Spanish village on sale for less than the cost of a New York flat

A Spanish village – yes, an entire village – is currently on sale for around the price that you might pay for a modest flat in New York City. You can have a look around in the video below.

It’s something of a dream isn’t it?

We could all just save up a bit of cash and buy up a rural Spanish village and live out our days eating little plates of lovely food and soaking up a bit of sunshine.

Well, if you’ve got a spare $259,000 that dream might be a whole lot more attainable than you think.

The village of Salto de Castro in north-western Spain is currently on the market for exactly that amount.

Wikimedia Commons/Balles2601

It’s not far from Portugal and about three hours away from Madrid, and for the price you’ll get 44 homes, a church, a school, a hotel, a swimming pool, and even a barracks, although what you choose to do with that is up to you.

Hell, you could all chip in together and get it done if you knew enough people.

Unfortunately, the village is a bit of a fixer-upper, as there has been no-one there for more than 30 years.

It was purchased by the current owner back at the turn of the millennium with the intention of turning it into a tourist destination.

However, the financial crisis in the eurozone meant that his plan never quite came to fruition.

Now, he’s getting on a bit and can’t maintain the village properly, so it is back on the market.

Ronnie Rodriguez, of Royal Invest, the company that represents the owner, explained: "The owner had the dream of having a hotel here but it was all put on hold.

"He would still like the project to come true."

The owner himself said: "I am selling because I am an urban-dweller and cannot maintain the upkeep"

You’ll have to move quickly though, because the village is causing something of a stir.

There have been 50,000 visits to the website since it was listed just a week ago at that knock-down price.

Rodriguez claims that 300 people have expressed an interest in buying it, with enquiries coming in internationally.

The village was totally abandoned in the 1980s, having been built by an energy company for workers in the 1950s.

Royal Invest

The area that it sits in is sometimes known as ‘emptied Spain’ because of the sparse population and lack of nearby amenities.

In the past, the village has been on sale for as much as 6.5 million euros, but no-one was interested.

As well as your $259,000, there will be some renovations to do as well, given that many buildings have been vandalised.

According to listing website Idealista: "The investment required in order to make the village 100% workable and to become profitable would not exceed €2m."

Hey, it’s an idea.