Ever fancied taking on the title of mayor? If so, you won't find a better opportunity than these incredible towns for sale. From a 19th-century North Carolina ghost town frozen in time to a quaint Swedish village with a thriving business, these unique settlements around the world are the ultimate real estate investments.
Click or scroll on to discover the best communities on the market right now...
Why buy a family house when you can snap up an entire town for the same price? The 19th-century hamlet of Merry Oaks in North Carolina is something of a steal – it listed in early March for £399,500 ($500k), though Zillow's property records indicate it's recently had its price slashed to an even more modest £379,700 ($475k).
Brimming with potential, this deserted settlement could be the ideal investment for a buyer with a penchant for history.
Spread over 3.5 acres, the outpost occupies a remote lot of land near Jordan Lake in New Hill. Encircled by gnarled trees and overgrowth, it's a wonderfully preserved corner of the world where time has seemingly stood still.
Merry Oaks was founded in 1880 as a farming community that once bustled with residents. However, modern agricultural innovations gradually rendered the small town obsolete. Now, only a few of its historic structures remain standing, the last lingering legacy of what local news station WRAL dubbed the "lost community".
The remnants of this time-capsule settlement include a boarding house, post office and general store, which according to the listing, "played host to weary travellers on horseback, artists and writers" during the town's heyday.
Pictured here, the years of abandonment certainly haven't diminished the charm of the old boarding house. It's not hard to imagine the creak of rocking chairs and lively chatter rising from the veranda, as farmers whiled away the summer evenings after a day of working the fields.
The interior of the boarding house appears to be in surprisingly good condition too. There's something undeniably enchanting about the white-washed shiplap walls and sash windows in this room, where an unknown woman from decades past still presides over the space.
According to WRAL, the owners are hoping a new buyer will step in to preserve Merry Oaks – it's been suggested that the outpost could make an enchanting wedding venue or historic Airbnb.
Property fans might just recognise this village. Known as Salto de Castro, it's located in the Zamora province of Spain and was on the market with Idealista in mid- to late-2023 for €260,000, or £222,300 ($278k).
A year later, it's for sale once again, but with an inflated price tag. Listed for €580,000, which equates to £497,500 ($622k), the village is now more than double the price it was 12 months ago and we can't quite figure out why.
Perched on a hillside overlooking the Douro River, the village spans 1.6 acres and benefits from breathtaking countryside views. With 44 houses (five of them detached), a tavern, a church, a multi-classroom school and a hostel, this ghost town certainly offers plenty of bang for your buck.
And that isn't all! The town also boasts an old Civil Guard barracks, with a swimming pool and various sports areas.
The village was constructed in the 1950s by the electric company Iberduero. According to EuroWeekly, it was created to accommodate the company's workers, who were tasked with building a reservoir next to the village. However, once the project was finished, the residents had no reason to hang around and the area was slowly vacated. By the 1980s, Salto de Castro stood quiet and deserted.
With traditional stone and stucco exteriors and red tiled roofs, the buildings in the village are all uniform and in seemingly excellent condition, despite the fact they haven't been inhabited for some time.
There are endless development opportunities here, too. The buyer could create a spa resort, corporate retreat or an amazing private estate.
In some parts of the world, you can't get a whole lot of real estate for £641,000 ($802k), but in Romania, you can buy an entire village.
Listed with Sotheby's International Realty for a mere €750,000, this adorable miniature settlement lies in Vaslui County and covers less than an acre of land, but it packs a punch when it comes to quaintness.
Known as Ferești, the village was built in 2014 to keep important and slowly dwindling Romanian traditions alive. Let's find out more...
In this part of the country, locals wear striking Maramures costumes and take part in unique annual traditions. For example, during the Easter period, boys will go to girls' homes and sprinkle them with water.
For your money, you could bag the entire village, which is made up of five carefully restored traditional homes, a stocked pond, a stone storeroom and a timber pavilion, making it the perfect option for anyone looking to create an off-grid compound.
Each of the adorable tiny homes is bursting with character. Some have curvaceous roofs, dinky front porches and window boxes overflowing with flowers, while others feature grass roofs or façades akin to hobbit homes.
Cute stone pathways connect the buildings. Amazingly, the five houses provide just 7,534 square feet of inside space, highlighting just how petite they really are.
Stepping inside one of the residences, you'll be greeted by gorgeous period beams, imposing fireplaces, brick accents, rustic furnishings and plenty of traditional décor.
In total, the village features six full bathrooms and 14 bedrooms, with 22 beds. So there's more than enough room for you and your entire entourage. The village also boasts a sauna, a hot tub and a barbeque zone, as well as a zip line and a treehouse.
Providing plenty of bang for your buck, this remarkable commune is ready for a brand-new mayor – could that be you?
If you'd rather be soaking up the rays in the Algarve region of Portugal, then these remarkable ruins could be within your reach. Priced at £1.1 million ($1.4m), or just under €1.3 million, Funcho de Diante village is a bit of a bargain, considering it comes complete with more than 23 acres of land in one of Portugal's most spectacular areas. Let's take a closer look...
