Meredith Tabbone bought a house for 80p.
A woman who bought a house for 80p was left speechless when she discovered what was inside the dilapidated .
Meredith Tabbone, 45, paid 1 euro – around 80p – for a house in Sambuca di Sicilia, . She managed to bag herself a bargain because the region has suffered from depopulation, with houses left empty and falling into a state of disrepair.
The once vibrant towns and villages in the region now struggle to attract people into the area. It has led local authorities to offer homes at basement prices to rejuvenate struggling parts of Italy.
The villages are often found in Italy’s breathtaking countryside, but can lack job prospects for younger Italians who look towards the city for their futures.
Meredith, however, decided to take the plunge on the house after discovering her family’s history traces back to Sambuca di Sicilia.
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Meredith Tabbone transformed a property in Italy.
American Meredith opted to stump up the cash to buy the home after deciding it was “too good to be true,” reports CNBC.
However, she soon discovered the house was “terrible at best” when she first bought it in 2019.
It lacked electricity, running water, its roof was found to contain asbestos, and the floor was coated with pigeon poo. Meredith found herself spending £5,000 to acquire the property, and expected to spend £33,000 on the renovation project.
The renovation was part of the deal with the local authority that helped Meredith secure the house for such a low price. However, she soon decided to buy the neighbouring property to expand the house, increasing the overall cost in the process.
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The transformed house in Sambuca
Having spent around £384,000 on the project in total, Meredith now has a beautiful holiday property that she says feels like home. The property boasts four bedrooms, a modern kitchen, dining room, library, a pizza oven and even a sauna.
, financial advisor Meredith said: “What this home really means for me is a bridge between my past and my future. It was a chance to really reconnect with my father’s lineage.
“But it also speaks to my future because it’s something that I’ve created for myself … where I can think more about enjoying my life and having a better work-life balance.”
She has also praised the locals in Sambuca for welcoming her into the neighbourhood. She added: “There’s a real sense of community here, so I definitely think people are very happy here. I’ve started to think differently about how I’m building my business, and maybe not having the focus of my life be about work, [but] about just personal fulfillment in general.”