Rural homes in Lake Saimaa islands offered for as little as one euro

A village association in Rääkkylä, North Karelia, is selling 13 homes and plots across two islands in northern Lake Saimaa, with asking prices starting at one euro, Yle reports.

Owners will be on site this weekend to negotiate sales in person. The islands, Oravisalo and Varpasalo, have a combined year-round population of about 200, though numbers nearly triple in summer. Many properties remain vacant.

The initiative aims to attract new residents to the countryside. Similar events are being organised elsewhere in Eastern Finland.

Properties range from move-in ready homes to renovation projects, including a dance pavilion on a waterfront plot. The islands are accessible by bridge or road, with Rääkkylä’s church village 10–25 km away and Joensuu reachable by car in just over an hour.

Local activist Sari Hirvonen, a resident of Varpasalo, said the association does not act as an intermediary. Prices span from one euro to six-figure sums.

Pasi Laasonen, a lifelong resident of Varpasalo, is selling two homes near his own farm. He described the well-kept yards as reminiscent of the 1960s, with original owners having passed away and heirs seeking to sell.

Laasonen noted the islands retain a strong communal spirit, with neighbours assisting each other. He cited recent help towing a neighbour’s ATV as an example.