Latest news with #RubiaDaniels
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘I bought 6 homes in Italy for $1 each'
A US woman has revealed how she snapped up six properties in Italy for the bargain price of $1.06 ($AU1.65) each and transformed them into dream homes. Rubia Daniels, who is originally from Brazil but lives in San Francisco, purchased six crumbling houses in 2019 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. With Australian real estate prices soaring, and the Italian government's relaxed property laws, many Aussies have also jumped on the one euro scheme. Ms Daniels explained 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,' Ms Daniels recalled to the outlet. The 51-year-old planning consultant flew out with her husband and brother-in-law to collect the deeds, having spent a total of about $US25,440 ($A39,600) after administrative fees and agency costs, the New York Post reports. 'I save $3k a month living in a bin' Despite the dilapidated conditions, the mum-of-three 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 $US63,600 ($A98,850) 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. Ms 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, but the way of life. 'Nobody is rushing around, everything is affordable,' she said. 'A coffee and a croissant costs €1.50. In California, it's a very stressful environment and everything is so superficial.' Now, her two aunts, aged 70 and 82, plan to retire in the hilltop town permanently. And while her project initially raised eyebrows back home, the once-overlooked Sicilian village has gained international attention. At least 30 people are looking at one home now, she said, explaining how the influx initiative has grown in popularity. For Ms Daniels, the appeal was clear from the start: 'You're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire'.
Herald Sun
08-05-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
‘I bought 6 homes in Italy for $1 each'
'I bought 6 homes for $1 each'. Picture: A US woman has revealed how she snapped up six properties in Italy for the bargain price of $1.06 ($AU1.65) each and transformed them into dream homes. Rubia Daniels, who is originally from Brazil but lives in San Francisco, purchased six crumbling houses in 2019 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,' Ms Daniels recalled to the outlet. The 51-year-old planning consultant flew out with her husband and brother-in-law to collect the deeds, having spent a total of about $US25,440 ($A39,600) after administrative fees and agency costs, the New York Post reports. MORE: I bought my 'dream' home, it was a DISASTER Huge twist: Woman pays $1 in wild home sale 'I save $3k a month living in a bin' Rubia Daniels bought six abandoned homes in Italy for just $1.06 each. Picture: The homes are located in Mussomeli — a hilltop town in Sicily. Picture: The properties were in disrepair — some with collapsed roofs and lacking basic utilities. Picture: Despite the dilapidated conditions, the mum-of-three 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 $US63,600 ($A98,850) 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. A kitchen. Picture: A bedroom. Picture: A bathroom. Picture: One of six homes. Picture: Ms 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, but the way of life. 'Nobody is rushing around, everything is affordable,' she said. 'A coffee and a croissant costs €1.50. In California, it's a very stressful environment and everything is so superficial.' Now, her two aunts, aged 70 and 82, plan to retire in the hilltop town permanently. And while her project initially raised eyebrows back home, the once-overlooked Sicilian village has gained international attention. At least 30 people are looking at one home now, she said, explaining how the influx initiative has grown in popularity. For Ms Daniels, the appeal was clear from the start: 'You're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire'. Parts of this story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission. Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox. MORE: Iconic Carlton restaurant up for grabs Elite school buys Aus jail for $2.6m $250k man cave: Inside Aus' ultimate tradie dream home
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Mother, 51, reveals how she bought six crumbling Italian villas for less than £1 EACH for family and friends to move into... and unveils their incredible transformation after years of DIY
