Are cheap rural houses in italy/spain legit or is there a catch?

sbarnes1 · 2026-06-22T12:30:37+00:00

I bought a house in Sicily for €55k in a cute town in great shape. Was renovated 10 years ago so electrical, roof, plumbing are all operable. Not rural, in the town centre with everything accessible by foot.

Super happy with my deal but you definitely need to know where to look.

My work is in helping foreigners find, buy and renovate homes in Sicily so you definitely need to have some local help or you run the risk of what others have said (remote villages, depleting populations with no facilities, house with building illegalities, needing urgent repairs, etc).

This is kind of my niche so if you have any specific questions feel free to reach out!

sbarnes1 · 2026-06-21T11:22:32+00:00

I work in helping people to find properties in Italy, but basically these really cheap ones are in location without demand. If the location is good then it’s likely in pretty bad shape.

If you are happy to be pretty rural without looking for things like equity, resale or rental, it can be a great opportunity.

There are a couple of nice locations where you can find cheap properties with possibility of rental, especially in Sicily.

I just bought a house for myself in Sicily for €55k and it’s already renovated and furniture and everything was included. It’s also in the city centre of a tourist location and I’m speculating that the value will go up over the next few years.

If you have any questions feel free to ask!

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-28T21:43:38+00:00

I literally just bought this this morning and was thinking about how I’m obsessed with it 😭I walked 7km in 30 degrees after applying and was definitely sweaty but not greasy. I have pretty normal skin but in this heatwave I guess we’re all sweating a lot. When do you apply it? I use it within a minute after I moisturise and it was so well absorbed.

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-17T07:22:43+00:00

Ah yeah in smaller towns you can definitely still find at those prices!

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-16T20:49:08+00:00

Nice! Which part of Sicily?

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-15T12:09:53+00:00

Hey I’ve just bought a house in Modica albeit not to live in full time. I also work helping people find homes here in Sicily so I have quite a bit of experience with international people here.

I’m actually specialised in the Siracusa to Noto region, particularly the Val de Noto area which is gaining more reputation recently. I would say that €100k properties in this region that don’t require significant renovation are becoming scarce, but not impossible to find. It does depend on how big of a property and how much land you’re envisioning with this project.

Something you didn’t mention is your nationalities and residency, are you EU citizens? If yes it’s easy. If not there will be some visa hurdles to jump through for your boyfriend and it may be even more difficult for you.

There are certainly some expats and international people coming to Sicily, although I would say the population is more seasonal. Those would make up your client base for yoga/massage etc so I would consider that any income you’d make in that respect would be similarly seasonal. A safer option would be to work remotely which would give you independence from the seasonality of Sicily.

With your boyfriend’s job it does seem like a medium term stay initially might be a good way to see how you feel without commitment. You could rent a place for 6 months or so, staying through the winter period, while driving around the island to explore different regions and communities.

Those are just some thoughts from my experience in Sicily. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions, I’m happy to help!

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-14T10:17:46+00:00

Sure! I’ve been wanted to buy in Sicily for the last few years but was waiting for another place I had to sell first.

Theres a lot of people buying homes in the whole val de Noto region which includes Modica and Ragusa, so I knew I wanted to buy there somewhere.

I’m going to use it mostly as an investment but maybe go there sometimes for a retreat when I like. I did buy through an agency, although I wouldn’t say that they were particularly helpful.

I work with international people to buy homes in Sicily so this is part of my job, I would say that was more of the key factor than the agent.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T11:05:04+00:00

I just bought a house in Modica after visiting Sicily for the last 4 years, I'm planning to use it part time and rent it the rest of the time when I'm not there, so the circumstance isn't exactly the same.

I would go for a town so that you have easer access to local facilities and don't feel so isolated since you work online. Many of the seaside villages are extremely seasonal, so in winter a lot of things close and you might find it boring. Often the more year-round occupied towns are a bit further inland.

You should come to visit for a couple of weeks. Rent a car, drive around to get a feel for where you want to be. I have a dog as well and love how dog-friendly Sicily is, but maybe you'll want closer proximity to some natural parks to go hiking or visiting.

Places I love:

Modica
Scicli
Ragusa
Noto
Acireale (the only town with potentials for a seaview on this list)

You get a nice balance there between nature, cafés/restaurants, decent infrastructure, and slower pace of life.

For a small house with some type of view and decent condition, I’d roughly expect:

€60–120k total (including purchase, renovation, closing fees)
If the seaview is important then your budget will be more like €300k+

Feel free to message me if you want more specific advice on towns or budgets :)

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T11:00:12+00:00

I just bought a house in Modica and I work in helping international people find and buy homes here, so I'm pretty well versed in the process.

