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Buying a House in East Frisia (Greetsiel and the Surrounding Area)

Buying a House in East Frisia Even Though We Live in Cologne? 🏡

We live with our family in Cologne. Buying a house here is hardly financially realistic for us. That’s why we’re considering buying a house in East Frisia in the next few years and continuing to rent in Cologne for the time being.

We really like the region, and the lower prices (compared to the Cologne area) make buying there more attractive.

At the same time, we’re wondering whether owning a house several hundred kilometers away makes sense and is logistically feasible if we don’t live in it ourselves.

What do you think? Does anyone have experience with this kind of setup or with buying a house in East Frisia? Would you be more likely to buy a property for future personal use or for vacation rentals?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, which is why I wanted to ask the community here.

For now, I’m not concerned with financing, equity, etc.

I’d like to thank everyone who reads this post and might be willing to share some experiences and tips with me.

38 Comments

Donkey Diktator@DonkeyInvestor

Let me put it this way. I wouldn't do it 👍

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@DonkeyInvestor Thanks for your feedback.
Is there a reason for this? Don't you like the area? Or is it just because of the distance?
Best regards

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Donkey Diktator@DonkeyInvestor

@NinetysixNK I'm not familiar with the area. But for me, real estate is an unpredictable concentrated risk if you’re not familiar with the area. On top of that, it’s a lot of work if you only own one property and have to do everything yourself (given the distance) or have to hire someone who’s relatively expensive (since you only have one).

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@DonkeyInvestor Thank you ☺️

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OberstvonGatow@OberstvonGatow

How do you feel about East Frisia? Where exactly there?
My heart always says yes to East Frisia ❤️🫶🏼

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@OberstvonGatow Hi, I’ve been going to the North Sea since I was a kid.
I love the air, the people—everything.
We’ve been vacationing in Greetsiel for quite some time now, and it gets better every year.

I’m from Cologne and was born here, which is why I love it here, too.

Every day I think about the places in East Frisia—the lighthouses, the fish sandwiches, and so on.

In 2024, we were in Grömitz on the Baltic Sea, which was also very nice, but for me, it’s no comparison.

Best regards 👍

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Sven@Nevs1848

@NinetysixNK It's actually quite a bit farther from Cologne than Greetsiel.

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Chris@Psychedelic_Sunflower

That's tough. I wouldn't even want to be tied down to (another) property in the suburbs, let alone one hundreds of kilometers away.
If something comes up, you're stuck in the car for a few hours.

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Psychedelic_Sunflower Thanks for your feedback—it's really helpful. 👍

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Staatsmann@Staatsmann

The rental market probably won't even cover the mortgage payments. Even after factoring in depreciation, interest rates, and other costs, you'll have to pay for part of it out of your own pocket. (At least with interest rates currently at nearly 5 percent.)
On top of that, of course, there are the costs of renting it out. If you live so far away, you’ll have no choice but to hire a local property manager. He’ll want his pay, too. You’ll also have the hassle of managing the property.

If the properties in East Frisia are anything like the ones I’ve viewed in North Holstein and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania—particularly in the island regions—then these aren’t the kind of properties you can just buy and rent out right away. Instead, they’ll need to be renovated or refurbished first. Which, in turn, ties up capital. (For insurance reasons, you can’t do much of this yourself.)
If a house usually doesn’t fit within your budget, it’s not much different with a house meant for rental.

On paper, thanks to depreciation and other factors, renting it out and then living there yourself in your old age always sounds nice. But don’t lose sight of the ongoing costs that you can’t pass on to the tenant.

I inherited a house from my grandfather, and here are just a few of the things that have needed work over the past 5 years, along with their costs:

- New gas boiler for heating -> €16k
- Ground floor bathroom renovation -> €25k
- Replacement of water and sewer pipes on the ground floor -> €7k
- New water tank for the garden -> €2k
- First-floor bathroom renovation -> €23k

The bathrooms were simply brought up to today’s standard—no fancy gold faucets or anything like that.
The prices listed are net prices, so you’ll need to add 19%.

