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Real estate is a good investment, but it requires lots of scrimping and saving and even taking out loans. Right? Fortunately—no. There are some amazing deals and fabulous houses out there that won’t break the bank and will leave you very happy. Especially since some homes cost a grand total of 0 dollars.

One of the best places to find low-priced but beautiful properties is the Cheap Old Houses Instagram account that has over 1.3 million loyal followers. The account has helped countless Americans and Europeans find their new homes and showcases the country’s hidden gems.

So scroll down, dear Pandas, upvote your favorite houses, and share which properties you liked the most and why.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | CheapOldHouses.com | CircaOldHouses.com

The Cheap Old Houses Instagram page is run by husband and wife Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein. Elizabeth is also the founder of Circa Old Houses, a company dedicated to selling historic homes to buyers who want to preserve them.

“There are a lot of people out there who look at a house and think, Wow, this looks like a lot of work. And then there are the people who look at the same house and think, That looks like a lot of work—and I cannot wait,” Elizabeth told Garden & Gun.

For her, it’s vital that these iconic buildings and American and European history be preserved. “In so many instances, these homes are vulnerable to being flipped or destroyed. They also kind of go under the radar. Real estate agents are not making a huge commission off of a thirty-thousand dollar house, and so generally they don’t do the extra things, like hire professional photographers.” 

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F. H.
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Old country inns are often really cheap in Germany. They are too expensive to maintain as housing for yourself, too expensive to convert into apartments and not worth the trouble to run them as a restaurant or hotel. Otherwise, I would have bought one long ago.

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Megan Curl
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lots of work needed on rotting wood on the exterior. Pretty tho.

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The homes that Elizabeth and Ethan feature on their page are generally under 100k dollars. But the price can be as low as 2.5k dollars, 1k dollars, and… free! You can’t really get a better deal than that, unless somebody actually pays you to live somewhere.

It’s a win-win situation. Anyone who’s looking for a family home gets to put down roots without getting up to their necks in debt; meanwhile, Elizabeth and Ethan get to preserve history and build up the community of old house lovers.

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“We believe that you’re being sold the wrong American dream. Contrary to what everyone else says, you don’t actually need to buy a million-dollar house and go into extreme debt to live a satisfying and beautiful life,” they write on their website. “Our philosophy of life is simple. Work hard. Find something beautiful, something well-crafted. Something that needs you. Nurture it. Learn about it. Spend time honing your skills so you understand it. Teach your family to do the same. And give back to history while doing it.”

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Aria Whitaker
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That last room has some pretty extensive water damage on the ceiling...hope it is nothing too severe, that can get pretty costly!

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Pseudo Puppy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

how is real estate soooooo cheap in the US???? In Sydney Australia, a 2 bedroom apartment, build in the 80's or earlier, 40 minutes out from the city, can still cost you $500,000+

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AA Matty
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will kill anyone that removes those lovely room divisions in order to have a more of an "open concept" feel. Love it.

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Mary Tual
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

as a french person who recently bought a house I would say this is not so expensive but definitely not cheap considering where the house is and the work that needs to be done

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Steve Cruz
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The floorboards are cupped, which indicates moisture problems.

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Meyer Weinstock
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's Bodfish. Sure, Lake Isabella is nice, but the only employer is the state prison in Tehachapi.

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ƒιѕн
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You would never get a ROI with this sitting in Wanette. Unless you just have some cash to waste on building in a ghost town.

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R. Searle
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I lived in Georgia for over a decade, and never heard of Louisville, so my guess is it’s right smack dab in the middle of Georgia with a Dollar General serving as it’s only grocery store.

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Toasty
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I grew up in Syracuse. It's an industrial c**p-hole, plus that house looks like it will fall down at any minute.

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Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.