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
H
HilfeHilfe30 Mar 2018 23:08kbt09 schrieb:
My understanding is that you can reach the train station by bike within 5 minutes, have a direct train connection, and after the train ride only have 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, possibly with more transfers or the decision to drive a car instead. Then maybe 45 minutes stuck in stop-and-go traffic.
As long as the train isn’t completely overcrowded, I would also find train travel more pleasant. I also think about reading, for example, a digital newspaper subscription. That way, you are already using time for things you might otherwise want to do at home in the evening.
Also, it might be possible to arrange with the employer that, for example, one person works main hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., the other from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., ideally alternating weekly, so that both can handle dropping off and picking up at daycare. Then add one to two days of home office each, and the whole situation doesn’t seem so discouraging.
And if you like to go out in the city in the evening, it would be important to know how late the hourly train runs. Does service end at 9 p.m. or does it continue later?New commuters sometimes feel inflexible (which can indeed be the case). For me, the commute is exactly 1 hour and 3 minutes, or 1 hour and 12 minutes if I take the local train. There are 3 trains per hour.
But you really have to be cut out for commuting.
kbt09 schrieb:
@HilfeHilfe .. yes, you’re probably right. However, I already consider any commute longer than 30 minutes to be a hassle. That’s why I suggested first checking where in Frankfurt you could find suitable housing and then assessing the commute from there.I once had a commute of over 30 km (about 20 miles), which took over 30 minutes by car. I didn’t see myself as a commuter. About 10 minutes driving through villages or small towns to the nearest highway entrance. Not significant. Then 15 minutes on the highway. Also not worth mentioning. What was really annoying was the driving inside the big city with frequent lane changes between red and green traffic lights. You had to be clever to turn from right to left when there was a lane in between. Those parts of the trip lasting 10 to 30 minutes were the most stressful and time-consuming.
But this is the case for city dwellers who use a car too. It probably looks different by train.
You also have to consider whether your employer is relaxed if the train arrives late, whether you have flexible working hours, and whether you can start work normally even after a relaxed, delayed trip.
If free public transport is provided, I see no problem with commuting. You just have to make the best of the situation. Then you can probably do this for 10 or 20 years. Later, you might find yourself in a position only half as far away. The public sector does make a lot possible.
Regarding the unfamiliar rural lifestyle, which with 11,000 residents is not really rural: earlier someone asked what you might miss from the big city and what you actually use there. Usually, it’s very little and limited to events you attend three or four times a year. Just check it out.
This community is not unfamiliar to you. Relatives live there, and life will settle down again if you want it to. It’s just unusual at first with your own house.
But it can’t be ruled out that you might be “city people.” Then rent a nice, expensive apartment and make yourself comfortable as tenants. That also has advantages. The argument that you’re paying a landlord but gaining nothing for yourself doesn’t count.
Solution: Keep the plot for now and rent a small house in the countryside closer to the city but further away than you are now. Try living there on a trial basis and see if you are suited to this lifestyle [emoji4]
For me, it’s crystal clear: you are now city dwellers. Moving back to your hometown doesn’t make sense. Both professions are tied to the city. You can afford to rent or buy the nicest apartments there. Rural life might be more idyllic, but commuting ruins family life. So, move on and pass the property on to the rest of the family.
H
HilfeHilfe31 Mar 2018 09:02kaho674 schrieb:
For me, it’s clear: You are now city dwellers. Returning to your hometown doesn’t make sense. Both professions are tied to the city. You can afford to rent or buy the nicest apartments there. Country life may seem more idyllic, but commuting ruins family life. So move on and pass the property on to the rest of the family. Exactly... it’s difficult when you have traveled a lot. For us, it was only during holidays. Many people appreciate the anonymity of the city... we had three break-ins in Frankfurt without anyone noticing — that was it! Now we love our new small town, the kids know other kids. We know the café owners, and so on. Despite owning property here, we feel like we can afford more personally. I manage commuting because I don’t know any other way. But by 50, I don’t want to do it anymore.H
HilfeHilfe31 Mar 2018 09:04Edit: Returning to the home village was also an option. However, I have to say that one feels alienated there... also the issue of money. Once a household income exceeds 100,000 (currency), there is envy in a small village.