House Hunting

edit:(Apologies for no photos in this post!  They somehow were deleted, and I am not savvy enough to figure out how get them back.  Maybe I will get around to fixing it someday)

These last two weeks, Meredith and I have played our own version of 'House Hunters International.'  We have visited seven properties, four were easy to cross off the list, and three that have required careful consideration.  Our previous house in North Carolina had an open floor plan, with a large, built-in kitchen, five bedrooms, two-car garage, backyard, and loads of closets.  Houses in Germany are slightly different.  Houses typically have more than one family, as in apartments, row houses, or duplexes.  The garage is usually close, but not attached to the house, only for one car, and costs an additional 40-100 Euros/month.  Instead of heating the whole house at the same temperature, rooms are typically heated individually, and hallways and staircases are not heated at all.  Everyone here is very conscious of using energy wisely, and houses have very thick stone/concrete walls to withstand the harsh winter weather.  When a family moves, they move the entire kitchen, as well.  Cabinets, shelves, and ventilation hoods come off the walls, appliances are packed up, and all that is left is the flooring and tiles on the wall.  Most of the differences in housing I can understand, but I cannot understand moving the kitchen cabinets!  Inevitably, someone's new house will not be the same dimensions as their old house, and the cabinets will not fit quite right in a different space.  So, now I am faced with designing a brand new kitchen (probably from IKEA), a task that is daunting in itself, and in a country where I can't speak the language!!!! Houses here do not have closets.  People buy wardrobes or armoires to act as closets.  I would prefer not to have to pay a lot of money for these large wardrobes, since I will have no use for them when we move back to the US.

In typical HHI style, here are the three runner's up:

House 1 "Cottage Charm"

Two family house- 3 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath, no fitted kitchen, one car garage, unfinished basement, 160 square meters
+ convenient location within walking distance of Danube and city center; nice bathrooms; owner says he will pay for kitchen
- noise from road and trains; a bit small; yard needs a bit of TLC to make it nice

House 2 "Larger Than Expected"

4 bedroom, 3-1/2 bath, no fitted kitchen, one car garage, unfinished basement, finished 3rd floor storage/attic space, 189 square meters
+ cul-de-sac location will be great for kids to ride bikes; convenient to school and autobahn; quiet neighborhood; nice garden; American neighbors
- dingy bathrooms; no fireplace

House 3 "Big But Far"

4 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath, one car garage, no fitted kitchen, 200 square meters
+ Pretty neighborhood; close to great parks; two fireplaces in the living room; 'winter garden' room
- most expensive; owner has a dance studio in the basement where he teaches ballroom dance; farthest from Ryan's school

Choosing a new home is an exciting and daunting decision.  Having a house that works for your family can make daily life much easier.  This will be a tough choice!