A mother-of-three has radically transformed six crumbling Italian villas she bought for just £5 all in to allow her friends and family to move in. Rubia Daniels, 51, paid just one euro for each of her six homes in Mussomeli, Sicily, in April 2019, taking advantage of a council scheme to encourage people to renovate abandoned homes. Admin costs, agency fees and the deeds took the cost of each property to 4,000 euros (£3,400), a total of 24,000 euros (£20,500). Several of the properties were bought with fully collapsed roofs and infrastructural issues such as no water and no electricity. But Rubia - a planning consultant by trade - used her 16 years of experience in the construction industry to break down the walls and renovate the properties. Now, some of the six homes are reaching completion and she hopes her family and friends will move to the Mussomeli area to work and retire. Rubia was keen to make the most of the council scheme and was one of the first to buy the homes - signing three for herself and carrying out the paperwork of one for her adopted daughter and two for her aunts. Her two aunts, Marilu Ferreira, 70, and Marua Fatima, 82, plan to move into their homes in Mussomeli permanently for the rest of their retirement. She spent a total of £20,500 on her homes Rubia - who is originally from Brazil but has lived in San Francisco since 1996 - said: 'We bought all six in April 2019. In June, I did all the paperwork and then got the deeds later that summer. 'I packed six suitcases of all my tools and a generator, and then me, my husband and my brother-in-law, who was in Brazil, flew out to get the keys. 'The house was fully collapsed, but now it's fully renovated and has a beautiful marble bedroom. 'Once the roof was fixed and water tight, the rest of it sort of fell into place from there. 'It's been my passion and I just have so much feeling for these houses and the community as a whole.' Rubia believes her job makes her adept to the task of converting a derelict property into a beautiful Italian home. She said: 'I'm very comfortable with the idea of transforming things and breaking walls. When I see something fully collapsed, I can already see what's going to look like, which is not for everybody. '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. She said: 'I want to convert one of them into a wellness centre, where people can come and do yoga and meditation and the like' 'But you have to see beyond the way a place looks at the start, and imagine how it's going to be in the end. 'And my 'one euro' home is exactly the way I imagined it, and I'm proud because it was a small investment.' Rubia spent a total of 60,000 euros renovating her first purchase in Mussomeli, with the intention that she will not have to do any more work 'for 50 years'. But she hopes she can do up each of the rest under this budget. She said: 'I want to convert one of them into a wellness centre, where people can come and do yoga and meditation and the like - it would be nice to give back to the community this way. 'My daughter's one is almost done, we did a full remodel. I have a few changes still to make to mine, but it's my aunts which are the ones we're trying to move along the most now. 'I'm very happy I landed there and bought them early after reading an article about the project, because there are about 30 people looking at just one home now - they've increased a lot in popularity. 'When I first told my friends and family about it, they couldn't believe it.. They thought I was kidding when I said I was going to buy six. 'It can be intimidating, but you're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire and it's just a really fun project - especially when your husband and entire family help out with the manual labour.' 'It can be intimidating, but you're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire and it's just a really fun project', she said 'People actually mean it when they ask you how you are, and it's this social aspect which really attracted me to the area', Rubia said of living in Italy 'We sourced all the furniture locally, everything is from that little town - the kitchen, the flooring, the mirrors, the bath and sink. 'But we wanted to do it with the community in mind. We love it here - it's much nicer than California. 'People actually mean it when they ask you how you are, and it's this social aspect which really attracted me to the area. 'Nobody is rushing around, everything is affordable. You can eat really well with very little money - a coffee and a croissant costs Euro 1.50. 'In California, it's a very stressful environment and everything is so superficial.'
