Dear readers, Miriam’s family has been looking to buy a flat for two years, as they would rather invest the money they pay in rent each month in their own home. However, affordable housing is scarce, and their frustration is growing week by week. We spoke to her about it…
Dear Miriam, you have been looking for a new place to live for two years. First, tell us a little bit about your family.
We are a family of five with twin girls, aged 6, and our son, aged 3. My husband is 40 and I am 42. We have been living in our old home town of Aachen for three years now. Before that, we lived in Cologne for twelve years, with a two-year break in Milan. But we moved away from Cologne for various reasons. One of them was that we wanted to be closer to our family and friends again. But the main reason we moved back to Aachen was the hope that we would find more affordable housing or property, as prices in Cologne were continuing to rise at the time. My husband is an IT specialist and works almost exclusively from home. I am a seamstress and have been employed at the theatre for a year, after a five-and-a-half-year break due to parental leave. I also run my own business with my sister. In 2013, we founded a label for baby and children’s clothing. At the moment, however, we are putting little time and effort into it, as our priorities have changed somewhat.
How are you living at the moment and why is that no longer suitable?
We currently live in a 120-square-metre, four-room apartment in an old building. The apartment is large, but unfortunately the layout is very poor. It has a large living room and bedroom, but only one children’s room for all three children. The fourth room is the shared office/studio for my husband and me. Major changes, such as putting up walls, cannot be made in this flat.
We have been living in this flat for three years and pay around £2,200 per month, partly due to its excellent location. The high rent is also one of the main reasons why we urgently want to buy our own property, because in the long run it is simply too much money that we pay to someone else every month.
Our flat in Cologne had become too small for five people, and our current flat belongs to a friend of ours. We thought we would move in there temporarily and then take our time looking for a flat to buy. Today, I can say that we imagined it would be much easier than it is.
What are your dream specifications for your purchase?
Ideally, we are looking for a home with five rooms, six rooms would be perfect. Then each child would have their own room and we would still have a study. Preferably with a garden or a balcony. We would prefer to stay in the city. Our absolute pain threshold is €750,000, which would be very painful, as our equity would only cover a minimal portion and we would have to take out a very large loan…
What have you already done to find a new place to live?
My husband scours the property listings every seven days. We have also looked at a few houses and flats. In addition, we have put letters in obviously empty houses with information about us and a request to get in touch. We also regularly receive tips from friends and family, but so far nothing has been right for us.
If you’ve looked at properties, why haven’t you been successful so far?
In most cases, the properties were simply too expensive for us after viewing them, because the adverts often didn’t show all the additional costs. This meant that on top of the already high purchase price, there were also high renovation costs.
Unfortunately, other properties (especially new builds) were not at all suitable for a family of five due to their layout.
How does it affect you as a family that you simply cannot find anything suitable?
The dissatisfaction, especially on my husband’s part, is steadily increasing. We pay an insane amount of rent every month for a flat that has a number of defects. This money could be put to good use by investing in our own home. This dissatisfaction is increasingly affecting all members of the family. The children often argue because they don’t have their own space to retreat to.
Why do you think so many people are unable to find affordable housing?
Too little construction has been/is being done in urban centres. When private companies build, the costs/profit margins are so high that the prices are too high. Speculation with land/vacant buildings still seems to be worthwhile or is not being prevented politically.
Politicians are not really interested in the problem. Children and families are in the minority, while older people usually have housing. The costs and ancillary costs of purchasing property are too high. It is not possible to save the necessary capital with a normal income. Even high earners actually need an inheritance to be able to buy a property…
