Moving into an Italian home for only $12,000

CNN - In the hands of a confident buyer with a strong vision and good home improvement skills, the sale of crumbling Italianate homes for just over a dollar each was a gift. And the rest of us, unable to even mount a simple shelf, have only to envy. Until now.

Several villages now offer move-in ready homes. The price is a bit higher - starting at 10,000 euros, or $12,000 - but it gives you a place to call your own without worrying about adding a new roof or walls. Carrega Ligure in northern Italy and Latronico in the south have created online platforms where buyers can view photos, maps and details of old abandoned buildings for sale and communicate directly with the owner.

Carrega Ligure is a tiny mountain village that is currently home to barely more than 90 inhabitants and is located on the border of Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna. It sells move-in ready homes at super low prices, as well as partially renovated and neglected homes in need of a complete restyling. Rental homes are also available. Located in the Appeninines, the surrounding municipality spans 56 square kilometers (22 square miles) and is spread across 15 populated areas and two ghost townships. Families of farmers and herders long ago left their homes to emigrate abroad or move to the big cities. Only two people live in one neighborhood and one of the settlements is a ghost township. Don't expect a social bustle. There is absolutely nothing here, just great views, silence, clean fresh air and unspoiled nature. There are no bars, supermarkets, stores, restaurants. Strangely enough, you need a car or other means of transportation to get around. Carrega Ligure is located in the north of Italy.

Local councilman and former mayor Marco Guerrini says advertising private home sales on one of the websites run by City Hall ensures the properties reach a wider range of buyers.

Those who venture here will find a town frozen in time, where many old rural traditions have been preserved. The locals speak a strange dialect close to Genoese. Ancient stone roads lead to an impressive castle on a cliff. In the Middle Ages, the village served as a strategic hub on the old "salt route" traveled by medieval traders. It was a crossroads for pilgrims, monks, traders and sheepherders. Old mills stand along pristine streams, and the region offers canyons, green valleys and deep forests inhabited by unique species of salamander and the so-called "Italian frog". Hiking trails lead to lonely panoramic peaks.

The former mayor of Carrega Ligure, Marco Guerrini, says his town is the perfect place for a vacation. Shepherds still work here, although farming is a thing of the past. Emigration in the '50s and '60s practically devastated these neighborhoods. Former local families only return for weekends or holidays to open their family homes. Everyone here either knows each other or is related to each other in some way. "Everything you'll find here is a great place to detox and unplug, with no pollution and stunning nature," says Guerrini, who has launched an online housing initiative to help locals.

A few years ago, Carrega tried unsuccessfully to sell dilapidated houses for one euro, but had to give up when the old owners proved too difficult to trace. Either they had emigrated or there were too many heirs, says Guerrini. "So we came up with a different approach when we were able to involve the old owners and convince them to join in the regeneration of the urban landscape. The houses that are for sale are not falling apart, many are in good condition, and the owners usually live nearby but no longer use their family dwelling," he says.

He says interested buyers can send an e-mail to City Hall and officials will reach out and relay direct contacts.