Scottish Sun
06-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
I bought six holiday homes for my family for £5 on a popular European island that hits 33C in summer
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A WOMAN has revealed how she bought six Italian homes for just a fiver in a quaint Italian village - and it's less than an hour from the seaside. Rubia Daniels bought the six houses for €1 (£0.85) each in the quaint town of Mussomeli in Sicily for herself, her daughter and her aunts. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Rubia bought six house in Italy for just €1 each Credit: SWNS 8 She then set out to renovate each of them - with three of the properties for herself, one for her daughter and two for her aunts Credit: SWNS Mussomeli is a historic hill town, located only 40 minutes from the sea, hitting temperatures of 33C in the summer and boasts multiple restaurants and bars where you can eat for less than €10 (£8.51). The town is also home to a medieval castle - the Castello Manfredonico. The castle was designed to protect the town from invading forces and was used as a residence for noble families. In recent years, the castle has undergone extensive restoration works allowing visitors to tour the walls, towers and courtyards. The 51-year-old purchased the houses in the historic destination, as part of a council scheme which encourages people to renovate abandoned homes. After admin costs, agency fees and the deeds, the cost of each property to was around €4,000 (£3,400) and for all six, she spent a total of a total of €24,000 (£20,500). Some of the buildings Rubia bought had fully collapsed roofs and infrastructural issues, such as no water or electricity. However, as a planning consultant by trade for 16 years, Rubia set out to break down the walls and renovate all six of the properties. The six homes are now nearly completed and she hopes her friends and family will move to Mussomeli area to work and retire. The houses are surrounded by the hills of the Sicilian countryside, with the Scivolandia waterpark a short drive away. I visited the tiny island that is Italy's best kept secret and you can avoid the summer crowds The park features two lagoons with six swimming pools, a large lawn, restaurants and bars, an amphitheatre, beach volleyball court, six water slides for adults, six water slides for children and a children's pool. Her two aunts, Marilu Ferreira, 70, and Marua Fatima, 82, plan to move into their homes in Mussomeli permanently for the rest of their retirement. Rubia - who is originally from Brazil but has lived in San Francisco since 1996 - said: "We bought all six in April 2019. In June, I did all the paperwork and then got the deeds later that summer. "I packed six suitcases of all my tools and a generator, and then me, my husband and my brother-in-law, who was in Brazil, flew out to get the keys. "The house was fully collapsed, but now it's fully renovated and has a beautiful marble bedroom." She continued to explain that once the roof was fixed and water tight, the rest of the works fell into place. She added: "It's been my passion and I just have so much feeling for these houses and the community as a whole." Rubia believes her job made her adept to converting derelict properties, as she is "comfortable with the idea of transforming things and break 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. 8 She purchased the houses back in 2019 but since the scheme has become more popular Credit: SWNS 8 She is hoping to convert one of the properties into a wellness centre Credit: SWNS "But you have to see beyond the way a place looks at the start, and imagine how it's going to be in the end." In total, Rubia spent €60,000 (£51,036.60) renovating her first purchase in Mussomeli, with the intention that she will not have to do any more work to it "for 50 years". However, she hopes that she can renovate the other properties for under this budget. She said: "I want to convert one of them into a wellness centre, where people can come and do yoga and meditation and the like - it would be nice to give back to the community this way. "My daughter's one is almost done, we did a full remodel. I have a few changes still to make to mine, but it's my aunts which are the ones we're trying to move along the most now." The 51-year-old added that she was particularly happy that she bought the properties quite quick after reading an article about the project. 8 Her two aunts will move into a home each for their retirement Credit: SWNS 8 Her first property cost just over £50,000 to renovate Credit: SWNS She explained how now, at least 30 people are looking at one home and the scheme has grown in popularity. She continued: "When I first told my friends and family about it, they couldn't believe it. They thought I was kidding when I said I was going to buy six. "It can be intimidating, but you're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire and it's just a really fun project - especially when your husband and entire family help out with the manual labour." Rubia sourced all the furniture locally - including the kitchen, flooring, mirrors, bath and sink. "We wanted to do it with the community in mind. We love it here - it's much nicer than California," she added. "People actually mean it when they ask you how you are, and it's this social aspect which really attracted me to the area. "Nobody is rushing around, everything is affordable. You can eat really well with very little money - a coffee and a croissant costs €1.50 (£1.28). "In California, it's a very stressful environment and everything is so superficial." A Brit also recently bought a house for 85p and turned it into a holiday home. 8 Rubia is renovating the properties using furniture only from the local community Credit: SWNS
