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Real estate is a good investment, but it requires lots of scrimping and saving and even taking out loans. Right? Fortunately—no. There are some amazing deals and fabulous houses out there that won’t break the bank and will leave you very happy. Especially since some homes cost a grand total of 0 dollars.

One of the best places to find low-priced but beautiful properties is the Cheap Old Houses Instagram account that has over 1.3 million loyal followers. The account has helped countless Americans and Europeans find their new homes and showcases the country’s hidden gems.

So scroll down, dear Pandas, upvote your favorite houses, and share which properties you liked the most and why.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | CheapOldHouses.com | CircaOldHouses.com

The Cheap Old Houses Instagram page is run by husband and wife Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein. Elizabeth is also the founder of Circa Old Houses, a company dedicated to selling historic homes to buyers who want to preserve them.

“There are a lot of people out there who look at a house and think, Wow, this looks like a lot of work. And then there are the people who look at the same house and think, That looks like a lot of work—and I cannot wait,” Elizabeth told Garden & Gun.

For her, it’s vital that these iconic buildings and American and European history be preserved. “In so many instances, these homes are vulnerable to being flipped or destroyed. They also kind of go under the radar. Real estate agents are not making a huge commission off of a thirty-thousand dollar house, and so generally they don’t do the extra things, like hire professional photographers.” 

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F. H.
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Old country inns are often really cheap in Germany. They are too expensive to maintain as housing for yourself, too expensive to convert into apartments and not worth the trouble to run them as a restaurant or hotel. Otherwise, I would have bought one long ago.

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Megan Curl
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lots of work needed on rotting wood on the exterior. Pretty tho.

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The homes that Elizabeth and Ethan feature on their page are generally under 100k dollars. But the price can be as low as 2.5k dollars, 1k dollars, and… free! You can’t really get a better deal than that, unless somebody actually pays you to live somewhere.

It’s a win-win situation. Anyone who’s looking for a family home gets to put down roots without getting up to their necks in debt; meanwhile, Elizabeth and Ethan get to preserve history and build up the community of old house lovers.

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“We believe that you’re being sold the wrong American dream. Contrary to what everyone else says, you don’t actually need to buy a million-dollar house and go into extreme debt to live a satisfying and beautiful life,” they write on their website. “Our philosophy of life is simple. Work hard. Find something beautiful, something well-crafted. Something that needs you. Nurture it. Learn about it. Spend time honing your skills so you understand it. Teach your family to do the same. And give back to history while doing it.”

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Aria Whitaker
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That last room has some pretty extensive water damage on the ceiling...hope it is nothing too severe, that can get pretty costly!

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Pseudo Puppy
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

how is real estate soooooo cheap in the US???? In Sydney Australia, a 2 bedroom apartment, build in the 80's or earlier, 40 minutes out from the city, can still cost you $500,000+

KatHat
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because it's about location. Many of these homes will be far out in the suburbs or in small towns that are dying. The most beautiful house in the world will be useless to most people if you have to drive forever to go anywhere and if the closest shop is an hour away.

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Amy Foley Clark
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nice house but I've been to Cairo Illinois and it is a very impoverished town. Also it floods.

Jo Jo Jones
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the uk the further into the country side the property is, the more expensive it is, hence why there's no uk property on this list

Ellen Daniels
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine slum housing all around one of these gorgeous old homes, and the expectations of anyone who had enough money rehab and operating costs. There are reasons that these homes are offered for far, far less than your average ****-box dwelling in a livable area. However, our real estate is still much less expensive than yours. We had/have more developable land, I guess. Location matters. In Cleveland, Ohio a home that goes for 80,000. will cost $600,000 on a newly gentrifying street in Portland Oregon. More in California. Further, we are largely a car-required society. Much if not most of our housing is "bedroom communities" which are neighborhoods where a trip to the store for milk requires a drive. In Ohio, even avid cyclists tend to park their bikes from November to April at least, due to weather conditions.

Timothy Sykes
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just saw a YouTube video about this town. Everybody's leaving. No one wants to live here because of unemployment and no economy.

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AA Matty
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will kill anyone that removes those lovely room divisions in order to have a more of an "open concept" feel. Love it.

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Mary Tual
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

as a french person who recently bought a house I would say this is not so expensive but definitely not cheap considering where the house is and the work that needs to be done

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F. H.
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's just a holiday bungalow. The price is about right for something like that with a bit of land. Not cheap, not expensive.

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Meyer Weinstock
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's Bodfish. Sure, Lake Isabella is nice, but the only employer is the state prison in Tehachapi.

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ƒιѕн
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You would never get a ROI with this sitting in Wanette. Unless you just have some cash to waste on building in a ghost town.

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R. Searle
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I lived in Georgia for over a decade, and never heard of Louisville, so my guess is it’s right smack dab in the middle of Georgia with a Dollar General serving as it’s only grocery store.

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Toasty
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I grew up in Syracuse. It's an industrial c**p-hole, plus that house looks like it will fall down at any minute.

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R. Searle
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Beautiful wrap around porch. I like the yellow too, it suites it.

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Bill
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4 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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Michael Vickery
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You'd have to live in Laurel. I live near there, the city has one of the worst crime rates in the nation. There was a local singer/songwriter who used to have a song that went "Laurel is a dirty, filthy, smelly place."

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EHops
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The outside needs some TLC but the inside is gorgeous 😍

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Ellen
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very Brady bunch vibes, yikes .. good project for a house flipper though

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Amy Webb
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This house is in bad shape https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5050-State-Highway-8-New-Berlin-NY-13411/29989408_zpid/?

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Raynell
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's free because you have to pay to move it off the property. The house does not come with the land. https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article242688736.html

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Leslie Tollefson
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If I remember right, this is an old coffin factory. Complete with old coffins still. The Hubs and I REALLY want this one!!

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