The high prices that can be found in the real estate market or in the search for rental housing in the main cities of some European countries have caused many to find themselves looking for other alternatives. Among the most popular options is moving to towns with few inhabitants, which usually offer housing and work for newcomers. However, There are also other more peculiar alternatives.
For a lower price than you can find an apartment in cities like Madrid or Barcelona, in some countries you can even buy islands. This was the case of the Greek island of Makri, which went up for auction for a price of 247,000 euros, but where, due to restrictionsits future owner could not build new homes and would have to settle for the small cabin that was already on the land.
Unlike this case, it is also for sale a 6.5 hectare island in Back LakeCanada, for a price of 220,000 euros. The offer comes from Matthias Roß, a citizen of Bavaria, Germany, who won the island land in a contest organized by the candy manufacturer, Haribo, 21 years ago. At that time, the man was 44 years old and decided to turn the area into a space in which to relax.
The island has a house of 85 square meters
To know the reason for the sale, we must go back to April 11, 2005, when Matthias decided to participate in a promotion launched by the well-known candy brand. Months later, the company informed him that he was the winner of the raffle, becoming the owner of a private island located in Nova Scotia and in the protagonist of a television show presented by actor Thomas Gottschalk.
The island, known as Back Lake Island, has an area equivalent to nine football fields. However, the prize not only included the land, but also a wooden cabin, fishing equipment, a canoe and the flight ticket to visit it. With all this, Roß began to use his new property to allocate several weeks a year to fishing and the felling of firewood, as well as the improvement of the habitability conditions of the home.
At the moment, The cabin has 85 square meters and two bedrooms. The property is equipped with a shed, solar panels to improve the sustainability of the property, a water pump that extracts water directly from the lake and a composting toilet, as reported by the media “Focus”. It also has a dock and two canoes to navigate the Back Lake. All of this available to the new buyer of the property.
Annual maintenance costs rise to 2,500 euros
Despite the facilities that the land already had, the difficulties in reaching it began to be a problem for its owner. Located in Nova Scotia, it was necessary for Roß to buy a ticket for a transatlantic flight from Germany to Canada and then take a boat trip. All because it is located 30 minutes from the nearest town.
To this fact we must add the high cost of maintenance and conservation of the property. As Roß’s parents explained to the media “Bild”, with the plane ticket, they had to spend an annual sum of 2,500 euros on the land. A high figure and difficulties that have motivated the island to be put up for sale by a total of 348,000 Canadian dollars (approximately 218,000 euros), according to the real estate portal Vladi Private Islands.
The price includes both the land, the house and the rest of the amenities. All of this in good conditions because Roß’s parents were in charge of reside and perform maintenance tasks. An opportunity for those who have savings and want to start a new life, helping to preserve the nature and landscapes of Back Lake, or simply want a vacation home to go to during the holidays.