First-home buyers skip tradition and buy secluded island for $50,000

Oliver Russell and his girlfriend Helena Tomaszewska are fulfilling their property dreams.

The pair bought an island in the Finnish wilderness – for less than the price of a family sedan – and are building a log cabin as their first home.

Russell, 24, who is half-Finnish and half-American, said it was an ambition of his to have a home somewhere with peace and quiet. They are building a log cabin, but have started with an outhouse to provide basic amentities first.

He explained to Business Insider that the real estate agent told him nobody has been on the island – which he declined to name for privacy reasons – in ten years. It is one of 178,000 islands off the coast of Finland.

He offered 30,500 Euros ($AU50,553) and it was accepted.

The couple found a flat spot for start construction and have been sharing their progress on a TikTok account – @off.grid.island – and on a YouTube channel. Their TikTok platform as more than 201,000 followers.

“The island is completely secluded, has no electricity or plumbing and currently has nothing on it but trees,” the bio on their YouTube channel says.

“We want to turn this island into a fully functioning summer cottage with a log cabin, sauna and other amenities.

“There’s a lot of work to be done as the island is over 2.5 acres (1 hectare) and we have no experience in off-grid living, carpentry or building.

“So any tips or advice are greatly appreciated, as we are planning on doing everything ourselves and transforming the island into our own little paradise. We’ll document every step of the way, starting from smaller builds to finally – an off-grid log cabin.”

In their latest Tiktok, Russell unveils the composting outdoor toilet, which he describes as a “huge upgrade” on their facilities before.

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