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A sold sign stands in front of a single-family home in Park Ridge, Illinois.
- Many cities and towns have taken to selling abandoned homes for free, or at minimal prices.
- Some local governments even offer stipends or discounts to encourage buyers to renovate old properties.
- While the offerings may seem like a steal, rehabilitating a home can be quite costly.
Cities may be experiencing a global housing shortage, but there are still plenty of ways to find cheap real estate. You just have to know where to look.
In areas where homes are old or unoccupied, governments occasionally offer subsidies to finance a renovation. In other cases, homeowners are willing to list their properties at little to no cost.
We've rounded up the locations where you can buy a home for free, or at a major discount.
The list includes small towns like Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as major urban areas like Baltimore, Maryland and Tokyo, Japan. Take a look.