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A WOMAN has ditched a life in \u201csuperficial\u201d Los Angeles and purchased her \u201cdream\u201d 17-room home in Sicily for around $30,000.<\/p>\n
Kiki Leigh, 28, decided to make the move to the medieval village of Mussomeli, Italy, after growing tired of the fast pace of life in LA and the staggering cost of some homes<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the Money newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n A woman has purchased her dream home in Italy for just over $30,000Credit: SWNS<\/p>\n The property has 17 rooms and a terrace (pictured)Credit: SWNS<\/p>\n It required some renovations as it hadn\u2019t been lived in for decadesCredit: SWNS<\/p>\n Re-plastering and rewiring was neededCredit: SWNS<\/p>\n The home became a passion project for the 28-year-old LA nativeCredit: SWNS<\/p>\n After hearing about cheap, abandoned houses being sold off in the region, she jetted off to Italy<\/a> and immediately fell in love with the spacious home and its stunning terrace view. \u00a0<\/p>\n Kiki, who works in fashion public relations, has so far spent around $104,000\u00a0on renovations and hopes to move into the property permanently next summer<\/a>, after her visa has been approved. \u00a0<\/p>\n Once her home<\/a> is finished, it will have four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a bar, a spa, and a library.<\/p>\n She estimates that a similar property in LA would cost upwards of $3 million, making for quite the steal.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SMALL SOLUTION<\/p>\n I built a tiny home that saved my retirement – I did it paycheck to paycheck<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t CLOSE QUARTERS<\/p>\n Is this the world’s SKINNIEST house? Super-slim 2ft home bids for record<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n Additionally, the 28-year-old has been welcomed by all of the locals in the town with open arms, making her move across the Atlantic seem \u201ceasy.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI was drawn to Italy because of the lifestyle. I love the long lunches and slower pace; it\u2019s so much more fulfilling,\u201d Kiki said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt also gave me the opportunity to purchase my dream home for an insanely low price.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI bought a 17-room home for 27,000 euros; it checked all of my boxes,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was spacious and full of natural light, but the terrace is what sold me.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, the property wasn\u2019t perfect since it hadn\u2019t been occupied or maintained for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hadn\u2019t been lived in since the 90s, so it had peeling walls, a leaky roof, and mold,\u201d Kiki explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve spent 90,000 euros on renovations; it\u2019s been rewired, re-plastered, and all of the flooring has been replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite being far from loved ones, Kiki says the pros outweigh the cons.<\/p>\n \u201cI miss my family, but it\u2019s not that hard to persuade people to come to Sicily,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tEscrow and mortgage increases explained\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat\u2019s an escrow? Why did my mortgage payment go up?\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Escrow accounts are set up to help homeowners cover insurance, property taxes, or other home-related expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you have an escrow, part of your monthly mortgage payment goes towards the account.<\/p>\n The escrow management company then uses the money in the escrow account to pay for taxes and insurance when those payments come due.<\/p>\n Essentially, the escrow bundles these other charges with your monthly principal payments, making them easier to manage. This is meant to make homeowners less likely to default on their payments.<\/p>\n If the government\u2019s annual valuation of your home determines that your property taxes will go up, the escrow payments can spike as well, meaning that even those with fixed mortgage payments can find themselves forking over more cash every month.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve made so many amazing friends, from local people to foreigners from all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe local community is so warm and kind \u2014 they\u2019ve made the move here so easy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are so friendly, I\u2019ll get messages from people I don\u2019t know saying \u2018welcome to the town, you\u2019d never get that in LA\u2019\u201d, Kiki added.<\/p>\n Kiki decided to leave her hometown behind as she was fed up with the fast pace of life in the Californian city.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the culture is geared towards networking; it\u2019s quite superficial,\u201d she argued.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old had traveled<\/a> to Italy several times before, and after falling in love with the slower pace of life, decided to move there permanently. \u00a0<\/p>\n In LA, she was paying $3,000 a month for rent on an apartment, and the cost of living was extremely high, so she was also attracted to the lower costs of living in Italy.<\/p>\n Kiki had previously read articles about Italy\u2019s one euro house scheme, where abandoned houses are sold off for an extremely low price, but always thought it looked too good to be true. \u00a0<\/p>\n However, she then saw a TikTok<\/a> where a woman revealed that in Mussomeli, Sicily, there are houses for sale for around 30,000 euros ($34,768).<\/p>\n The homes also needed far fewer renovations to be done to them than the dilapidated one euro houses. \u00a0<\/p>\n Excited, Kiki jetted off to Sicily, and in June 2024, after viewing around 30 homes, put an offer on the 17-room home for just over $31,000.<\/p>\n The rundown property ticked all of Kiki\u2019s boxes, as it was spacious, full of natural light, and had a stunning view out on the terrace. \u00a0<\/p>\n The deal<\/a> took seven months to close, and in January 2025, the property was finally hers. \u00a0<\/p>\n Kiki hired a team of builders a few weeks later, who got to work redoing the floors, re-plastering the walls, and rewiring the electrics. \u00a0<\/p>\n She has also purchased a custom-made kitchen and a bar, which she is waiting for the builders to install.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all going to come together in the next few months,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n In March 2026, she was able to stay in the property for the first time. \u00a0<\/p>\n She is currently living between Mussomeli and LA, and once all of the renovations are complete, Kiki plans to make the big move.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping I\u2019ll be able to move over permanently by the end of the year; it\u2019s a waiting game at the minute,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n Kiki currently works remotely, but once she has settled into her new life in Italy, she plans to get a job<\/a> locally.<\/p>\n \u201cI have local friends who have an olive grove and too much olive oil that they don\u2019t know what to do with, so I might collaborate with them on a business selling olive oil to North America,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n Kiki isn\u2019t alone in her international move either.<\/p>\n A couple last year wanted to \u201cescape higher prices\u201d and now own two homes for only $75,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ES_TINY-HOME-EXC_COMP.jpg\"\/)
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