The Irish Sun
06-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
I bought six holiday homes for my family for £5 on a popular European island that hits 33C in summer
A WOMAN has revealed how she bought six Italian homes for just a fiver in a quaint Italian village - and it's less than an hour from the seaside. Rubia Daniels bought the six houses for €1 (£0.85) each in the quaint town of Mussomeli in Sicily for herself, her daughter and her aunts. 8 Rubia bought six house in Italy for just €1 each Credit: SWNS 8 She then set out to renovate each of them - with three of the properties for herself, one for her daughter and two for her aunts Credit: SWNS Mussomeli is a historic hill town, located only 40 minutes from the sea, hitting temperatures of 33C in the summer and boasts multiple restaurants and bars where you can eat for less than €10 (£8.51). The town is also home to a medieval castle - the Castello Manfredonico. The castle was designed to protect the town from invading forces and was used as a residence for noble families. In recent years, the castle has undergone extensive restoration works allowing visitors to tour the walls, towers and courtyards. Rad more on Italy The 51-year-old purchased the houses in the historic destination, as part of a council scheme which encourages people to renovate abandoned homes. After admin costs, agency fees and the deeds, the cost of each property to was around €4,000 (£3,400) and for all six, she spent a total of a total of €24,000 (£20,500). Some of the buildings Rubia bought had fully collapsed roofs and infrastructural issues, such as no water or electricity. However, as a planning consultant by trade for 16 years, Rubia set out to break down the walls and renovate all six of the properties. Most read in News Travel The six homes are now nearly completed and she hopes her friends and family will move to Mussomeli area to work and retire. The houses are surrounded by the hills of the Sicilian countryside, with the Scivolandia waterpark a short drive away. I visited the tiny island that is Italy's best kept secret and you can avoid the summer crowds The park features two lagoons with six swimming pools, a large lawn, restaurants and bars, an amphitheatre, beach volleyball court, six water slides for adults, six water slides for children and a children's pool. Her two aunts, Marilu Ferreira, 70, and Marua Fatima, 82, plan to move into their homes in Mussomeli permanently for the rest of their retirement. Rubia - who is originally from Brazil but has lived in San Francisco since 1996 - said: "We bought all six in April 2019. In June, I did all the paperwork and then got the deeds later that summer. "I packed six suitcases of all my tools and a generator, and then me, my husband and my brother-in-law, who was in Brazil, flew out to get the keys. "The house was fully collapsed, but now it's fully renovated and has a beautiful marble bedroom." She continued to explain that once the roof was fixed and water tight, the rest of the works fell into place. She added: "It's been my passion and I just have so much feeling for these houses and the community as a whole." Rubia believes her job made her adept to converting derelict properties, as she is "comfortable with the idea of transforming things and break 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. 8 She purchased the houses back in 2019 but since the scheme has become more popular Credit: SWNS 8 She is hoping to convert one of the properties into a wellness centre Credit: SWNS "But you have to see beyond the way a place looks at the start, and imagine how it's going to be in the end." In total, Rubia spent €60,000 (£51,036.60) renovating her first purchase in Mussomeli, with the intention that she will not have to do any more work to it "for 50 years". However, she hopes that she can renovate the other properties for under this budget. She said: "I want to convert one of them into a wellness centre, where people can come and do yoga and meditation and the like - it would be nice to give back to the community this way. "My daughter's one is almost done, we did a full remodel. I have a few changes still to make to mine, but it's my aunts which are the ones we're trying to move along the most now." The 51-year-old added that she was particularly happy that she bought the properties quite quick after reading an article about the project. 8 Her two aunts will move into a home each for their retirement Credit: SWNS 8 Her first property cost just over £50,000 to renovate Credit: SWNS She explained how now, at least 30 people are looking at one home and the scheme has grown in popularity. She continued: "When I first told my friends and family about it, they couldn't believe it. They thought I was kidding when I said I was going to buy six. "It can be intimidating, but you're getting the house basically for free and you can turn that into whatever you desire and it's just a really fun project - especially when your husband and entire family help out with the manual labour." Rubia sourced all the furniture locally - including the kitchen, flooring, mirrors, bath and sink. "We wanted to do it with the community in mind. We love it here - it's much nicer than California," she added. "People actually mean it when they ask you how you are, and it's this social aspect which really attracted me to the area. "Nobody is rushing around, everything is affordable. You can eat really well with very little money - a coffee and a croissant costs €1.50 (£1.28). "In California, it's a very stressful environment and everything is so superficial." A Brit also recently 8 Rubia is renovating the properties using furniture only from the local community Credit: SWNS 8 Her daughter's home is also nearly complete Credit: SWNS
