May of that year.
She started work on it a month later - spending £661 to remove the roof in an environmentally-safe way.
In August 2020, she bought the home next door via a private sale to knock through and create a 3,000sqft property.
Meredith said: "When we first saw the house - it was 750sqft, it had no electricity, running water or windows - and it was thick with asbestos.
"At first, the plan was just to turn it into a small getaway house.
"While we originally just wanted it as a tiny getaway - we've turned it into a dream home."
Meredith has bought two guest houses in the same village for £28k in total which will need minor repairs.
She also bought a disused building for £58k, which she's turning into an art gallery and apartment for artists to stay in.
Meredith is currently gathering the plans and workforce to start renovating the gallery later this year.
After five years of hard work, Meredith's holiday home was finally completed in April 2024 - and she now spends four months a year out in Italy.
We've turned it into a dream home
Meredith Tabbone
She said: "It was very slow and tedious - but the sunsets are spectacular."
Meredith recommends people consider buying a one euro home but said it's not for the faint hearted.
She said: "I went all in. If you can gather the strength it is worth it."
She isn't the only person who has had success with the one euro house scheme.
George Laing, from London, ditched the UK and bought a one euro house in the Sicilian village of Mussomeli.
The 31-year-old spent less than £20k doing it up, opting to do most of the work himself.
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How does the one euro hosue scheme work?
DEPENDING on the region, a number of towns and villages across Italy have offered the cheap €1 properties to encourage people to move to the area.
There are around 25 regions who are taking part, each with a number of properties.
Many of the areas have a dwindling or aging population and hope to build the community again.
The properties range from small houses to larger villas, but are all in a very rundown condition.
The conditions for buying each property also vary, but the majority of them need large renovation works which are part of the scheme
According to Maurizio Berti, who runs the website casea1euro.it: "The houses are owned by private individuals who often want to get rid of them so as not to pay taxes and heavy taxes.
"We are talking about dilapidated or unsafe properties that need major renovations."
Conditions include notary fees, paying an additional three-year buying guarantee policy of €5,000 (which is refunded when it expires) as well as starting the project within two months once permits are given.
The houses are put to an auction where people can bid on them so they technically aren't all €1.
While some do sell for €1, on average houses sell for around €5,000 euros, although some are up to €20,000.
Some of the schemes even offer to pay you money for buying a home if you can boost the economy with a new business venture.
However, he has since said he is "living the dream" with his highlight being a morning coffee on his balcony with amazing views.
It's not just Italy either - here's a French town also selling homes for €1.
