CNN
When Italian villages started selling houses for the price of a cup of coffee, most foreign buyers rushing to grab a slice of the action saw it as a fun property hunt – a search for the ultimate bargain.
But for some, buying an old home in an offbeat location has turned out to be a life-changer.
In 2021, Jeffrey Pfefferle bought two abandoned houses in the Sicilian town of Mussomeli. One cost one euro – a little over a dollar. The other was a “premium” property – a ready-to-occupy home in need of only minor fixes.
Pfefferle – a South California-based retiree in his late 50s – and his British partner Leon McNaught never imagined how much the purchases could change their lives.
“It gave us an opportunity to take a closer look at our lives and we found that the things we value in life are abundant in Mussomeli,” says Pfefferle.
“It’s a place that offers a quality of life that predominantly values people above money. A place that embraces a slower pace, giving more priority to the important things.
“We are surrounded by a community that have shown us extreme caring and kindness. It’s a place that has taught us that time is our utmost prized possession and that time is meant for living, and living it to the fullest with those we love and care about.”
In 2019, when the couple read a CNN article on Mussomeli’s bargain properties for sale, they initially thought it was too good to be true, and potentially even a scam. Despite their concerns, they decided to take a look. However, the pandemic put a damper on their plans, forcing them to sit back and wait.
“Then in July 2021 we went. We said to each other that in the worst-case scenario, we were going to make a vacation out of it if it turned out to be just buzz,” says Pfefferle.