How popular is East Frisia as a vacation destination? What are the rates for overnight stays, and what regulations apply to vacation rentals, etc.?

Given current prices and interest rates, I’d stay on the sidelines. For example, I’m looking to buy an apartment, and when I see the asking price versus the condition of the property, it’s usually not even worth negotiating with the real estate agents because the properties are mercilessly overpriced, and private sellers often have little idea about market prices, but they want completely ridiculous prices for their “gems.”
If you then point out defects and the need for investment, you’re labeled the evil capitalist who just wants to drive down the price.

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Melchior@ColdzeroNL

I can't understand why you would like to put money in a property where it's stuck (only want to do this if I live in it) instead of putting it in the market. I had sold a house 1,5 years ago and made 100.000 euro profit and put that in my brokerage account because the mortgage was 3,6 % and in that time it made a return of about 25%. That's even without calculating the cost of ownership and propertytaxes and maintainance.

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Andre@DivGrowth1989

Hi, I’m a vacation home owner in the Emsland area, and I have nothing but good things to say about renting it out. However, the property is only 5 minutes away from my apartment, so we can always get there quickly if anything comes up. Also, with vacation rentals, there’s a constant turnover—which means you have to go there 5–7 times a month for cleaning, sometimes more, sometimes less....
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a vacation home outside my hometown, since managing it can be quite time-consuming. It would be a different story with long-term rentals, though.

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@DivGrowth1989Hi, thanks for your reply. What do you think about using a local vacation rental management company to take care of the property? Have you perhaps had any experience in this area?
Thanks again for sharing your experience with me as a vacation rental owner.

Best regards👍

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Andre@DivGrowth1989

@NinetysixNK Hi, unfortunately, I don't have any experience with that. I've always managed everything myself.

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Dukke@Dukke

I'd rather not.

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Dukke May I ask why you wouldn't do it? I'd be interested to hear exactly those reasons, because I'm seriously considering it right now.
Best regards ☺️

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Dukke@Dukke

@NinetysixNK To live there myself and not have to pay rent in Cologne anymore? Yes, definitely. Keep living in Cologne and paying rent plus have a house that’s far away? No, that’s just an endless source of expenses. So, because of the costs and the waste of time.

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A@nitroxx

I don't think it's such a bad idea to move after starting a new job or retiring, right? Or what do you think?
Use it as a vacation home in the summer…or rent it out normally? You just need someone local who’ll keep an eye on things—for a fee, if necessary.

If it’s just for renting, I’d also prefer to look for something closer to home, with the idea of eventually using the whole place myself—definitely yes.

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@nitroxx Thanks for the feedback.

I'd like to buy a vacation home that my family and I could stay in once a year for 2–3 weeks.

Best regards 🖖

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Raketentoni@Raketentoni

We bought a house in Denmark and moved right away 😬 Do what your ❤️ tells you to do. Otherwise, you'll end up regretting not having done it. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Raketentoni Thank you for your kind words—they give me courage!

Warmest regards to Denmark❤️

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Echsenkönig A.@Bezehgombjuderstimme

I’d wonder if it’s worth it to vacation there twice and if the risk might outweigh the benefits. What if the rental goes significantly worse than expected? And you’re relatively young. I have no idea if you’ll still feel like going there after you’ve been 20 times. Five years ago, I would have answered just like you did, but now we switch up the places back there because otherwise it gets too boring for us.

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Sven@Nevs1848

I'm looking forward to seeing the other responses. I had the same idea about Greetsiel—we were just there a few weeks ago. It's a real retirement town, though, and I really liked it.

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Fasani@Fasani

Buying a house that far away is a logistic nightmare. Only feasible IMHO if you have someone you trust to care for the property when you are not there

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Seba89@Seba89

My parents did that. The house, located in Wesermarsch/Butjadingen, was purchased specifically as a vacation home, but given its layout and amenities, it could also serve as a primary residence. It’s a hell of a lot of work. Plus all the constant driving back and forth (my parents live a bit south of Cologne). If you don’t have a firm timeline for moving, I wouldn’t do it.
Have you ever thought about buying a house and essentially “parking” it, while renting it out in the meantime—either as a rental property or a vacation home? Going through local agencies would at least save you some hassle.