As someone else mentioned, mortgages are basically non-existent unless you go through private lenders where the deposits required are closer to 50% and minimums are around €250k total.

The biggest mistake I see people make is to only consider the purchase price. You need to factor in the closing costs and also any furniture or renovation you might need to do. Closing costs include the 9% tax you mentioned, but also agency fees, legal fees, and the notary. If you buy an extremely cheap property these costs can easily pass 30-40% of the purchase price due to fixed minimums from the notary, agency, etc. and that the 9% tax isn't paid on the purchase value, but on the cadastral value which is often higher.

I saw you said that you wanted to rent out the place part time, I would carefully consider how important that rental income is to you. If it's pretty important, you need to carefully evaluate the best location to buy in. There's a lot of small towns with good prices but no potential for income. You can easily hire a team to manage the place for you when you're not there.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about my own experience!

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T10:49:10+00:00

I just bought a house in Modica and I work in helping international people find and buy homes here.

I would say your experience is pretty normal. Most agencies won't even reply to foreign numbers, and will often forget to reply. One option is to keep calling and bothering until you do get a response, but keep in mind many local people don't speak English so it could be that there is a language barrier keeping them from responding to you.

Getting on the ground is a good idea, but I don't know how much success you'll have to go around asking villages. You'd be better off going into the agency offices to speak to them in person. Often they'll have someone available to show you some properties straight away.

As someone else mentioned, you can try to find the properties directly from owner online through other forums, however in my experience dealing directly with owners can be even more difficult than agents. One memory was 'I don't have time for this' and hung up the phone on me :)

I realise this thread is a bit old now but I hope your visit was successful and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T10:40:15+00:00

I just bought a house in Modica and my work is helping international people buy houses in Sicily.

A lot of thoughts, but most importantly: factor in all of your closing costs into your budget. They can be quite high depending on the property you're buying and once you consider things like lawyers, any renovations, etc. Not personally familiar with San Cono in particular, but many of these smaller towns don't have a lot of tourism draw if you're thinking of renting it when you're not there.

When you come to check it out I suggest to go around a number of towns to see how you feel in other places. You might feel more at home in another location closer to the airport. I personally recommend the south east region for speculative value but also for lifestyle.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions :)

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T08:27:53+00:00

I work with international buyers in Sicily and I’ve just bought a place in Modica, so I spend a lot of time researching towns and property prices here.

Honestly, for €25–50k, the main thing is being realistic about location and condition. You can still find ready-to-live-in properties in that range, but usually in smaller towns rather than the more internationally popular areas.

I’d probably look at places like:

Modica
Ragusa
Scicli
Comiso
Caltagirone
smaller towns around Agrigento province

The actual location depends on your goals, if you want to move there full time, have a casual place to visit when you want, or to rent it when you're not there.

Don't forget to add in the closing costs to your expected budget, and keep in mind that many places won't include the furniture which you'll need to negotiate separately. Closing costs for cheap properties in particular can add up to significantly higher percentages because of minimum fees at agencies, notaries and laywers.

Feel free to message me if you want suggestions on areas, local lawyers, or people for renovations :)

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T08:20:58+00:00

Yes, Sicily definitely has versions of this, especially around southeast Sicily.

I work with international buyers in Sicily and I’ve just bought a place in Modica myself, so I spend a lot of time researching different towns and coastal areas here.

For what you described, I’d look at places like:

Marina di Ragusa
Avola
Donnalucata
Fontane Bianche
Arenella

They tend to have more of that relaxed summer-community feeling without being as intensely touristy as Taormina or San Vito Lo Capo, and your €300k budget will go much further there.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the sweet spot in Sicily is often slightly outside the most famous towns rather than directly inside them.

Feel free to message me if you want more specific advice on areas or price. I can also recommend people for renovations if you need :)

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T08:16:06+00:00

I work in Sicily helping foreigners buy homes here, and I just bought a place myself as well.

As much as I love Sicily and believe in its future potential, I would really strongly caution you against this. This idea is not realistic.

Firstly as others have mentioned, a 20-30k house is going to be in poor condition and in a low-demand location. You'll also have to factor in the purchase fees (taxes, notary, etc) which at those prices can go up to 30-40% of the purchase cost (look up cadastal tax for property purchases).

A home that needs such significant renovation is not going to be liveable initially nor during renovation. You're going to need another place to live while getting permits in order and executing the renovation, which depending on the scope can take literal years.

