Even before the pandemic, those who work remotely would regularly come across this type of offer: Move to a small town desperately in need of development and get anything from a free house or several thousand as a cash gift from the state of Vermont to an actual castle abandoned by Italian nobility.
The catch is usually that the towns are far away from urban centers and the homes require major investment on the part of the owner — many who take them up are looking to change up their life by taking on rural life and a major renovation project.
To achieve the goal of bringing young and energetic people to a stagnating town, these programs usually require one to stay there for at least a year.
Where Are the Free Homes at?
Some of these are temporary promotions from a specific tourist board while others drag on for years — a stream of different Italian towns has been trying to lure in new residents with €1 homes since 2011.
Shutterstock
Based on a recent round-up by GOBankingRates, Maenza in Italy's Latina province recently became the first town within easy access of Rome (about 71 miles or an hour-and-a-half drive) to join the trend and start selling some of its abandoned homes for €1.
Canada's Manitoba province, meanwhile, is asking residents to pay a $1,000 deposit for a plot of land in the distant town of Pipestone — once they build a house on it, they get $990 back.
In the U.S., there are similar projects in Kansas' Mankato and many parts of West Virginia. The state of Vermont and Tulsa, Okla. are even offering a lump payment of a respective $7,500 and $10,000 for those who move there and end up staying.
"Since 2018, the Vermont Legislature has created three different relocation incentives, awarding $1,780,000 to attract new residents to the state, grow the workforce and provide support to Vermont employers," the state of Vermont writes of its relocation program. "In total, these three programs have assisted 435 new workers and their families to live and work in Vermont."
Getty Images
In the case of Tulsa, the program has been around since 2018 but saw applications increase by 300% during the height of the pandemic.
The requirements, which are similar for most such programs, are that one can move within the next year, has full-time income from outside the state and is eligible to live and work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
For those who have British citizenship, the Scottish Islands also have a fund of £50,000 ($60,000) that it'll give to those who move to one of over 900 remote islands in the country between now and 2026. While the sum seems particularly large, it is the extreme end that will go to those who move to some of the least-populated islands.
Does Anyone Actually do This, Though?
The "move here and get free money" headline never fails to generate buzz and get thousands to share links saying how they "should totally do this."
In reality, however, a number of different circumstances need to come together in order to make this a viable opportunity for a given individual — the typical applicant is young (although it also appeals to some retirees), earns money remotely and is not tied to a family in a given city.
With the pandemic uprooting work for millions, this type of scenario became more common than ever before.
According to a recent study from freelancer platform Upwork, 5 million people or roughly 2.4% of all Americans have changed locations since 2020 after starting remote work due to the covid outbreak.