Positioned in the municipality of São Bartolomeu de Messines, the village sits next to a dam and benefits from breathtaking, 360-degree landscape scenery. According to the listing, the settlement was built many centuries ago, but sadly we don’t know much more than that.
When the dam was built in 1974, the village was abandoned and its buildings now sit in ruins. However, with the right contractor on board, the buyer could restore the structures and bring them back from the brink, or even knock them down and build themselves a one-of-a-kind family home.
For your money, you’ll gain the abandoned homes, endless land and prime access to some of Portugal’s best beaches and nature spots. Plus, just look at what your backyard would be! If you're keen to take this fixer-upper project on, then LUXIMOS has all the details you need.
When you think about real estate in California, you might picture the sprawling mega-mansions of Los Angeles, or the mid-century modern pads of Palm Springs, but if you fancy a slice of the good life, you could consider an altogether different type of property.
Offering far more than just a single-family residence, the town of Bridgeville in Humboldt County is currently up for grabs for £1.2 million ($1.5m) via Compass.
This small, tight-knit community was founded in the late 19th century and was originally known as Robinsons Crossing. The scenic Van Duzen River runs through the town – when a bridge was added in 1875, the settlement was renamed Bridgeville.
Featuring quaint streets lined with white-picket fences and shiplap-clad homes, the historic outpost is encircled in the rural scenery of Northern California.
The 83-acre community made headlines as the first town to be listed on eBay when it landed on the online buying site in 2002. After the initial sale fell through, real estate developer Bruce Krall (pictured) snapped up Bridgeville, selling it once more via eBay in 2006. But months later, following the sudden passing of the settlement's new owner, it was placed back on the market.
In the years that followed, Bridgeville has been listed and unlisted numerous times, but it's now back on the market and in search of a new owner to help write the next chapter of its story.
The community underwent renovations to its buildings in the early 2000s, however, there's still plenty of work needed to breathe new life into this timeworn town.
Nevertheless, there's no shortage of potential here: as well as the substantial acreage on offer, the sale price includes a number of homes and cabins, a 150-year-old post office, a vacant café and a cemetery. Are you up for the challenge?
Offering a fascinating insight into life in the Wild West, this authentic frontier town in Colorado offers style, history and opportunities in abundance. For sale for the first time in over 40 years via RE/MAX Pinnacle for just shy of £1.3 million ($1.6m), the tiny town is an absolute steal.
Whether you want to create a unique vacation destination or set up your own business, this town is sure to appeal. Let's find out more...
Located in Silverton, a former mining town, this impressive Wild West set-up was once part of the Old Town Square. It lies at the base of the San Juan Mountains on the notorious Blair Street, where the town's miners would have gathered for refreshments and all sorts of late-night activities.
One block from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad depot, the town was perfectly placed for those venturing to Silverton in search of riches beyond their wildest dreams.
Back in its heyday, the square featured a saloon, a hotel, a general store and perhaps even a post office and jail. Today, the historic buildings are wonderfully preserved and house a range of artisan businesses.
For your money, you'll gain two operating commercial business buildings, three commercial rental spaces and one additional building that’s currently being used for storage. Three of the units were originally located in the mining ghost town of Eureka, Colorado, and were later picked up and moved to Silverton.
In addition to this old-school photography studio, there's a two-bedroom residential unit positioned above the Emporium gift shop, which was built in 2005. Though it's currently operated as a vacation rental, you could easily make it your new home.
Other highlights include the original 1875 San Juan County Courthouse and the 'Swanee's Old Mine Sluice' in the centre of the square, where tourists can pan for gold and gems. This is one seriously amazing investment opportunity for the right buyer.
In the early 1900s, cinnabar, a lucrative form of mercury, was discovered in and around Villa de La Mina, turning the quiet locale into a thriving mining town.
Once filled with workers seeking their fortunes, the Texan village boasted homes, a fortress and, of course, a lucrative mine. However, as with most boomtowns, the precious materials soon ran out and residents quickly abandoned Villa de La Mina, leaving it to ruin.
In the 1960s, the 62-acre town was purchased and developed into a collection of guest houses for visitors to the Big Bend area.
Villa de La Mina was later sold to actor Herman Everett of Badlands, Texas fame, who bought the land several years ago. He planned to restore it but quickly realised he didn’t have the time for a renovation project of this scale. Everett reportedly envisioned the town as "a great place for rich people who want to get away from the city."
The ghost town has been deserted since the 1970s, serving only as a filming location for a few B-rated movies, including the 1972 Western horror flick, Enter the Devil.
In need of a total overhaul, the village's 20 buildings, which include a prison, grain store, a dynamite shack and a cantina, were all constructed from sturdy rock hauled in from the Rio Grande River. While they remain in excellent condition, they likely need new roofs, wiring and plumbing, as well as redecorating.
