Many parts of the world have undervalued properties—like $1 villas in Italy or abandoned homes in Japan—that could be great investments but are hard for international buyers to find and purchase. Current real estate platforms don’t specialize in these ultra-cheap properties or make cross-border transactions easy, leaving opportunities unused and communities struggling to attract new residents.

How It Could Work

One approach to solving this problem could involve creating a platform specifically designed to connect buyers with deeply discounted properties worldwide while simplifying the purchase process. This platform might include:

• Curated Listings: Properties under $50K, like Italy’s $1 homes or Japan’s akiya, filtered by investment potential, location, and legal considerations.
• Transaction Support: Escrow services, legal templates, and local agent partnerships to help with paperwork and reduce fraud risks.
• Local Insights: Guides on renovation costs, visa implications, and ownership laws for each region.

The simplest version (MVP) might focus first on Italy and Japan—where these properties are plentiful—before expanding to other markets like Spain or Portugal.

Stakeholders and Revenue

The platform could benefit:

• Investors: Those looking for affordable second homes, rental income, or residency-by-investment options.
• Local Governments: Areas with declining populations (like rural Italy) benefit from incentivized repopulation programs.
• Service Providers: Local agents, lawyers, and contractors gain access to international buyers.

Revenue might come from transaction fees (1–3% per sale), premium subscriptions for early access to listings, or advertising from local service providers.

Advantages Over Existing Solutions

Unlike general real estate sites (e.g., Zillow), this idea would focus exclusively on cheap international properties, reducing irrelevant listings for buyers. It could also go beyond competitors like International Real Estate Listings by offering transaction tools rather than just property aggregation. Meanwhile, Japan-focused services like Akiya & Inaka lack the cross-border support this concept could provide.

By addressing both discovery and transaction hurdles, this platform could tap into a niche but high-margin segment of the $8.8 trillion global real estate market.