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
N
Nordmanntanne31 Mar 2018 13:04In addition, a distant relative of my wife would also be willing to buy the property from us for 180,000.
Well, then it’s a matter of finding out what you might be able to buy in the city and at what price.
Although
Although
Nordmanntanne schrieb:... the same could happen in your neighborhood if you frequently shop at the same butcher because they simply have a great selection.
For me, it’s dreadful when I’m at the butcher’s and the staff already know who I am and what I’m going to order. That’s an absolute nightmare scenario for me.
Oh come on... we live in a town of just over 100,000 inhabitants, and my husband cycles past the bakery every morning on his way to work. When they see him coming in, they always pack the croissant in the bag beforehand.
It's no big deal, it saves time.
But I can understand the concerns – you just have to keep in mind that there will definitely be quicker gossip in a town when you do something outside the norm.
It's no big deal, it saves time.
But I can understand the concerns – you just have to keep in mind that there will definitely be quicker gossip in a town when you do something outside the norm.
HilfeHilfe schrieb:
It doesn’t make sense, in that case the woman could just stay at home or the man.
What social pressure?
Funny, this happened to me in the city.
There was a small corner shop whose inventory was perfectly tailored to the neighborhood residents. They knew what kind of food Müller’s cat ate, that Mayer’s only eats organic, and that the student across the street is vegan.
Like an analog Google.
Extremely practical.
There was also the local pub, the second living room for many, and the daily newspaper of the residents.
Make a list of pros and cons.
Look around at what kind of homeownership you can get in the city and what appeals to you.
Funny, this happened to me in the city.
There was a small corner shop whose inventory was perfectly tailored to the neighborhood residents. They knew what kind of food Müller’s cat ate, that Mayer’s only eats organic, and that the student across the street is vegan.
Like an analog Google.
Extremely practical.
There was also the local pub, the second living room for many, and the daily newspaper of the residents.
Make a list of pros and cons.
Look around at what kind of homeownership you can get in the city and what appeals to you.
M
Mastermind131 Mar 2018 14:17A very interesting topic.
For love, I moved to a village with around 1,000 inhabitants. Before that, I was already living in a village of about 2,500 people.
Within a radius of 30 meters (19 miles), there are several towns with many good/large/reputable employers.
The land cost us €93 per square meter (2009) (about $93 per square meter).
I’ve just returned from a training in Böblingen (near Stuttgart/Reutlingen/Metzingen). The noise, the dirt, the visible stress on people... In my opinion, the construction and land prices there are absolutely overpriced... (Houses from the 1970s, completely in need of renovation including heating, starting at €700,000. Why? The plot is around 800 square meters (8600 square feet) with just under half of it as garden.
A 2-3 room condominium (about 20 years old), also needing renovation, starts at €280,000.
And especially the anonymity there would not work for us with our two small children.
We go to the local bakery, and the kids get a ladyfinger biscuit even if they’re not with us.
Or the neighbors take turns accompanying the first graders to the bus stop. (This is all in a large housing development with many young parents.)
If we want to go shopping for an hour without the kids, the nice neighbors sometimes take their kids along... Then they go to the trampoline park. Or we take the kids to gymnastics in the neighboring town and get to know others there.
And so on...
Warm summer evenings often end on a neighbor’s terrace with a cool drink (baby monitor in hand)...
And still, you can sit alone on the terrace if you want peace and quiet.
There’s a street festival 1-2 times a year...
I consider this—not just a common standard—as pleasant rural living.
Even here, due to higher construction costs, no “fools” build houses. The monthly income has to be quite good... which means you have interesting neighbors (“pharmaceutical development manager, purchasing manager, sales manager, IT team leader”). That allows for engaging conversations and not just the usual “how was the Bayern football match...”
In conclusion:
You need to consider where you feel comfortable, especially with future family planning in mind.
If you still appreciate the advantages of the city right now, stay there. For later (maybe one of you wants to step back career-wise or have more children?), keep the land as a reserve.
Who knows, you might suddenly want to build something suitable for older age.
Having land already is a good starting point.
I wouldn’t sell the land.
At worst, you can still sell the land in 5, 10, or 15 years. Think of it as a reserve.
For love, I moved to a village with around 1,000 inhabitants. Before that, I was already living in a village of about 2,500 people.
Within a radius of 30 meters (19 miles), there are several towns with many good/large/reputable employers.
The land cost us €93 per square meter (2009) (about $93 per square meter).
I’ve just returned from a training in Böblingen (near Stuttgart/Reutlingen/Metzingen). The noise, the dirt, the visible stress on people... In my opinion, the construction and land prices there are absolutely overpriced... (Houses from the 1970s, completely in need of renovation including heating, starting at €700,000. Why? The plot is around 800 square meters (8600 square feet) with just under half of it as garden.
A 2-3 room condominium (about 20 years old), also needing renovation, starts at €280,000.
And especially the anonymity there would not work for us with our two small children.
We go to the local bakery, and the kids get a ladyfinger biscuit even if they’re not with us.
Or the neighbors take turns accompanying the first graders to the bus stop. (This is all in a large housing development with many young parents.)
If we want to go shopping for an hour without the kids, the nice neighbors sometimes take their kids along... Then they go to the trampoline park. Or we take the kids to gymnastics in the neighboring town and get to know others there.
And so on...
Warm summer evenings often end on a neighbor’s terrace with a cool drink (baby monitor in hand)...
And still, you can sit alone on the terrace if you want peace and quiet.
There’s a street festival 1-2 times a year...
I consider this—not just a common standard—as pleasant rural living.
Even here, due to higher construction costs, no “fools” build houses. The monthly income has to be quite good... which means you have interesting neighbors (“pharmaceutical development manager, purchasing manager, sales manager, IT team leader”). That allows for engaging conversations and not just the usual “how was the Bayern football match...”
In conclusion:
You need to consider where you feel comfortable, especially with future family planning in mind.
If you still appreciate the advantages of the city right now, stay there. For later (maybe one of you wants to step back career-wise or have more children?), keep the land as a reserve.
Who knows, you might suddenly want to build something suitable for older age.
Having land already is a good starting point.
I wouldn’t sell the land.
At worst, you can still sell the land in 5, 10, or 15 years. Think of it as a reserve.
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