A BRAVE businessman has decided to leave the UK to buy himself a new home in a sunny holiday hotspot for only 85p.
After astronomical rent and a soaring cost of living ruled out a life in London, George Laing jetted off to Sicily to build his own dream home for cheap and says he couldn’t be happier with his decision.
The 31-year-old took a bold leap and participated in the one Euro Houses project that takes derelict, abandoned buildings across Italy and flogs them to people at an insanely low price.
The savvy entrepreneur jumped at the chance to stop wasting thousands a month on rent and quickly found a run-down three-bedroom cottage in the hilltop Sicilian village of Mussomeli.
Despite the crumbling walls, battered windows and overgrown weeds Laing said the 85p home was a steal from the moment he saw it saying he is now “happier than ever”.
With one of the best parts of having a home in Sicily is how different the lifestyle is to the UK.
In Sicily life is just a bit slower. You’ve got a different quality of life, and obviously the weather is 25-30 degrees everyday. And it’s a beautiful place.
George Laing
George told The Sun: “In Sicily life is just a bit slower. You’ve got a different quality of life, and obviously the weather is 25-30 degrees everyday. And it’s a beautiful place.”
With just 10,000 residents in the whole of Mussomeli, George knew the hustle and bustle of his typical life in the UK would be long gone.
He said from the first moment he arrived he could tell he had entered into a community that took a strong pride in togetherness and being good, friendly people to one another.
And as a cheeky chap in his early 30s George has been thrilled to find out the price of alcohol is drastically lower abroad.
He said: “It’s just nice to buy things that are a lot cheaper. You get a beer or a cocktail in Sicily for 1.50 euros or a glass of wine for 2 euros whereas it’s £7.50 now in London for a pint. It is expensive.
“Even just living there day to day you just spend less money which is a nice bonus.”
One of the main reasons he left the UK was because of the trouble he was finding in finding a home in London on the cheap.
He said: “Financially getting on the property market in London or anywhere in the UK is incredibly hard.”
“£5,000 in the UK isn’t going to get you diddly squat.”
Currently living in Eastbourne, George said when the one euro houses project came up he jumped at the chance.
Not only did he get his hands on a home for a little under a pound he also got a chance to meet new people in new places.
The locals in Sicily are also a major shakeup to what George is used to.
He said: “I spoke to my neighbour, this lovely 80-year-old woman and my first interaction with her was actually quite funny. I can’t speak Italian but I wanted to try and engage with her so I used Google Translate and spoke into my iPhone.
“I think it was the first time she’s ever seen an iPhone let alone heard an iPhone speak another language.
“By the second time I came back I learnt a few words and phrases and we had a little hug and now I sort of have built a little relationship with her.”
It’s a far different energy and you don’t get that stress, no one’s really worried about much out there
George Laing
When asked why the feeling of community felt so much stronger in Sicily George had an answer answer.
“You buy all your food from these local restaurants and little supermarkets so you quickly build relationships with people in the community,” he said.
“It’s easier because the people who live don’t have the stress of the lifestyle of London.
“Some of these people have been doing the same job for twenty years. They’re very happy, very content, and they take a lot of pride in their tiny little bakery.
“It’s a far different energy and you don’t get that stress, no one’s really worried about much out there.”
Another positive of the move to Sicily is that it has made George appreciate other cultures far more and even learn a new language.
He said: “You can only connect with the community so much when you don’t speak the same language so it’s encouraged me to learn the language.”
Laing says he was inspired to renovate his own home after being inspired by hit daytime TV as a child.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do, growing up I was always watching Homes Under The Hammer, Bargain Hunt, all these renovation and antique shows and I was fascinated by the process of buying a derelict house and renovating it,” he said.
The property was in desperate need of an overhaul when he first signed the contract for the house less than a year ago.
A miserable hole sat in the roof and the home had no running water or electricity.
But beyond the gloomy exterior and lackluster interior Laing saw the potential.
Three spacious storeys of room to play with and a classic Italian balcony out the front was paired with a glorious marble staircase.
Laing told The Times, his main motivation behind buying up the bargain home was for three reasons.
He wanted to “own a property without a mortgage, learn new skills by renovating it, and enjoy the sunshine and lifestyle on a beautiful island”.
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.
Laing was well aware the renovation work would quickly add up and end up costing him well into the thousands.
Typical construction costs for a pretty big project in the one Euro Houses scheme was around £50,000 – an amount Laing knew he had no chance of finding.
But, instead of paying local labours looking to bump up every cost possible for a glorified tourist, the 31-year-old decided to do the work by himself.
With no prior background in revamping anything close to a three storey house Laing was stuck on where to even start.
Everything from furniture and old corsets to moulding wine bottles and religious statues had been dumped by the previous owner meaning it all had to be swiftly shifted.
But the main work had to be done to repair a gaping hole in the roof, a number of rotting beams and a few large cracks in almost every room.
All issues that needed urgent attention if Laing was going to have a place to stay.
The bathroom was a tiny box with the kitchen being made up of just a metal stove connected to a propane tank.
Laing has spent a few days a month up in Sicily since purchasing his first home working tirelessly to build his future kingdom.
With a tiny budget of just £15,000 for the entire project, the young homeowner is slowly making incredible progress.
Laing said: “I’ve never done any of it before, but YouTube is proving a surprisingly informative tutor, and I’m taking online electrical and plumbing courses too.
“Of course, it’s not without its challenges. It’s taken me six months to get the electric switched on.
“There are occasions when I wonder if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.”
Laing is proud of his bold choice and says despite his pals being nervy about the move he is now confident it was the right choice.
With one of the highlights of his time in Sicily being his morning coffee on his glossy balcony up at 765 metres above sea level.
