I hope you are going to enjoy this as much as I did! I personally LOVE House Hunters and don't tell me it is all fake because I won't believe you.
Unfortunately, House Hunters didn't call me up and ask to film our search - darn! But that is okay, I am going to take you through the commentary, and you won't even know you weren't watching! Although I am no Suzanne Whang!
Blake's Relocation Manager asked us many weeks before we moved what our wish list was for a new house. Blake told her newer inside but older building and that we wanted to live in the Östliches Ringgebiet area of Braunschweig. He told her our budget would be in the 1200 euro per month range and she went searching.
Now, it should be noted that the area Blake asked to live in is among the most popular places to live. The entire area is lined with parks and lush trees. The most famous part is boulevard Jasperallee which is in the center of the area and leads directly to the city center. After we told her the area, she said it would be difficult to find a place there, but that she would do her best!
NOW I know that wish list above isn't very long, but we weren't really in the position to be picky!
For the sake of this episode here, our wish list will include:
- Hardwood floors
- Updated Kitchen and Bathroom
- In the Östliches Ringgebiet area, close to Prinz-Albrecht-Park
- Balcony, or outdoor space
- Washer in unit, dryer if were lucky or at least drying space.
- 1200 Euro per month
*Size of the house also really wasn't an important feature for us. We don't have anything but clothes, so as long as there was a bed we were happy!
We were shown three houses on Tuesday. They are all placed on the map below. You can see only one of the houses (house #3) is in our preferred area! The map also will show you the city center. It is inside the ring of rivers.
First up is house number 1! You can see on the map above that it is quite far from our preferred area! And there isn't much green near it. The river is very close though. It is close to the city center, and close to the highway for Blake to get to work. In the neighborhood there is one small grocery store and a school. Blake asked around at work, and this area is definitely on the up and coming, but maybe not for another 5 years. We went in with an open mind!
Details about the first house:
1,250 euro, includes ALL utilities
53 m Sq = About 570 Sq Ft
Living room area! Nice floors, and nice new furniture!
The decoration was nice and clean.
Brand new bathroom, with walk in glass shower. A lot of natural light.
The door that is on the left houses a washer/dryer COMBO! (That excited me!)
Brand new kitchen, with new appliances (including a secret dishwasher built right in), brand new dishes and utensils. You can't see the fridge, but it was SMALL, even for my european small fridge standards. (Yes, I know that all of the appliances will be smaller, but this fridge was unusually small!) There is a door at the end of the kitchen, but there is no balcony so you can't/really shouldn't open it.
Lastly the bedroom! Nice, NEW bed with a lot of natural light! Tastefully decorated. You can't see but there is a small fake closet to the right before the bed. The bed has 4 drawers under it for added storage! BONUS!
Let's recap how house #1 stacks up to our wish list.
Everything inside was brand new! We would be the first people to sit on the couch and sleep in the bed. Additionally, the bathroom and kitchen were new, the HARD WOOD floors were new, you get the idea! There was no balcony. It was in an area we weren't crazy about. BUT hey washer dryer in the bathroom!!!!
I am saying it is in budget because utilities are included!
Next up, house number two! House two also was not in our preferred location but it was headed in the right direction! There was a park close by, and the streets had a much more homely feel. Added bonus about this location is that it is a few steps away from the main train/bus station in Braunschweig making it ideal for commuting! The street was quiet though, which was nice! It is close to the city center as well!
Shall we go check it out?
Details about second house:
1250 euro, plus water and electric
65 m Sq = About 700 Sq Ft
You walk in the door and immediately you have the bedroom! It is nice, but look, carpet.... :(
The wardrobe was big, but no dresser. Not pictured, a really ugly desk. The ceilings were high and the room was HUGE! BONUS! The other wall of the room were more doors leading to the living room.
Not really our style, but nice! More carpet!
Nice clean bathroom, with some storage. Not brand new.
Kitchen had some updates, fridge was hidden in that last cabinet, so that is always fun! And look below!
A Balcony! YAY! It is right off of the kitchen and was really nice! I could totally see myself spending time on the balcony!
To recap:
The only thing that was new-er, was the kitchen which was very nice! It is quite a bit over budget at 1250 plus water and electric! Carpet throughout. Not in our preferred location. No washer/dryer in unit, we would have access to a shared one in the basement.
House number 3 - here we go! Take a look up there at that map and see where it is! OUR PREFERRED LOCATION! We couldn't wait to get inside. In the park there is a Bier Garten and around the corner is an Aldi (yeeah) and another small grocery store, as well as a fish market and a bakery! The downside to this area is that it is really hard to find a place to park.
Details about the third house:
1050 euro a month, includes cable and internet
65 m Sq = About 700 Sq Ft
Let's get inside!
Living room! There is a big L-Shaped sofa and dark hard wood floors. The decorations are clean and modern and there is a ton of natural light!
The kitchen! Everything was newer, renovated in 2015! Stove has never been used. The sink is smaller but the counters are nice, as well as the backsplash. The other side of that bar area has more stools for sitting.
Off to the right side, in the front corner, you can't see, but there is a built in desk in front of a floor to ceiling window! I could really see myself typing the blog at that desk!
The bathroom was brand new and very modern! The bowl sink was very cool! Bathroom is lacking storage.
This is the SPARE bedroom! BONUS! The hard wood continues, there is a large closet, a dresser, and a bookshelf. There is lots of room in here!
Master bedroom. Brand new bed and hardwood. It is a little on the smaller side, but what is not pictured is clothing storage and a beautiful fireplace.
The story behind this house - the owner's bought it for their au-pair. They renovated it completely for her to move in. The au-pair only lived in it a few months and has gone back to her home country. So everything is new! Plus it also comes with use of a bike.
Let's recap!
Recently renovated! It was under budget and had free cable! No balcony :( but lots of natural light, and a shared outdoor area in the back. Dark hard wood floors throughout! In our preferred location!!! YAY! No washer/dryer in unit :( ! There is an area in the basement and each resident has their own washer/dryer area. The building is very old, so she was explaining to do the electric/water work to make the apartments have them is very expensive. So at least we get our own washer and dryer, we just have to go to the basement.
There was one house Blake and I were able to eliminate right away, as it just wasn't working for us. But the two other ones made us discuss! We did pick one though. I will reveal our choice tomorrow! In the meantime, lets take a poll! Which house do you think we picked???
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