So, of course, the obvious understanding would be that he bought the island with the money he made from ‘selling his life’, except that’s not actually quite true.
Usher explained that his ‘Life For Sale’ auction didn’t totally work out as the winning bidder pulled out because they didn’t have a mortgage sorted to be able to do it.
“The top bidders that I contacted, none of them were in a position to actually complete the purchase,” he says. “And ultimately, I’d already committed to setting off on my travels. So I had to go back to a bog standard plan B because I couldn’t get anyone to actually pay up for what they’d said.”
He then decided to just sell his car and home and everything else individually before setting off on his travels where he planned to achieve as many ‘goals’ as possible in 100 weeks.
His island even ended up in a docuseries. (Channel 5)While he admits it was a ‘bit of a disappointment’, Usher was still able to visit a long list of countries and do all kinds of activities from skydiving, meeting Richard Branson, flying a jet fighter plane, visit the Great Wall of China and drive across Route 66.
And all that travelling was mostly funded by the savings he’d made from working a year and a half ‘driving trucks in the mines in Australia’.
“The house sold after six months of travel,” he explains. “I’d got through maybe 60-70 percent of what I’d saved and then the house sale came through.”
But that’s not quite what funded the big island purchase.
Ian now gets to travel the world by house and pet sitting. (Ian Usher)The tale of how Usher’s auction all panned out is told in the book A Life Sold and this led to a whole new load of cash coming in.
“Walt Disney turned up and bought the movie rights for the story, just as I ended the two years of travel,” he says. “They kindly topped up the bank account for me and it was their money that allowed me to go, ‘Oh, I can buy an island in the Caribbean – why not?’
“So thanks Disney for that.”
Usher did add that the film giants haven’t ‘got round to making the movie yet’ and isn’t sure it ever will happen.
But either way, it’s thanks to that ‘great timing’ of the Disney cash things kept lining up for Usher ‘to continue the adventure’.
In late 2015, he sold his rural island and nowadays he runs House Sitting Magazine as he enjoys a ‘freedom lifestyle’ house and pet sitting all around the world with his partner.Featured Image Credit: Channel 5/ Vanessa Anderson
Topics: Disney, Ebay, Travel, Home, Money
Jess Battison
Published 18:53 10 Sep 2024 GMT+1
Brit sold his own life on eBay and bought remote tropical island with huge sum of money he was paid
Ian Usher sold his entire life and started to live 'freely', eventually buying his own Caribbean island
Joshua Nair
A man sold his life on eBay over 15 years ago following a dark point in his life, and has shared what he has done since the bold move.
Brit Ian Usher, 60, left Darlington after he managed to sell his 'entire life', which included his three-bedroom home and everything inside it, car, motorbike, jet ski, all in Perth, Australia.
This happened after a painful divorce, as he realised that he was sick of his job and his new life down under.
He eventually accepted a bid of AU $399,300 (£192,000 at the time), and though he expected higher bids, he admitted that he had 'no regrets'.
Originally, Usher had aspirations to travel, saying that he'd 'like to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower' as 'one of a huge list of things' he wanted to tick off.
Ian Usher decided to free himself from the shackles of 9-5 life (Vanessa Anderson)Just six years later, documentarian Ben Fogle caught up with him after he moved to a deserted island in the Caribbean, where Usher revealed that he was happier than ever in his new life.
In an episode of Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild, the Brit featured along with partner Vanessa on their tropical island, Bocas del Toro, just off the coast of Panama, where he explained: "I’ve always been a bit of an adventurer and so have always spent a lot of time pursuing outdoor activities such as climbing, canoeing and diving."
Though he may not have had running water or electricity, he could pursue all three of his outdoor activities.
Usher shared: "We're not completely self sufficient here on the island.
"We do grow coconuts, pineapples, yukka, sugar cane and almonds but we haven’t yet perfected the art of growing other vegetables on our land.
"We have 10 chickens who roam free on the island so our eggs are totally organic. Sometimes the local Indians will bring freshly caught fish to the dock for us to buy.
"Everything else comes from the supermarket in town or Ernie’s Jungle 7/11 – a small store on the edge of the jungle."
Usher learnt to get good with hands (Channel 5)Usher bought the tropical island in 2011 for $27,500 (£21,000) when it was overgrown and neglected, and spent four years working on improving it.
While living on the island, he spent time working on the land or sitting on the beach, revealing his simple life where he would snorkel on the reefs, read or swim - more or less whatever he felt like, whenever.
Usher also explained that every 10 days, they go into town for food and fuel, while saying that girlfriend Vanessa Anderson, who he met on a visit to London, 'made a big difference' in his life as she moved over to live with him.
