I bought 6 homes in Italy for $1 apiece heres how much I spent to turn them into dream homes

When Rubia Daniels first told her friends she was buying six homes in Italy for $1.06 apiece, they thought she was joking. “They couldn’t believe it,” she said.But in 2019, the 51-year-old planning consultant, who has lived in San Francisco since 1996, followed through — purchasing six crumbling properties in Mussomeli, a centuries-old hill town in Sicily, through a local initiative that aims to breathe new life into abandoned real estate, according to SWNS.The houses came with a catch: They were in various states of ruin, with some missing roofs and lacking basic infrastructure.“I packed six suitcases of all my tools and a generator,” Daniels recalled to the outlet.She flew out with her husband and brother-in-law to collect the deeds, having spent a total of about $25,440 after administrative fees and agency costs.Despite the dilapidated conditions, Daniels — who has worked as a planning consultant for more than 16 years — felt at ease with the undertaking. “I’m comfortable with the idea of transforming things and breaking walls,” she said.“For example, my husband panics when he sees me eyeing up projects like this, but for me it’s just a combination of excitement and joy.”The first property, which was completely collapsed, is now fully renovated. It “has a beautiful marble bedroom,” she said.

The restoration cost her approximately $63,600, and she hopes it will require no further work “for 50 years.”Her vision extends beyond family homes. One of the six properties is earmarked as a future wellness retreat offering yoga and meditation classes. “It would be nice to give back to the community this way,” she said.Daniels also furnished the properties using local vendors — installing everything from sinks to flooring sourced nearby. “We wanted to do it with the community in mind,” she explained.“We love it here — it’s much nicer than California.”What drew her to Mussomeli wasn’t just the bargain prices, bu...