The Sicilian town of Sambuca is selling houses for just 1 pound ($1.14) as a way of encouraging people to move there and provide a boom to its economy.

Sambuca is trying to do things differently than other cities who have tried something similar.

“As opposed to other towns that have merely done this for propaganda, this city hall owns all 1-pound houses on sale,” Giuseppe Cacioppo, Sambuca’s deputy mayor and tourist councilor. “We’re not intermediaries who liaise between old and new owners. You want that house, you’ll get it no time.”

The properties being sold for this low price range from 40 square meters to 150 square meters (430 square feet to 1,614 square feet) and are in need of renovation. Anyone looking to buy one of the houses has to commit to spending at least 15,000 pounds (about $17,200) on renovations within three years of purchase.

Those who buy the houses must pay a 5,000-pound ($5,700) security deposit, which will be returned once the renovation is complete. Cacioppo described this as a small price to pay for a property in the “City of Splendor.”

“This fertile patch of land is dubbed the Earthly Paradise,” he said. “We’re located inside a natural reserve, packed with history. Gorgeous beaches, woods and mountains surround us. It’s silent and peaceful, an idyllic retreat for a detox stay.”

Cacioppo added that this plan is already paying off in a big way.

“Foreigners are flocking here, flabbergasted by all this beauty,” he said. “Some 10 houses have already been sold. Dozens of others are available but badly in need of a makeover. We’ve been contacted by people from Switzerland, France, and Spain and are receiving many requests.”

If you are interested in these properties, you can make inquiries at [email protected].