ᐅ Building Back from Urban Migration to the Countryside: Home, City, or Rural Property
Created on: 30 Mar 2018 12:18
N
Nordmanntanne
Dear Forum,
I have registered here and hope this is the right place for my question. I searched for a suitable platform for a long time, and this forum seemed the most fitting. I would like to share my situation and would appreciate as much feedback as possible:
My wife and I have been living in Frankfurt am Main for four years. We were both born nearby, about 60 to 70 kilometers (37 to 43 miles) outside of Frankfurt in a rural area. We both grew up there, and until finishing high school, it was never in question that we would one day build a house with a garden in our hometown (we both come from the same place). After high school (we were not yet a couple at that time), we both went out into the wider world. My wife studied in Cologne and Bonn, with semesters abroad in Rome, and I studied in Freiburg and Munich. After completing my doctorate in Berlin, I lived in Australia for a year. Now, we both live and work in Frankfurt am Main. We are both civil servants. My wife is paid according to grade A16, and I am at B3. Our financial situation is therefore quite comfortable. Our workplaces are conveniently located. My wife can walk to work, and I can get there quickly by public transportation. Our living situation is good as well. We have been living for four years in a large apartment (120m2 / 1,292 sq ft), which, however, also comes with a correspondingly high rent (basic rent about 2,200 euros). The apartment is spacious, but its layout means that while we can live here for two or three more years with our one-year-old child, eventually our child will need a "proper" separate room. I won’t go into more detail, but the fact is that we will need to move in two or three years.
Two years ago, we became owners of a plot of land in our hometown. It belonged to my wife’s grandparents, who bequeathed it to us. The plot is a dream: 900m2 (about 9,688 sq ft), located on the edge of a forest, with an unobstructed view of the valley, situated in a quiet dead-end street. It really doesn’t get better than that. Our hometown has about 11,000 inhabitants.
We have been constantly wondering if we should build there. Money is not a problem. We are torn. Our commute would be longer. The town has its own train station with connections to Frankfurt am Main. The train runs hourly. The travel time from the station to my workplace would be 55 minutes, for my wife 62 minutes. We both have free public transit passes. The station can be reached by bike from our plot in five minutes. Commuting would be quite an adjustment for both of us, but I think this is something we could get used to.
One concern is that since finishing high school – which was quite some time ago – we have not lived in our hometown. We visit our parents regularly, and many acquaintances have moved back after studying elsewhere. Life there is completely different from that in a big city. We are both worried about “shrinking” into the small-town life. You also don’t have the anonymity of a big city. On the other hand, for 2,200 euros, you could build a nice house there.
So we are torn between the old dream of having our own “nest” at home and the worry that, without meaning any offense, we have outgrown the hometown and might no longer fit in there. Also, the commute would be an adjustment. We are therefore wondering what to do with the land? Should we move within Frankfurt or build there? Selling is not an option for now, as we do not need the money. Money in the bank doesn’t do much anyway.
I would be grateful for any input!
Thank you
I have registered here and hope this is the right place for my question. I searched for a suitable platform for a long time, and this forum seemed the most fitting. I would like to share my situation and would appreciate as much feedback as possible:
My wife and I have been living in Frankfurt am Main for four years. We were both born nearby, about 60 to 70 kilometers (37 to 43 miles) outside of Frankfurt in a rural area. We both grew up there, and until finishing high school, it was never in question that we would one day build a house with a garden in our hometown (we both come from the same place). After high school (we were not yet a couple at that time), we both went out into the wider world. My wife studied in Cologne and Bonn, with semesters abroad in Rome, and I studied in Freiburg and Munich. After completing my doctorate in Berlin, I lived in Australia for a year. Now, we both live and work in Frankfurt am Main. We are both civil servants. My wife is paid according to grade A16, and I am at B3. Our financial situation is therefore quite comfortable. Our workplaces are conveniently located. My wife can walk to work, and I can get there quickly by public transportation. Our living situation is good as well. We have been living for four years in a large apartment (120m2 / 1,292 sq ft), which, however, also comes with a correspondingly high rent (basic rent about 2,200 euros). The apartment is spacious, but its layout means that while we can live here for two or three more years with our one-year-old child, eventually our child will need a "proper" separate room. I won’t go into more detail, but the fact is that we will need to move in two or three years.
Two years ago, we became owners of a plot of land in our hometown. It belonged to my wife’s grandparents, who bequeathed it to us. The plot is a dream: 900m2 (about 9,688 sq ft), located on the edge of a forest, with an unobstructed view of the valley, situated in a quiet dead-end street. It really doesn’t get better than that. Our hometown has about 11,000 inhabitants.
We have been constantly wondering if we should build there. Money is not a problem. We are torn. Our commute would be longer. The town has its own train station with connections to Frankfurt am Main. The train runs hourly. The travel time from the station to my workplace would be 55 minutes, for my wife 62 minutes. We both have free public transit passes. The station can be reached by bike from our plot in five minutes. Commuting would be quite an adjustment for both of us, but I think this is something we could get used to.
One concern is that since finishing high school – which was quite some time ago – we have not lived in our hometown. We visit our parents regularly, and many acquaintances have moved back after studying elsewhere. Life there is completely different from that in a big city. We are both worried about “shrinking” into the small-town life. You also don’t have the anonymity of a big city. On the other hand, for 2,200 euros, you could build a nice house there.
So we are torn between the old dream of having our own “nest” at home and the worry that, without meaning any offense, we have outgrown the hometown and might no longer fit in there. Also, the commute would be an adjustment. We are therefore wondering what to do with the land? Should we move within Frankfurt or build there? Selling is not an option for now, as we do not need the money. Money in the bank doesn’t do much anyway.
I would be grateful for any input!
