I bought a house for one euro and I'm happier than I've ever been. When I sit on the balcony in Sicily, I feel like I've won the lottery of life. Here's how you can do it too...

'Where in the world can I buy a house for under £5,000?' The €1 residence in question - an old, three-bedroom cottage sitting in the hilltop Sicilian village of Mussomeli George Laing, 31, pictured, said he was inspired by the BBC1 show Amanda And Alan's Italian Job, where Amanda Holden and Alan Carr successfully turned €1 houses into lovely homes But I can also personally put to bed any suggestion that the scheme isn't above board: I'm writing this today from the quaint balcony of my own €1 home, a three-bedroom cottage in the hilltop Sicilian village of Mussomeli. Which is why, one winter evening around two years ago, I found myself asking the internet how else I could become a property owner — and how, within minutes, I found myself staring at a three-bedroom tumbledown home in Mussomeli, a small town located 765 metres above sea level in the very heart of Sicily. The glorious town of Mussomeli is draped by a vista of mountains and has a beautiful church, a thriving village centre and many cafes to buy an excellent cappuccino George's hasty purchase came with a crumbling facade, a hole in the roof, no running water and no electricity Yes, it was in dire need of an overhaul, with a crumbling facade and a hole in the roof, no running water and no electricity. All in all, becoming the proud owner of number 11 cost me around £4,500 — less than it would cost to buy a parking place in some of London's posher postcodes.