Yet the most exciting aspect of this listing is that the cavernous mine is included in the sale price. Numerous tunnels run off the mine, including one that opens into a large, natural cave. The space could be transformed into a tourist attraction or even a cool cave dwelling.
Big Bend National Park is currently experiencing a fresh influx of tourism and Villa de La Mina is ideally located to take advantage of the increased footfall. A shrewd investment, it could be reimagined as a historic boutique hotel, offering guests a trip back in time.
Villa de La Mina is for sale through Limpia Realty for just under £1.6 million ($2m) and broker Steve Dyer is handling the sale. He invites interested parties to get in touch at 432-294-4138 or email stevie3249@gmail.com.
If you'd rather buy a private hamlet in France, then how about Le Beuchot? Described by the listing agents Horae Transactions as "atypical and incredible”, the village lies in the French department of Haute-Saône and is up for grabs for a reported €2.3 million, which is around £2 million ($2.5m).
The region once served as a hub for metalworking and Le Beuchot was home to a wire-drawing plant. The hamlet dates back to 1539 and in its prime, employed around 100 people, churning out 200 tons of steel per month at its peak in 1964.
However, after a steep decline in production and a series of layoffs, the factory closed its doors in 2006 and its pretty 19th-century homes and workshops were left abandoned.
Despite the fact Le Beuchot has been vacant for years, if not decades, with many of its structures barely visible beneath a blanket of weeds, it isn't hard to imagine the area alive with people.
This once elegant owner’s house certainly offers plenty of scope for a dramatic restoration project. The property boasts a lake and almost 62 acres of adjoining farmland, so there's plenty of room for further development.
Though pricey, the village certainly offers bang for your buck. The buyer will need deep pockets though, since it seems all of its buildings will need to be completely overhauled to render them liveable.
So, whether you want to start a new tourism initiative, create an eco-village or your own private paradise, Le Beuchot could be for you!
On the market with Pouliot Real Estate for £4.4 million ($5.5m), Tut Hill is located in the town of Pittston, Maine. Nestled on more than 50 acres of land, the picturesque settlement includes 25 buildings and structures that were the brainchild of local antiques dealer Kenneth Tuttle.
With his heart set on building an antique village, Tuttle bought the main house in 1967 and expanded his settlement from there, saving historic buildings from other towns that were going to be demolished.
While the community may have been established in the not-so-distant past, the structures date back to the 19th and 20th centuries and include a showroom for over 30 cars, along with numerous barns.
There are a total of nine residences in the village, which are made up of five family homes, three apartments and a studio guesthouse. All but two of these properties are currently rented out to tenants, so the new owner will have a steady income.
The stunning natural backdrop of the village boasts a pond, apple trees and flowering bushes. Other ornate buildings include a historic restored antique shop, a restored 1825 church meeting hall, two shops and a mechanic's garage.
The rural hamlet of Campo in San Diego County has been on the market since 2019 for a reported £4.9 million ($6.1m). Just one hour east of San Diego, the town comes with 28 buildings and is ideal for someone looking to take on a town that's already up and running.
A quiet setting, Campo is currently home to around 100 people and comes with working buildings including a post office and church. However, the current residents are looking for a new owner to expand the town, adding facilities such as a gym, laundromat and recreation centres.
Spread over 16 acres, the small community is peppered with abandoned clapboard homes like this one. With a little work, these neglected structures could provide charming houses for new residents looking to relocate to the town.
Campo is also just a mile away from the US-Mexico border, with many of its residents employed by US Customs and Border Protection. Within an hour's drive of the Pacific Ocean too, this well-located town has the potential to be a thriving hotspot.
Established in the 1700s, the quaint community of Sätra Brunn was originally founded as a wellness village when a natural mineral spring was discovered on the site. It went on to become a popular destination for those in search of relaxation and respite.
Fast forward some 300 years and health and well-being are still very much at the heart of this unique development, which is now on the market with Christie’s International Real Estate for around SEK67 million, or £4.9 million ($6.1m).
The vast settlement encompasses around 59 sprawling acres and is home to 70 buildings, from picturesque residences to a hotel, preschool, conference centre, restaurant, church, spring, gym and bathhouse.
According to the listing, the village makes several million dollars every year in revenue, plus Sätra Brunn has also been bottling its natural spring water since 2015, so the lucky buyer could end up with a healthy side business, too.
Home to possibly the world’s cutest houses, it’s hard not to be charmed by the village's array of colourful painted buildings.
A tight-knit community, Sätra Brunn plays host to an array of celebrations throughout the year, from Midsummer, Christmas and New Year's festivities to concerts and weddings.
The current owners acquired the village in 2002 and are keen to pass the mantle to a buyer who wants to preserve the community’s rich history and help its business ventures thrive.
Inside, the historic properties aren’t in bad shape either, with a plethora of stunning period features still in place, from exposed original floorboards to antique fixtures and detailing.
In addition to the village, the sale also includes 34 acres of undeveloped woodlands, so there’s plenty of space to strike out on new developments too.
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