Thank you
Well, I would first check what housing options are available as alternatives to your current apartment, which probably won’t be suitable in 2 to 3 years, and how these alternatives would affect your commute. In a big city, commuting 40 to 60 minutes one way is common, mainly because everything is so crowded.
Then make a list of what you wouldn’t want to miss in Frankfurt and consider how these things could be managed if you lived back in your hometown. Also take into account factors like children and grandparents being available for occasional childcare, etc.
Then make a list of what you wouldn’t want to miss in Frankfurt and consider how these things could be managed if you lived back in your hometown. Also take into account factors like children and grandparents being available for occasional childcare, etc.
1) The child will be a hundred times happier growing up in a small town.
With 11,000 inhabitants, it means everything is available locally: schools, shops, pubs, even a train station. I find a one-hour commute acceptable with regular working hours and free weekends.
The quality of life increases significantly.
What puts people off? Will old acquaintances be jealous? Cut you off? You know what, then they’re not really friends—just leave them behind.
Or where does the fear come from? Karsten
With 11,000 inhabitants, it means everything is available locally: schools, shops, pubs, even a train station. I find a one-hour commute acceptable with regular working hours and free weekends.
The quality of life increases significantly.
What puts people off? Will old acquaintances be jealous? Cut you off? You know what, then they’re not really friends—just leave them behind.
Or where does the fear come from? Karsten
I also don’t think a one-hour one-way commute with children is feasible. My wife currently has that situation and is trying to get transferred. It’s easier with the A13 (motorway) without any disadvantages. However, we have three children under 5, I have a 30-minute commute simply by car, and all grandparents are still working or not living nearby. So we handle the vast majority on our own.
If you move away from here, make sure the grandparents will really help (on a long-term basis) and consider whether you can cope with hardly seeing your children during the week.
If you move away from here, make sure the grandparents will really help (on a long-term basis) and consider whether you can cope with hardly seeing your children during the week.
H
HilfeHilfe30 Mar 2018 21:58Hello,
both a blessing and a curse at the same time!
We experienced a similar situation. I come from a small rural town with 3,000 inhabitants but with a swimming pool, secondary school, and so on.
After that, I always commuted — sometimes more, sometimes less. If you want to earn money where we live, you either commute or move away from Frankfurt am Main (FFM), etc.
Later, I met my wife in FFM, we moved out of FFM to the Taunus region, our child was born, two more are planned, and then it dawned on us that the rental apartment would become too small, or rather, that we wanted our own home. Now we have settled in my hometown, with property, and are happy.
BUT: my wife has been offered remote work. She still has to go to FFM occasionally and absolutely hates it. Driving the A3 highway by car daily is a nightmare. I always have to listen to complaints about traffic jams and such. Taking the train is not an option for her — one, she doesn’t like it; two, it’s too inflexible.
I am HAPPY. Why? I know what commuting is like. Door-to-door it takes me three hours each day. I could quit the job too, but I can’t because no one in the city pays me the 90,000 euros per year. I read on the train and do my prep work. Occasionally, I work remotely, as the employer is slowly opening up to it.
I don’t see living in the countryside as a problem for you. You can get to know it for the sake of the children. My wife now loves the city and is happy.
Commuting has to be tolerated in the long run (meaning YEARS) — especially with public transport. Cars mean money and stress as well…
Good luck, exciting thread!
both a blessing and a curse at the same time!
We experienced a similar situation. I come from a small rural town with 3,000 inhabitants but with a swimming pool, secondary school, and so on.
After that, I always commuted — sometimes more, sometimes less. If you want to earn money where we live, you either commute or move away from Frankfurt am Main (FFM), etc.
Later, I met my wife in FFM, we moved out of FFM to the Taunus region, our child was born, two more are planned, and then it dawned on us that the rental apartment would become too small, or rather, that we wanted our own home. Now we have settled in my hometown, with property, and are happy.
BUT: my wife has been offered remote work. She still has to go to FFM occasionally and absolutely hates it. Driving the A3 highway by car daily is a nightmare. I always have to listen to complaints about traffic jams and such. Taking the train is not an option for her — one, she doesn’t like it; two, it’s too inflexible.
I am HAPPY. Why? I know what commuting is like. Door-to-door it takes me three hours each day. I could quit the job too, but I can’t because no one in the city pays me the 90,000 euros per year. I read on the train and do my prep work. Occasionally, I work remotely, as the employer is slowly opening up to it.
I don’t see living in the countryside as a problem for you. You can get to know it for the sake of the children. My wife now loves the city and is happy.
Commuting has to be tolerated in the long run (meaning YEARS) — especially with public transport. Cars mean money and stress as well…
Good luck, exciting thread!
Nordmanntanne schrieb:
The train runs every hour. The travel time from the station to my workplace would be 55 minutes, and for my wife 62 minutes. We both travel by public transport for free. The station can be reached from our property by bike in five minutes.I understand this to mean that after a 5-minute bike ride to the station, there is a direct train, and at the end of the journey just a very short walk to the office. And all of this with free train travel.
If you find another apartment within Frankfurt, you can often have similar travel times, perhaps with more transfers or the choice to drive by car instead. Then maybe 45 minutes in stop-and-go traffic.
Riding the train, as long as it’s not completely overcrowded, seems more comfortable to me. I also think about reading, for example a digital newspaper subscription, etc. That way, you’re already spending time productively that you would otherwise have to find in the evening at home.
Also, it might be possible to arrange with the employer, for example, that one person works core hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the other from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., ideally alternating weekly, so both can share childcare drop-off and pick-up duties. Add one or two days of home office for each, and suddenly it doesn’t seem so daunting.
And if you like going out in the city in the evening, another important question is: how late does this hourly train run? Does service end at 9 p.m., or does it continue later?
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