Time was when the sage advice was to "go west young man" in search of fame, fortune and nifty real estate deals. But in 2009, heading east may be a better idea. At least if you are starting out in the U.S. And, when I say east, I mean like all the way to Poland! Now hold on to your Polish zlotys while I explain this one:

Seems Poland, Krakow in particular, is a darn good place to not only indulge in a sausage or two, but also to buy up chunks of real estate at prices that are down anywhere from 9% to 17%.

And, folks, we're not talking coffin sized Manhattan-style studio condos, either. A New York Times piece tells about a duplex apartment that comes complete with a master bedroom that happens to have a whirlpool tub; a basement level complete with sauna; central air conditioning to keep you cool and radiant-floor heating in the bathrooms to keep your feet warm. And, all this and more can be had for only 1.4 million Polish zlotys. Don't choke on your pirogi, that's a mere $478,000. Anyone have an airline schedule to Poland handy?