Goetene - Municipality in Sweden sells off building land for a few cents and is overrun by interested parties
In Sweden, a dream comes true for future homeowners: Currently, there is building land available for less than ten cents per square meter in Sweden: A small town in southwestern Sweden has been officially overwhelmed by interested parties due to such a bargain offer.
"We started the campaign in mid-April," said the mayor of the 5,000-inhabitant city of Götene, Johan Mansson, to the news agency AFP on Monday. Thirty abandoned plots of land, each for a square meter price of a Swedish crown (around ten cents), were offered for sale. It was a "crazy idea" and a marketing stunt.
The region in Sweden is sparsely populated
With the enticing offer, the municipality aimed to create more living space in the sparsely populated area and thereby stimulate growth in the region, Mansson continued. The offered plots ranged from seven to 1,200 square meters. With the purchase, the new owner was obligated to build a house on it within two years.
Shortly after the start of the campaign, three plots were sold – "a great success for such a small community," said Mayor Mansson. "We never imagined what would come our way."
When a local television station reported on the unusual offer at the end of June, the story spread like wildfire: Swedish media reported on it, a video was spread on the TikTok platform, two English-language media picked up the story, and millions of people discovered Götene and its unbeatable land prices.
Since then, the city administration has been inundated with emails and calls. The sale was temporarily halted to check all offers. "We have inquiries from Europe, Asia – especially India and Pakistan – as well as from the USA, Australia, and even South America," said Mayor Mansson. With the action, the town was successfully "put on the world map."
The sale of the plots is scheduled to continue with an auction in early August.
Read at stern+: The costs for homeownership have recently fallen, even in metropolitan areas. Here's what you need to know now.
The enticing offer of affordable building land in Götene has attracted interest from around the world, with inquiries coming from Europe, Asia, the USA, Australia, and South America. This marketing stunt by the city aimed to stimulate growth in the sparsely populated region by providing property at just a Swedish crown per square meter.
The unprecedented response to this economic opportunity has put Götene on the world map, with stories spread through Swedish media, TikTok, and even English-language media, reaching millions of people and potentially attracting international homeowners.