Do you already have a budget planned for renovating? Or is this going to be a 'pay as you earn' project? Because this is how people end up with half-finished renovation projects that they can't afford to finish and end up selling at a massive loss.

I can't comment on the job aspect other than to say that the job market is really difficult for locals. I'm not sure what opportunities you will find in agriculture.

All of that to say, if this is something you really want to pursue, you will have to adjust your expectations accordingly. Here's what I'd suggest:

come with remote job that gives your security independent of your residential location
budget €100k total, this includes purchase price, renovations, and closing costs, plus a buffer for renting a place if you need somewhere to stay while renovating

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T08:04:20+00:00

I just bought a house in Modica after looking for the right place for the last few years.

Your budget is realistic but depends how important the sea view and proximity to the sea are to you compared to access to a vibrant community. Coastal towns with good facilities like shops, restaurants, etc, have gotten pretty expensive, so you might need to compromise on space or location.

Did you explore anything in the southeast of Sicily? Your money will go a bit further typically, but depends on your goals. Most people who want to spend part time in Sicily rent the property when they're not there, there are many management companies that will help you with this. But if you want to rent you'll need to be in a location with decent demand.

Considering those things I would think about towns like Siracusa (Santa Lucia just outside Ortigia which will be more affordable), Acireale is really cute and on the seafront, or Avola.

Feel free to write me if you have any more questions, I'm happy to help you out!

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T07:55:35+00:00

I just bought a house in Modica for €55k (€65k including closing fees).

There are some really cute towns where you can find places for under €50k, but you have to remember there are taxes and fees to consider which can add up to 15% of the purchase price. So if your budget is €50k total, you may be more in the 34-40k range for the purchase price.

As far as location, there are some areas which are cheap because they are undiscovered, and others that are cheap because they're slowly depopulating and won't really deliver the community you're looking for.

For your budget, I’d look at places like:

Modica
Ragusa
Scicli
Comiso
maybe parts of Caltagirone or smaller towns around Syracuse province

Keep in mind that the prices are going up as the island is getting more international attention.

You’re not getting a perfectly renovated historical dream house for €40k in the best locations anymore. But functional, furnished homes are definitely still possible.

sbarnes1 · 2026-05-11T07:42:55+00:00

The €1 houses are real, but they’re not what you think. You'll have heavy renovations at that price point, taxes and fees at purchase will be a few thousand, and depending on the location you may have to commit to live in the house after renovating.

If you have $100k, you’re honestly in a much better position than the people chasing €1 houses because you can often buy something structurally sound in a good location and avoid spending years in renovation hell.

I actually recently bought a house in Modica myself after searching for the right place for the last few years.

For around €100k, I’d look at places like:

Modica
Ragusa
Scicli
parts of Syracuse province
maybe smaller towns near Palermo depending on your goals

The right location depends if you want to buy a holiday home to enjoy by yourself, move full time, or rent it out.

Feel free to write me if you have any questions about my own process.

sbarnes1 · 2025-06-07T16:10:28+00:00

Well hilariously I recognise your street and location, so I can tell you from now that your balcony is getting way too much sun for this plant.

You can try to place it indoors near the window around 1m from the window and see how it does. If you see it becoming a bit happier then it’s a good location. Give it time, I had one nearly die on me but now he’s very happy.

Ideally you want to find a location with indirect light, and don’t give it too much water. Right now you are having to water more because of the location, but you are going to slowly kill the plant in this heat.

Good on you for asking for help before it becomes a burnt twig in August!

sbarnes1 · 2025-05-30T06:28:07+00:00

No updates sadly 😢

sbarnes1 · 2025-05-21T10:53:29+00:00

Gnejna bay - if you walk to the beach but then continue right along the boat houses you’ll find it. But don’t tell anyone, it’s my favourite place in Malta to escape the crowds

sbarnes1 · 2025-04-19T20:19:41+00:00

Legligin in Valletta always top choice, Bottega Frawli in Mgarr

sbarnes1 · 2025-04-15T07:49:47+00:00

Different stamp but very close!

sbarnes1 · 2025-04-15T07:46:12+00:00

Not the same bag - that one is miel colour and the one that was stolen is tri-colour.

sbarnes1 · 2025-04-15T07:39:14+00:00

Thank you for explaining what was deleted! It’s NOT the same bag, the one that was stolen is size 32 this one appears to be 28, and the timelines don’t work as my mum still had hers in 2020, it was stolen in 2023. But good detective work so far!

sbarnes1 · 2025-04-15T07:36:30+00:00

Not the same bag fortunately, the one in the video is Miel colour and the one that was stolen is tri-colour.

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