The Croatian town selling houses for just 13 cents
- by croatiaweek
- in News
(Illustration)
The small town of Legrad in Croatia is set for a new round of selling houses and plots for just 13 cents.
Legrad, which is located north of Koprivnica and east of Ludbreg in northern Croatia, has been trying to improve its demographic profile since 2018 through its “house for a kuna” policy and other incentives to address housing issues for young families.
Now they are ready for a new round of selling unused properties owned by the municipality, and since Croatia has got rid of the kuna and replaced it with the euro, houses and plots to build on are just 13 cents.
In order to be eligible to buy a house at that price under the initiative, applicants must be under 45 years old, be in a marital or extramarital partnership, and must not have a criminal record or own any property.
Couples will receive additional points if they have children and are engaged in a profession facing a labor shortage.
As HRT reports, the initiatives seem to be successful with more children today in the township than five years ago, and as a result, new daycare centre is being built.
“Having our own home in this time really means a lot for a young family, especially since we already have one child, and another one is on the way. And having our own yard, a place where children can grow up and play safely,” Monika Premec told HRT.
In Legrad, the Premec family say they have everything they need, including a new modern school, a pharmacy, doctors, dentists, and stores.
“A total of five houses ready for occupancy have been sold. Three families have already moved in, and what delights us is that all three families welcomed a new member during their move-in. This has increased the number of children in the daycare centre,” says the mayor of Legrad, Ivan Sabolić.
Legrad (Photo: Zerind/Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
Not only is Legrad doing well with incentives for young people, but they are also skilled in utilising European funds. So far, the municipality has implemented 45 European projects worth three million euros—slightly more than six annual municipal budgets.
Legrad (Photo: Vid Pogacnik/Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
Around 2,000 people live in Legrad today, which became a chartered market town as early as 1488 thanks to its favourable geographical position.
