ᐅ How to find a property (house/apartment/land) anywhere in Germany?
Created on: 20 Sep 2019 10:05
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BaldPrivatier
Hello everyone!
My situation:
I am married with no children, planning to work for another two years and then retire at 57.
I currently live in Cologne, mainly because I work here, but I am not attached to the city. In fact, the (German-speaking) world is basically open to me for my (pre-)retirement.
I have not owned a car for over 20 years and don’t intend to own one again.
Expected finances in two years:
What I am looking for now is a place to live for the rest of my life, meeting the following conditions:
Very roughly estimated, this means I can either:
Since I do not use a car myself, my first thoughts go towards car-free locations, for example some of the German islands (I am not worried about feeling isolated on an island).
However, a penthouse apartment or simply a quiet location would also be suitable.
My questions:
Thank you!
My situation:
I am married with no children, planning to work for another two years and then retire at 57.
I currently live in Cologne, mainly because I work here, but I am not attached to the city. In fact, the (German-speaking) world is basically open to me for my (pre-)retirement.
I have not owned a car for over 20 years and don’t intend to own one again.
Expected finances in two years:
- Assets: about 700,000 euros
- Passive income: 3,000 euros net/month
- Current expenses: 1,800 euros/month (including 800 euros for rent and utilities), meaning if I stayed in my current rented apartment, I would save around 1,200 euros every month.
What I am looking for now is a place to live for the rest of my life, meeting the following conditions:
- Quiet. VERY quiet!
- Shops for daily necessities within walking distance. As I said, no car!
- About 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) of living space. A garden is not necessary, but possible.
- Suitable for seniors. Not necessary yet, but will certainly become important eventually.
- It can also be an apartment rather than a house, as long as I rarely or never hear the neighbors (I know this is hard to predict).
- Not sure if it still needs to be mentioned nowadays, but reasonably fast internet is a must.
- Preferably located either right by the water or in the mountains.
Very roughly estimated, this means I can either:
- Rent something for up to 2,000 euros per month including utilities => I would break even monthly and not touch my assets.
- Buy/build something for a total cost (including moving costs, new furniture, and all expenses related to the property) of 600,000 euros. I want to definitely keep 100,000 euros as a reserve.
Since I do not use a car myself, my first thoughts go towards car-free locations, for example some of the German islands (I am not worried about feeling isolated on an island).
However, a penthouse apartment or simply a quiet location would also be suitable.
My questions:
- How do I find a place like this? The problem with real estate websites is that the searches mostly start with entering a postal code. But I am flexible and cannot realistically search all postal codes one by one. Real estate agents usually work locally anyway.
- When should I start searching seriously? The earliest opportunity to move will be in less than two years, but there is no objection to staying longer in my current rented apartment if circumstances require it.
Thank you!
kaho674 schrieb:
Polish border?Exactly, Görlitz. Plenty of retirees.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
As you can see on the Seedomaine website, there are shops within walking distance, including a farm shop and a village store. Doctors, a beverage market, and other amenities are also nearby. The local Edeka supermarket offers delivery as well.
Before any suspicions arise: I personally do not own property there.
However, I have some acquaintances and friends who have purchased apartments there as holiday homes. They use these exclusively themselves and do not rent them out. This seems to be the case for most owners.
I have therefore visited the area several times and am somewhat familiar with the situation.
Most neighbors are only there occasionally.
Other apartments in the Seedomaine are rented out. However, this one is certainly the most attractive available for rent. The rent is reasonable for what is offered. The garage space alone could probably be a valuable asset if sublet.
The basement and wine cellar are huge. Facilities such as the sauna can be used in cooperation with the hotel.
There are plans for a private beach or lake access and a private boat dock.
There are several restaurants nearby, and you can quickly reach Lake Constance.
There are many great areas around. In any location with good infrastructure, you will not be completely isolated.
You might also want to look at Bad Dürrheim, a lovely spa town. There are certainly some rental options there as well.
Some new construction is underway.
Before any suspicions arise: I personally do not own property there.
However, I have some acquaintances and friends who have purchased apartments there as holiday homes. They use these exclusively themselves and do not rent them out. This seems to be the case for most owners.
I have therefore visited the area several times and am somewhat familiar with the situation.
Most neighbors are only there occasionally.
Other apartments in the Seedomaine are rented out. However, this one is certainly the most attractive available for rent. The rent is reasonable for what is offered. The garage space alone could probably be a valuable asset if sublet.
The basement and wine cellar are huge. Facilities such as the sauna can be used in cooperation with the hotel.
There are plans for a private beach or lake access and a private boat dock.
There are several restaurants nearby, and you can quickly reach Lake Constance.
There are many great areas around. In any location with good infrastructure, you will not be completely isolated.
You might also want to look at Bad Dürrheim, a lovely spa town. There are certainly some rental options there as well.
Some new construction is underway.
11ant schrieb:
Exactly, Görlitz. Plenty of retirees.I think it is one of the most beautiful cities in East Germany. But I don’t think it has the kind of quiet the original poster is looking for.B
BaldPrivatier20 Sep 2019 16:42Among my hobbies, definitely making music. This also includes occasional recording with a microphone. This is one of the reasons why I sometimes need complete silence.
My wife runs, among other things, a cooking blog, so she needs a photo room with plenty of natural light and a large kitchen.
Rügen, the island, is hardly on my radar. It is so large that almost all the usual island advantages disappear, while the disadvantages remain.
Specialist doctors are certainly a good point, but as long as you don’t know what you will need later, it’s hard to plan accordingly. It doesn’t help if almost all specialists are easily accessible except for the one you actually need—and I don’t know who that will be yet...
I also tend to rent rather than buy, and actually prefer not to build at all (maybe I’m in the wrong forum?). I think, in terms of timing, I’m probably already too late to build, I should focus on buying now, and it’s still too early to seriously look for renting (target: summer 2021).
My wife runs, among other things, a cooking blog, so she needs a photo room with plenty of natural light and a large kitchen.
Rügen, the island, is hardly on my radar. It is so large that almost all the usual island advantages disappear, while the disadvantages remain.
Specialist doctors are certainly a good point, but as long as you don’t know what you will need later, it’s hard to plan accordingly. It doesn’t help if almost all specialists are easily accessible except for the one you actually need—and I don’t know who that will be yet...
I also tend to rent rather than buy, and actually prefer not to build at all (maybe I’m in the wrong forum?). I think, in terms of timing, I’m probably already too late to build, I should focus on buying now, and it’s still too early to seriously look for renting (target: summer 2021).
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nordanney20 Sep 2019 16:53BaldPrivatier schrieb:
Regarding hobbies, definitely making music. This also includes occasional recording with a microphone. One of the reasons why I sometimes need complete silence.
My wife runs a cooking blog, among other things, so she needs a bright photo room and a large kitchen. Then a small house with a music room in the basement. It can be an excellent, completely quiet studio. Meanwhile, your wife can also make some noise.
P.S. You have been talking for four pages about what YOU must have. What does your wife want? Maybe she also has an opinion on YOUR plans?
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