Salt air drifts through open windows on the top floor of a centuries-old home in Tusa, and the first thing you notice is not the water stains on the ceiling or the chandelier that has seen better decades. It’s the view. Beyond three sets of windows, a medieval village tumbles down the hillside in the foreground, and past its rooftops the Mediterranean stretches out to meet the sky.
You could stand in that one room all day and just watch the light change over the water. That room, along with the rest of a very rough, very real fixer-upper, can be yours for €20,000. It’s one of three properties we’re walking through today in Tusa, each one owned by a seller who is genuinely, seriously motivated to make a deal.
Three Motivated Sellers, Three Sicilian Dreams in Tusa
All three of these homes share something in common beyond their location. Every seller here wants out, and that means every asking price is negotiable.
These aren’t polished, move-in-ready listings aimed at tourists with big budgets. They’re honest, lived-in Sicilian houses with real character, real quirks, and real upside for anyone willing to put in a little work or personalize the finishes.
Casa Ndraina, a Four-Level Fixer-Upper with Rental Potential
Casa Ndraina is priced at €35,000 and it’s a tall, narrow house spread over four levels, with entries on two different streets since it’s built into a hillside. The bottom level has its own private street entrance, a bedroom, and a small half bath with real potential to become a full shower room.
That layout alone makes it a natural rental unit. A room like that could bring in around €200 a month off season, and anywhere from €1,000 to €2,000 a month during peak summer.
The next level up has a second bedroom and another half bath that could also be expanded into a three-quarter bath with a shower. Between these two floors alone, you’ve already got two separate, semi-private living spaces.
The Top Floor Kitchen and Its Four-Bathroom Surprise
Keep climbing and you reach the main entry level, with the only full bathroom in the house, a large living room, and gorgeous original tile floors still in great condition. There’s a moisture issue behind some of the wallpaper that will need addressing, likely tied to roof work, but the bones here are good.
From the balcony on this floor you catch a little peek-a-boo glimpse of the Mediterranean, and it only gets better from here. The top floor holds the kitchen and dining area, plus an extra flex room that could become a fourth bathroom or a combination bath and laundry room.
For a house this size to have four potential bathrooms is unusual by any standard. The kitchen itself is small but adequate by Sicilian standards, and the mountain and sea views from up here are honestly gorgeous.
Casa Tania, a Move-In Ready Home in the Historic Center
Casa Tania is asking €45,000, and unlike Casa Ndraina, it only spans two levels with two bedrooms and one bathroom. So why the higher price on a smaller layout? The seller put real money into hard finishes and fixtures, and it shows.
The kitchen is noticeably larger than what you’d typically find in an inexpensive Sicilian home, with hardwood cabinets and granite countertops that are well above the standard for this price range. There’s wrought iron railing, polished granite stairs, and a genuinely nice full bathroom too.
This house sits in the centro storico (historic center) of Tusa, a neighborhood of stone houses that have mostly been plastered over the centuries. The primary bedroom is a good size with its own small balcony and street view, and a second bedroom off to the side comes equipped with an armadio (built-in closet system), though it’s small and was clearly set up for a child.
The Hidden Cantina Next Door
Here’s the surprise we promised. Attached to Casa Tania is a private cantina (wine cellar), roughly 23 square meters (about 250 square feet), currently used for storing wine, olive oil, and equipment.
Picture that space cleared out and set up as your own little Sicilian wine cellar. It’s not a water view back here, but the mountain view off the back of the house is its own kind of gorgeous.
Overall, Casa Tania needs far less work than the other two properties on this list. Clear out the furnishings, make it your own, and it’s ready to enjoy or rent out, especially in the high summer season when demand and rental rates both spike.
Casa La Rosa, the Top Two Floors of a Medieval Home
Casa La Rosa is the one we saved for last, and at €20,000 for around 1,000 square feet across its top two floors, it’s the boldest opportunity of the three. This price only buys the top two floors of the building, with one bedroom and one bathroom, but the space is something else entirely.
The entry level has a reception area that was awkwardly walled off into a skinny hallway with a wood-frame partition. Knock that out, and you open up a genuinely spacious reception area leading into a well-sized bedroom and bathroom that could easily function as a private suite.
The Top Floor Room Built for Sicilian Sea Views
Head up one more flight and you reach the room that makes this whole deal worth it. There are some water intrusion issues to address here, likely related to the roof, but the space itself is stunning.
Open beam ceilings, herringbone stone tile floors in great condition, a fireplace you could leave in exposed brick or plaster over, and three separate sets of windows all framing that same incredible view of the medieval village below and the Mediterranean beyond it. A small balcony off the side even looks out over the remains of a medieval castle wall across the street, with dedicated off-street parking right there.
Why the Mediterranean View Steals the Show at Casa La Rosa
It’s worth pausing on this view because photos and words genuinely undersell it. You’re looking at a foreground of red-tiled medieval rooftops climbing the hillside, and behind them, open water stretching to the horizon.
From that top floor room, with three sets of windows pulling in light from every angle, the sea is never out of sight. Morning coffee, evening wine, it doesn’t matter what time of day, that view is doing the work.
And the sellers mentioned they’d consider selling the bottom two floors as well, which include a garage. If you want the whole building, that’s a conversation worth having.
Turning These Fixer-Uppers into Summer Rental Income
All three of these properties share a practical upside beyond just being a personal home in Sicily. Off season, a single rentable room might bring in around €200 a month.
But in peak summer, that same space can command anywhere from €1,000 to €2,000 a month, since rental demand and pricing both spike dramatically during the high season. If you’re not ready to live in Sicily full time, buying now and renting seasonally is a completely viable path while you plan your move.
Property Highlights in Tusa, Sicily
- Casa Ndraina: four levels, private street-level entrance, up to four potential bathrooms, one to two bedroom configuration, peek-a-boo Mediterranean view from upper floors, asking €35,000
- Casa Tania: two levels, two bedrooms, one full bath, high-end kitchen with granite counters and hardwood cabinets, located in the centro storico, includes an attached 23 square meter (about 250 square foot) private cantina, asking €45,000
- Casa La Rosa: top two floors of a medieval building, about 1,000 square feet total, one bedroom, one bathroom, open beam ceilings, herringbone stone floors, sweeping sea and village views, off-street parking, option to purchase the full building with garage, asking €20,000
- All three sellers are highly motivated, meaning every asking price is negotiable
- Strong seasonal rental potential across all three properties, especially in summer
- Watch the full property tour
- Featured in Episode 15
- Asking price: €20,000 for Casa La Rosa, €35,000 for Casa Ndraina, €45,000 for Casa Tania
Please note: our property tours stay online long after filming, and homes like this tend to sell quickly, so this one may no longer be available. If it has already sold, we can still help you find something similar. Tell us your dream, and we’ll help make it real.
Three Chances to Claim a Sicilian Dream Home
Three houses, three price points, three completely different personalities. Casa Ndraina offers built-in rental income across four flexible levels. Casa Tania hands you a nearly move-in ready home with a hidden wine cellar bonus.
And Casa La Rosa, at just €20,000, gives you one of the most breathtaking sea views we’ve come across in this price range anywhere on the island. That top floor room alone, with its open beams and three walls of windows facing the water, is the kind of space that stays with you long after you’ve left it.
None of these homes are polished and ready for Instagram on day one. They need work, patience, and a willingness to see past the current decor.
But that’s exactly where the opportunity lives. With motivated sellers and negotiable prices, these are the kinds of deals that reward buyers who are ready to move quickly and dream a little bigger.