Speaking about what he misses from home, he said that apart from family, it's just jet-skiing that he misses, along with better WiFi and being out with friends and family at an English pub.
He added: "Vanessa still misses a London style cappuccino but I think she’ll get over that soon,
"I wouldn’t change anything - I really enjoyed building an off-grid home and living on the island. I've always thought life is supposed to be an adventure."
Vanessa (middle) and Ian (right) have travelled the world since selling their island (Channel 5)However, in 2015, he managed to sell the revamped island according to his official website, where he has shared every aspect of his journey since selling everything he owns.
He noted that he has nothing tying him down as he was debt free after the sale, and looking for a new adventure.
He and Vanessa globe-trotted for seven years, visiting countries such as Thailand, Nicaragua and Nicaragua to name a few, buying a property in Burgundy, France.
The couple chose to settle there and that is where they were based at the time of their last update, in 2021.Featured Image Credit: Vanessa Anderson / Channel 5
Topics: Australia, Ebay, Travel, Lifestyle
Joshua Nair
Published 10:22 11 Sep 2024 GMT+1
Brit who sold own life on eBay and bought remote tropical island revealed only thing he misses about UK
Ian Usher sold off his entire life and bought an island, but he did miss some things
Joe Harker
A Brit who sold off pretty much every aspect of his life on eBay and used the money to go and live on a tropical island did end up missing one main thing about the UK.
Ian Usher had been living in Australia when a divorce left him reckoning he was pretty sick of the life he had, so he decided to sell it all.
He sold his house and stuck all of his possessions (even his job) up for auction on eBay, then used the money to buy a deserted island in the Caribbean.
Living off the coast of Panama, Ian had to do without running water or electricity and had to grow a lot of his food himself but had 'no regrets' about selling off his old life.
During a trip to London he met a woman named Vanessa, and they hit it off well enough for her to join him on his remote island.
Ian Usher's life on the island was the subject of a Ben Fogle documentary (Channel 5)In 2015 he sold the island and the couple went travelling around the world for years, Ian's last update came in 2021 where he and Vanessa had set themselves up in France.
When Vanessa joined Ian on his remote Caribbean island she missed 'a London-style cappuccino', while he admitted there were a couple of things he missed about his former life too.
Of course he missed his family back in the UK, would have liked 'a better internet connection' and lamented the loss of his jet-ski, but all in all he was rather content with the years he lived on a remote island for.
Ian did say that he missed 'an evening out with family and friends at a good English pub on a Friday night'.
That's rather understandable, all things considered, even if there's the desire to go and live on a remote island to get away from it all.
His life on the island wasn't entirely self-sufficient, but he could get by without electricity or running water (Vanessa Anderson)During his life on the deserted island in the Caribbean Ian would get people to house-sit for him whenever he travelled away.
As for keeping himself alive, he enjoyed the chance to grow much of his own food while he had enough money to buy the rest, with local fishermen sometimes coming to visit him and sell fresh produce.
He also kept chickens on the island, but let them roam free so their eggs could be 'totally organic'.
When he wasn't tending to his food production the bloke was able to live a life of leisure, saying he could go and relax on the beach or have fun snorkelling through the reefs around his island.Featured Image Credit: Vanessa Anderson / Channel 5
Topics: World News, Travel, Lifestyle, UK News
Joe Harker
Published 13:05 16 Sep 2024 GMT+1
Couple bought uninhabited island to live on because it was cheaper than a house deposit
The US-Dutch couple bought the two-and-a-half-acre island with their first offer
Anish Vij
A couple are living the dream after purchasing an uninhabited island in Finland because it was 'less than a house deposit'.
It all started when Oliver Russell, 24, who is half American and half Finnish, would visit family and friends in the Nordic country on his summer holidays.
Growing up in Laguna Beach, California, he'd always thought about moving to Helsinki, and in 2022, he did just that - moving from Fort Collins, Colorado after failing to get inter-state tuition to Finland to study international business.
After he settled in, Oliver ended up meeting his girlfriend Helena Tomaszewska, 20.
Instead of doing the usual and getting an overpriced flat in the city, the couple opted for something much cheaper - and much bigger.
The US couple plan to live on a two and a half acre island (SWNS)Having moved over in August 2022, the pair loved the idea of having a summer house.
The business student explained: "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."
Checking out the property prices, Oliver went on a real estate website and came across an island that had been vacant for 10 years for just $36,569 (£27,712).
On the property listing, he said: "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 arrived at their new home in June 2024 and noticed that it was largely uninhabitable - so they got to work.
The island had been vacant for 10 years (SWNS)Oliver said: "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."
