January the 18th, 2024 – Ever fancied spending less than one euro on a house? Now you can – head to Legrad which is hoping to cap demographic leaks with 30 cent homes.
As Medjimurske Novine/Sanja Heric reports, the Municipality of Legrad has been selling properties for a kuna (less than 30 cents) for five years now. This quite remarkable demographic policy has begun to show some positive results, which is also evident from the need to expand the local kindergarten. With things on a sure but steady upward trajectory, Legrad plans to put few more local houses on the market, according to Poslovni.hr.
The Municipality of Legrad has been trying to improve its extremely poor demographic image since back in 2018 with its head-turning policy of “houses for a kuna” initiative, as well as other incentives aimed at solving the housing issue for young families.
The mayor of Legrad, Ivan Sabolić, revealed that all of this is an attempt to recover the demography of the municipality. This is because in that idyllic region of the country next to the Drava river, mortality is greater than birth rate.
This is a fate shared to some extent or another by many regions across Croatia. It is traditionally more pronounced in the overlooked eastern part of the country but has since spread to include regions previously known for their relative wealth and job opportunities – such as Dalmatia. The import of labour from third countries and the ongoing plight of Croatian employers struggling to fill rolls each and every year continues to be a very sharp thorn in the side of Croatia’s labour market, but could Legrad set a shining example to other counties?
Whether other areas of the country decide to adopt Legrad’s example remains to be seen. Thankfully, this concerning negative trend has been gradually slowing down as young families are choosing to stay in Legrad thanks to the “house for a kuna” initiative, and people from neighbouring counties are also moving there.
