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Couple Bought An Empty Island To Live On Because It Cost Less Than A House Deposit

- by Chris Taylor - Leave a Comment
The US-Dutch couple bought the two-and-a-half-acre island right after they made their first offer
Oliver Russell, a 24-year-old who is half American and half Finnish, together with his girlfriend Helena Tomaszewska, are truly living out a dream many might envy.They’ve purchased an uninhabited island in Finland, and the reason behind this unusual buy? It was ‘less than a house deposit’.

Oliver’s connection with Finland grew through his many summer visits to see family and friends.By August 2022, the idea of owning a summer house there seemed irresistible to both Oliver and Helena.

The US couple plan to live on a two and a half acre islandSWNS

Originally from Laguna Beach, California, Oliver had pondered over the idea of relocating to Helsinki for a long time.
In 2022, he made the leap from Fort Collins, Colorado, where he was living at the time. His move was partly influenced by his inability to secure in-state tuition in the U.S., pushing him to pursue his studies in international business in Finland.Once settled, Oliver’s life took a new turn when he met Helena. The couple soon realized that city living wasn’t for them, particularly with the high costs associated with urban apartments.

They were looking for something more affordable and significantly larger.Oliver shared his thoughts about moving to Finland for education, “I fell in love with the idea of going to Finland and going to school there. As a Finnish citizen, I got free schooling and it has been awesome here and I have really enjoyed my time here.

“In Finland, the summer cottage life is a huge part of the culture and I would come out here every summer. I loved the summer cottage life and wanted one of my own.”Their search for property led them to a real estate website where Oliver stumbled upon an island that had been vacant for a decade, listed for just $36,569 (£27,712).

The island had been vacant for 10 yearsSWNS

Oliver recounted the find: “I was looking more for fun, I was going through a real estate website and found the island.
“It ended up being cheaper than a normal lot I could buy so we jumped on it. I offered $31,000 (£23,492.42) and got accepted.”The couple took possession of their new home in June 2024, quickly realizing the extent of work needed to make it habitable.

“We made a frame out of logs that we felled from trees and I got some decking from a hardware store. We then built an outhouse and I am now trying to build a shower structure so we can wash while we’re on the island.”We wanted to get the base camp set up so we have a comfortable place to stay while the big building happens next year,” Oliver explained.

Their weekends are now largely spent working on their island home, building what they hope will soon become a charming summer cottage complete with a sophisticated sauna.”The ultimate dream is to build a log cabin for the summer. But first, we want to build a sauna cabin – based on the rules, one-third of the plot has to be a sauna cabin.

“We haven’t set ourselves super hard deadlines as there have been a lot of learning experiences. It is a very big commitment, especially now with me and Helena both being students,” Oliver elaborated.Despite the challenges, Oliver finds the project rewarding, It’s been a challenge ‘getting work done’, but it’s also ‘been fun though’.

“Every time we go to the island, it doesn’t feel real that it is our’s – it is so nice to be out there. It is so quiet and because it is an island nobody can stumble across it.”

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