Just three weeks after the small town of Reston, Manitoba began selling super cheap plots of land, there is already a waiting list.
The town came up with the unusual offer in the hopes of capitalizing on a mini oil boom in the southwest corner of Manitoba. To attract business and boost its population, Reston began offering plots of land for $10.
The municipality’s website -- which normally gets around 100,000 hits each month – saw that number jump in October to approximately 3.8 million.
“It’s exploded. We’ve had a lot of traffic on the website, so much that some people are having difficulties getting on, even ourselves some days,” said Tanis Chalmers, Reston’s economic development officer.
Applications continue to pour in from locations as far as South Africa and as close as Winnipeg.
As of Oct. 14, more than half of the 24 original $10 lots had been sold. Student enrolment at local schools saw a boost as a result.
Before the $10 offer, the scenic town known for its agriculture had a population of 550 people.
Aimee Edwards, a young mother from Hamilton, Ont., is hoping to help boost that number when she makes the move with her fiancée.
“We just heard about it on TV. It made us do in depth research about it. We just kept going. We learned more and more, then wanted it more and more,” Edwards told CTV Winnipeg.
According to the municipality’s website, lots will remain available until the conditions of the property agreement are met. In 2013, more lots will be made available in surrounding communities within the Rural Municipality of Pipestone.
For those eager to make the move, a $1,000 deposit is required to secure a lot, but $990 will be returned upon receiving the occupancy permit.
Occupants have 90 days to begin construction from the closing date on the offer.
Officials will begin the application review process next week. Some approvals will be made in the next few days. A waiting list will be created for properties that may come available in the future.
With files from CTV’s Winnipeg Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon
