Fantasy Real Estate Listings Around the World

From time to time, unusual real estate listings make big news. From Patton, Pennsylvania, auctioned off piece by piece for $25,000 in 1940, to the village of Linkenholt in southern England just listed for $32 million-cricket pitch, pavilion, and manor house included.

When Kim Basinger bought the tiny town of Braselton, Georgia in 1989 for $20 million, such a purchase caused a stir. The town's inhabitants-and the rest of the country-speculated her motives. Would she turn the town into a movie studio? A tourist attraction? Turns out, Basinger was merely acquiring an investment, one that did not succeed. She later sold the town.

In 2007, Bran Castle, once inhabited by Prince Vlad "The Impaler" went on the market. Yep, with $78 million, you could have made an offer to buy Dracula's castle in the mountains of Transylvania.

Turns out these types of extraordinary properties are not so uncommon. A quick search on the Internet will result in a number of real estate listings for those buyers looking beyond the usual two-story in the suburbs. Here are just a few of the many options available today.

A Town

$6.5 million

Garryowen, Montana, named for an Irish drinking song used as a fighting song by General George Armstrong Custer's 7^th Calvary, advertises itself as the town where Custer initiated his famous "last stand." Amenities included with purchase of the town include an 8,000 sq. ft main building with museum, convenience store, post office, gas station, and luxury penthouse. The owner of Garryowen will also be benefactor of its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier monument, the only privately held tomb of an unknown soldier in the U.S.

http://www.town4sale.com/

$883,000

A bargain for fans of the Lone Star State is the town of Albert, Texas, originally listed for $2 million. Albert, about an hour from Austin and San Antonio, has a population of about 25 in 2000, making it a genuine ghost town. However, there are no tumbleweeds blowing through the streets here. The town's website boasts a popular ice house/beer garden, 85-year-old dance hall, and pecan and peach orchards in its list of amenities.

http://www.alberttexas.com/home/

A Private Island

$160 million

East of Phuket, Thailand is Rangyai Island, 110 acres of white sand beaches and palm trees...and not much else. The property comes with fresh water, electric generator, and mobile signal, and is ten minutes by boat to the nearest town.

http://www.privateislandsonline.com/rangyai-island-thailand.htm

$3.1 million

For those who require a little more civilization on their island getaway, consider the private island estate of Castaway Island in the Caribbean. The 5-acre island is just off-shore from the island of Roatan, where a quarter-acre lot is included in the purchase, allowing for legal deeded access to the private estate. Also included with purchase are the 4,400 sq. ft. Florida and Caribbean designed home, swimming pool, and workshop.

http://www.caribbeanislandbrokers.com/Roatan-Castaway-Island/

A European Castle

$1.2 million

Westhall Castle, in northeast Scotland sits on 53 acres of farmland and includes 15 bedrooms, 5 reception rooms, a walled garden, courtyard, and two cottages and an original farmhouse. All this for a little over a million in U.S. dollars, because the castle has, according to the listing, "sadly fallen into disrepair."

http://www.propertyfinder.com/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=502105657

$9.5 million

For those with more gothic tastes, this castle in Halle, Germany will satisfy. Listed as suitable for an "office, hotel, or private residence," it is surrounded by trees and a private drive, and has 55 bedrooms-but only 6 baths.

http://www.fusedworld.com/Real_Estate/Europe/Germany/Sachsen_Anhalt/Halle/Castle_for_sale_in_Halle_Germany_26664.html

Sources:

"Towns for Sale" Time Magazine http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,849343,00.html

"Picture-perfect English village for sale" Daily Herald http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=279909&src=109

"Kim Basinger buys Braselton" People.com

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20120057,00.html

"Next of Kim" Entertainment Weekly

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,289643,00.html

"Dracula's Castle Goes Up for Sale" ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=2782064&page=1

"Albert, Texas" The Handbook of Texas Online

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/AA/hna16.html