I love people who make their dreams come true and The New York Times today has a great story about an American graduate student who financed her dream of buying a house in Italy by selling shares!
In 2001, Julie Hampton needed $80,000 to buy a house in a small village north of Florence. She only had a few thousand dollars to put down and devised a plan to sell three weeks at the villa to anyone who paid her $1,000. Hampton created a color brochure and bought a small ad in the Times and within a few weeks had the 60 investors she needed to finance the house. By the end of 2007, all of Hampton’s investors will have used up their weeks and the house will truly be hers. Brilliant!
Do you dream of buying a house in Italy? See our special report – Living the Dream – for a story about a couple who renovated their dream house in Chianti. The issue also includes plenty of informaiton about the practicalities of moving to Italy and working there.