They now spend most of their weekends working on their home and are in the process of building a summer cottage with a fancy sauna.
Oliver said: "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."
He added that it's been a challenge 'getting work done', but it's also 'been fun though', adding: "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."Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: US News, Money, Home
Anish Vij
Published 14:28 10 Sep 2024 GMT+1
Family who bought dream home now fear kids could be 'killed' in their own back garden
The family and their neighbours are less than pleased with the dangerous area that their homes are in
Joshua Nair
A family who recently moved into their dream home now worry that their kids might be 'killed' in their back garden.
The couple have admitted that they're now fearful of spending any time in their garden as they think that their kids might be killed.
Before your mind jumps though, it's nothing to do with anything crime related, nor is it because of shoddy landscaping work, as it turns out that the home is an incredibly undesired location.
Rebecca Dixon, 29 and husband Alex, 32, are residents of a new build estate that only discovered upon moving in that they have some noisy and quite frankly, annoying neighbours.
These have become very troublesome to residents in the Allerton estate (Newcastle Chronicle)The home in Callerton, Newcastle is a two-bedroom semi-detached house that was bought for £134,000 in November 2022, with the family making the move in August 2023.
The Dixons are parents to Lily, four, and Alfie, 12 weeks, and claim that they were not informed by developers that their family home would be next to the Westerhope Golf Club.
They say that they now cannot use their back garden as, despite the tall fence in between them and the course, golf balls frequently land on their premises at high speeds.
Speaking about the dangers of being near the golf club, Rebecca shared: "The golf balls were coming over from day dot. We have had numerous golf balls in my garden. I have nearly been hit by a golf ball and my next door neighbour has had golf balls in her garden.
"I have got a four-year-old daughter and a 12-week-old boy," she added. "If they got hit by a golf ball they would get killed. It's not just a broken leg, they are going to get seriously hurt. We can't use our garden - I have to go out to a play park."
The Brit claimed that a golf ball had also smashed the window of a car across the street.
Residents think that the net isn't tall enough to protect them and their kids (Newcastle Chronicle)The customer support worker claims that they were told that the house would be far enough away from the course to avoid this issue, while still having the view of the golf course.
"We got told there would be no properties behind us and we would have a nice private garden," the mother-of-two further explained. "We never saw the property until the day we exchanged the keys and by that time it was too late."
The neighbour that Rebecca mentioned is Lyn Stott, 65 - who moved into a similar property next door for £200,000 in 2023 - has also shared her disastrous experience while living next to the club.
Stott, who works as a responder, shared: "I have had three golf balls in my garden since the netting has gone up. I was ironing the other day I had my patio doors open. I heard this massive bang and a golf ball hit my wall. If it had been a foot further along it would have come through and hit me!"
The grandmother also shared that she had her garden done for £4,000 and neither her or her grandkids can spend any time in it due to safety, which has left her 'raging', as upon moving in, she was unaware of how close she would be to the course, and that a net would be built, as it hadn't been at the time.
Lynn Stott pictured in her garden beside the golf course (Newcastle Chronicle)Stott claimed that Bellway, the developers of the estate, told her to contact Newcastle City Council, while the council said it should be dealt with by the housebuilders.
When contacted, a spokesperson for Bellway told the Newcastle Chronicle: "Bellway has not received any previous complaints related to golf balls landing in homeowner's gardens or the location of properties in relation to the golf course.
"The 12-meter-high golf netting was a key requirement of our planning conditions, as it is designed to prevent balls from putting homeowners at risk, and it has been installed by a company who specialises in installing netting of this type.
"Due to poor weather and issues with the supply and installation of the netting, it was installed after residents moved into the properties but has now been fully completed earlier in the summer. However, considering the issues being highlighted to us, we are organising an inspection from the specialist firm to ensure the netting is working as designed.
"As part of our regulated sales procedures, customers are given detailed information of a plot's location and any information relevant to the sale such as being adjacent to a golf course. This is clearly highlighted in site plans and other key information provided to our customers at the point of reservation.
Stott shows off some of the balls she's collected from her back garden (Newcastle Chronicle)"In addition, during the conveyancing process, solicitors would provide any relevant information to customers about their property, its location and any other relevant information."
The statement continued: "Prior to legal completion, customers are also given the opportunity to visit their new home to undertake home demonstrations, and again, in this instance, no complaints have been received in relation to the location of the homes at the time of those visits or subsequently."
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council also said: "A planning condition requiring Bellway to prevent golf balls from hitting properties was put in place before any homes were sold.
"This required the installation of a net which was not in place before homes became occupied. The council took enforcement action against Bellway and the net has now been installed.
"We are unable to comment on what information Bellway gave to residents about this matter."
