For the determined buyer with a strong vision and good home improvement skills, the fire sale of crumbling Italian houses for a little over a dollar each has been a gift. The rest of us, unable even to install a simple shelf, can only look on in envy.

Until now. Several villages are now offering houses that are ready to move into. The price is a little higher -- starting at €10,000, or $12,000 -- but that gets you a place you can call your own without having to worry about adding a new roof or walls.