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Seba89 Thanks for the feedback.

So, ideally, I'd prefer a traditional vacation home and, just as you said, rent it out through a local agency.

Best regards

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Chris@Chris-1989

Over the past few years, I’ve also been looking into this topic more and more on behalf of my parents. In the end, the costs of upkeep and maintenance far exceeded the benefits, so we’ve settled on this arrangement: for the 4–5 months a year that they travel, they typically book a vacation rental, which often becomes more affordable when requesting a long-term lease without incurring any financial risk. The funds that would have gone toward a purchase are invested in an ETF portfolio, and the returns are then withdrawn and used to fund their vacations.

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Folkinski@Folkinski

Hey
I'm from this area. Great idea, but is your goal to move here for work? Or more for retirement?
Renting out houses on a long-term basis tends to be pretty difficult here in the region, if that’s something you’re considering. It’s definitely doable for a vacation home since the North Sea is so close. But if you’re not here in person, it gets really tricky.
It’s a tough decision. Definitely a yes to this area. But you should have a rough idea of the time frame.

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Folkinski Hi, I've been thinking about buying a vacation home and having it managed by a vacation rental management company.

That way, we'd have a permanent vacation spot, since we don't want to vacation anywhere else but in your region 🥰

Best regards 🖖

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Der O.@MMeier

Don't do it. Renting it out is very difficult, and how many years from now do you plan to move in (if you still want to by then)?
If it's fully rented out, you'll have to do a partial renovation in 15 years.

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KevinE@KevinE

Above all, I’d consider whether you’ll still be able—or need—to work there. Is this for retirement, to live off your investments, or do you simply want to move there in five years and continue working from there (probably in a different job than you have now)?

My wife and I moved away from the Cologne/Bonn area for exactly that reason—a house that met our expectations would have cost us 1.3–1.5 million there. Where we live now, it’s 400–500k (though we’re still renting at the moment—we just really like our apartment, and we haven’t found the right property yet). With all the pros and cons that come with it.

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Pezi@Pezi

To put it a bit dramatically, do you buy a parking garage when you want to park somewhere, or a campground when you want to go camping? I would never tie myself down with a vacation home just for a few weeks a year…

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Pezi Thanks for your feedback.

Yes, I bought a trailer that’s parked at a campground we’re renting, where we’ll be staying for 2–3 weeks.

I don’t quite get the part about the parking garage 😅—I mean, of course not.

Best regards

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Pezi@Pezi

@NinetysixNK You rented the campground, but you didn’t buy the entire campground. If you were to treat it the same way as a vacation home, you’d have to buy the entire campground and rent out the remaining sites…the same goes for the parking garage if you ever want to park your car. Buy the entire parking garage and rent out the individual parking spaces…

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Pezi Well, I’d buy a vacation home, not the whole street.

As a vacation spot—a safety net for retirement.
Unfortunately, I can’t buy one here in my home country.

It’s not like I’m looking to buy a house just for a two-week vacation. The idea is to own a property, rent it out part of the time, and possibly use it myself later on. That’s a slightly different approach for me.

Best regards

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Pezi@Pezi

@NinetysixNK I’ve owned properties as far as 140 km away from where I live. I’d never do that again… At first, my uncle handled everything, but when I had to take care of it myself, it turned out to be quite a hassle—especially when you don’t know any local contractors, etc.

A World ETF can also serve as a retirement safety net, without having to decide on a specific property just yet…

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Niklas@NinetysixNK

@Pezi That's right, thanks—you really helped me out 👍

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Silas@DynasticGrind

Unless this property can be rented out as an Airbnb in a hotspot, the rental income won't be nearly enough to cover the costs. In recent years, real estate has mostly been a money pit and comes with significant opportunity costs. I'd be cautious about that.

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