Buying property in Germany

Lawrence, one of Wreck of the Week's fans ("Happened across your site tonight and think it is great!") emailed to tell me about his search for a 'wreck' in Europe.
He believes he's stumbled upon a treasure trove of fabulous properties in Germany - cottages to castles - up for auction at incredibly low prices:
"I think Germany is the cheapest place in Europe for property and getting cheaper...I saw a Cotswold type cottage sell for 350 euros a couple of years back and Palaces, Castles and Manor Houses generally go for around 50,000"
He sent a link to the German auction site he uses (in English) and the picture above is his personal favourite, up for auction with a reserve price of 29,000 euro, in the catalogue, here (in German).
The process of buying property in Germany is not too different from buying in the UK, although fees and costs can be higher. There are useful guides here, here and here.
Thanks for the tip, Lawrence!

Closed churches for sale, England

Just a reminder (for anyone who hasn't read my page on buying public property) that the Church of England publishes its own list of closed churches available for sale.
Well worth a look. Among the current gems on offer on the Closed Churches List is:
St Mary the Virgin, on Foulness Island, Essex. Grade II listed on MOD-controlled island.
Sutton All Saints, Chelmsford. A lovely early 12th century, Grade II* listed church.
Bacup St Saviour, Manchester. Stunning old church in own grounds and one of three Manchester churches on the market through the same agents.
And Long Load Christ Church, Somerset - possibly the prettiest church on the list and pictured above.

Thinking of going further North? Here's my more recent post about buying Church of Scotland property.