It has been 3 years since Bo and I hunted for an apartment together and I forgot how utterly exhausting it is, even when you have the help of a professional. Luckily, the city itself is pretty gorgeous and each evening we’ve relaxed with a few glasses of rose or beer along with a long walk along Lake Geneva. I’m also very thankful for my new North Face K Rain jacket which we picked up at REI when my parents were in NYC. It is fitted enough to be semi-fashionable and transition from rain storm to shopping but is still water proof and practical! I’ve lived in it since we arrived on Tuesday since the highs have only been in the 50s.
In case you’re new to the blog or need some background, we made a huge decision last month and are moving to Europe in July! We will have flats in both Geneva and London since Bo will be based in London Monday through Thursday for his company and I will be in Geneva. Our weekends will be spent together in either of our cities or hopping around Europe. Yes it will be an adjustment but we’ve done distance before and we are excited for the amazing opportunity.
As part of my relocation, my company provides us with assistance for relocating and finding an apartment. Therefore we have spent the past 2 days looking at flats in Geneva, primarily in the Eaux-Vives and Plainpalais areas of the city.
- Eaux-Vives: close to the lake, with a lot of shops and restaurants
- Plainpalais: the very pleasant and lively student neighbourhood, close to the University of Geneva
We have seen the spectrum during our 14 flat adventure. Here are just a few of the photos from our tours including some that we loved and some that just left us laughing or wondering how people made the spaces work. We also realize just how differently people live. One home we visited was still occupied and the guy, though a corporate professional, is clearly a “gamer” and needed nothing other than lots of pizza, beer, an Ikea bed, and huge flat screen computer to sustain for two years.
For those people who are curious, here are a few things we’ve learned about Geneva flats that are quite different than our experience in New York, Philadelphia, or Atlanta.
- Dishwashers are not very common.
- Some flats come with “unequipped kitchens” which means you have to buy all your appliances including dishwasher, oven or range, fridge, and washer/dryer.
- Lifts, the European version of elevators, are very, very small and far different than US elevators.
- Everything in square meters which was a bit of an adjustment for us but definitely expected (10.8 square feet per square meter)
- Apartments are listed by number of rooms rather than number of bedrooms. If a room, when closed off, has no window it is considered a half room regardless how large it is.
- Most apartment leases seem to be 3 years and there are numerous, confusing real estate laws that we can’t even begin to understand.
So there you have it! We are meeting with our new bank today and seeing a few more flats. So far we have found three options that would work for us though we definitely have a favorite. We are leaning towards Swiss/European charm over some modern conveniences at this point but we’ll see what happens. While the real estate market is more in the renters favor than it was a few years ago it is still in the landlords hands at this point. They have the power to accept or decline our “file” and do not have to explain their rationale.
What is your non-negotiable when looking for an apartment or home? Is it the kitchen? Bath tub? Elevator?
I have definitely heard of some of those, especially the buying your own kitchen, from my brother living in Europe. The room count thing is pretty cool though! You should definitely go for the European charm! Once you live without the conveniences for a little while you’ll forget about it and it’ll be so pretty to really be “in Europe”! You guys are so lucky to be able to hop around Europe on the weekends instead of, say, driving to Florida, haha. So cool!
Wow, you picked 2 expensive places to live: Geneva and London! — Renting agreements vary from country to country, and Swiss renting is certainly different with leases. I used to live in Zurich, and there you basically (had?)/have 2 dates a year towards which you can cancel (e.g. beginning of March or September). If you try to leave on another date, you have to find replacement renters yourself. French-Swiss might have its own rental quirks. 3 year lease? Wow. London will be different again. Also, access to community laundry machines is different (you have your 2-3 days every 2 weeks) and there might or might not be a dryer. oh well, happy adventure!
Yup Silvia we didn’t exactly choose the cities but ended in them due to our careers. It’ll be expensive but we’re blessed to have our company’s support. Thanks for the suggestions though!
This is exactly why I can watch House Hunters all the live-long day. Those curved wood beams make my heart sing.
I was surprised to learn this about myself, but when I was house-hunting last fall, it turned out that having a bathtub was non-negotiable for me. (Maybe because I was house-hunting during marathon training!) My other big one is natural light.
It looks so exciting! Having bought two houses since I have been married, we Def. have to have double sinks in the bathroom and a covered porch or patio since we are outside so much!
Hah these are two luxuries that we won’t have unfortunately!
I cannot wait to read more about your adventures in Europe!
After living in a tiny garage apartment for almost a year with no dishwasher, my absolute must-have is now a dishwasher. And there must be lots of electric and cable outlets as I work from home.
Wow, sounds like a great adventure! My partner and I also do the Monday-Thursday thing in different cities and then spend the weekends at home in Berlin. It’s not a piece of cake, but you can definitely make it work!
One thing that kills me about apartment searching here in Germany is the kitchen thing — often you have to buy all the appliances and cupboards and cabinets yourself! Although it helps prevent being stuck with someone else’s 1980’s fridge, it can also get really expensive! Luckily for the apartment we’re in now, we only had to buy a fridge and a washing machine, everything else was already there and in pretty good condition.
In any case, enjoy the search, and good luck with your transition to Europe!
I am so excited to read more about your European adventure! My husband and I also live separately most of the time and see each other on weekends. Most people seem to judge us, but it works for us! Good luck with the rest of your apartment search!
Thanks Betsy!!
My non-negotiable would have to be the oven/range. I love to bake and roast so it’s a must have! I am in LOVE with the flat that has the beautiful fireplace/circle staircase/curved ceiling beams (pics 5-6?). Good luck with your hunt!
Thanks Beka! We ended up putting in our application for the flat with the exposed beams and fireplace but not the crown molding. 🙂
I’ve only ever lived in Atlanta and Chicago (if you don’t count Athens!), but coming from Atlanta where apartments have tons of amenities, I was SHOCKED to find that dishwashers were not an assumed fixture in apartments in Chicago. You have to emphasize that in your search if you want to see apartments that come with them. I just moved into my second apartment here in the city and that was DEFINITELY a non-negotiable item for me with how much I love to cook!
Another thing (and you may have experienced this in NYC) was what rental properties considered a “bedroom”. Some couldn’t even dream of fitting a full-sized bed let alone anything larger!
Best of luck with the hunt…what I learned after scouring the city for my apartment was that patience paid off and you’ll find something that fits your checklist eventually…and when you do, it’ll be worth the wait!