apartment hunting
After weeks of lurking on Swiss real estate websites, I have finally shortlisted some apartments that we hope to see in June. I did have my eye on some houses in the countryside but it turns out that it would be quite difficult to swing those past J's office bureaucracy. Living in a 'villa' (which really means 'cottage') sounds too ostentatious to the powers-that-be, so an apartment it will have to be. Besides, I discovered that the county laws on managing a garden are just too detailed and complex - tree branches have to measure not more than whatever length depending on which end of the road they grow on, shrubbery has to be trimmed in a specific way, etc. It would really just take up too much energy and stress me out. Anyway, most of Geneva is countryside so we'll get our green fix wherever we go.
I know I'm obsessed about the apartment hunt because I sometimes dream about them. I've also become extremely familiar with Google Maps and the roads in the neighbourhoods that I like. The streetview function on Google Maps is so useful and creepy at the same time - I can take virtual walks down the street and check the state of the neighbourhood to see if it's grungy, residential, or rural. Using this, I realised that some of my potential choices were located in villages much too rural for my liking. With the state of the rental market in Geneva, we may still end up in such a village, but at least I have some mental preparation about the lifestyle change. Forewarned is forearmed, no?
Apartment 1
I like this one the best because it's huge (230 sq metres), bright, and located in a neighbourhood that has shops and other amenities close by. It is advertised as having four bedrooms, two parking spaces, and a rooftop swimming pool.
Large light-filled living room.
Pretty decent kitchen.
A partial view of the lake and the mountains.
Apartment 2
This is another strong contender. Lots of space (but a tiny kitchen), a rooftop pool, and it seems well-maintained and clean. It's not as close to the shops as Apartment 1 but I think it's not as isolated as some of the other places I've seen.
Big living room. Tiny kitchen can be glimpsed through the window behind the lamp.
Other end of the living room.
Bedroom.
Apartment 3
This is located slightly farther than my preferred areas but it seems like a nice, family-friendly home with a long balcony that kids can play in. The building is newish and there seems to be a lot of natural light, plus I like the size of the kitchen. The rooms are obviously staged for photos and the actual place will come unfurnished, but it's definitely worth a look.
Nice-looking living room.
Bedroom looks like it's from a magazine spread.
Large kitchen. There's another stretch of counter space on the left.
Apartment 4
This is not really a good option for us because it is a triplex apartment - that's three storeys to clean and two flights of stairs to Bao-proof. I still hope to go see it because it may be more workable than I imagine. This apartment is enormous. The master bedroom alone is 45 square metres - maybe the size of a 3-room HDB flat. In Singapore a place like this would be considered 'clustered housing' because the flat is not really located in an apartment building and it shares a pool and garden. The compound gate opens into the woods that lead toward the lake and a lovely playground 50m away, so it's like having a garden at our doorstep that we don't have to maintain, hah.
The apartments from the outside.
That is a seriously huge living room. I could hold rehearsals in there.
Massive master bedroom. This will be hard (and expensive) to heat in winter.
Apart from these, there are about two other apartments I've shortlisted. We're currently in the process of contacting the regies (realtors) to set up viewing appointments in June. I'm well aware that the actual apartments may look and feel very different to what they look like online, but the rental market is very limited and very competitive so we'll have to make the best choice given the circumstances. Hopefully there won't be too many obstacles (ethnicity and kids are sometimes an unspoken factor, for example) and the process will be smooth. We're going to have to stick with our choice for the next three years so it's important that we like it and are comfortable in it. It's all quite exciting actually, even though it will be crazy hectic. I guess it's a good thing Geneva is so darn quiet [read: boring] because we'll need lots of downtime after the move.
I know I'm obsessed about the apartment hunt because I sometimes dream about them. I've also become extremely familiar with Google Maps and the roads in the neighbourhoods that I like. The streetview function on Google Maps is so useful and creepy at the same time - I can take virtual walks down the street and check the state of the neighbourhood to see if it's grungy, residential, or rural. Using this, I realised that some of my potential choices were located in villages much too rural for my liking. With the state of the rental market in Geneva, we may still end up in such a village, but at least I have some mental preparation about the lifestyle change. Forewarned is forearmed, no?
Apartment 1
I like this one the best because it's huge (230 sq metres), bright, and located in a neighbourhood that has shops and other amenities close by. It is advertised as having four bedrooms, two parking spaces, and a rooftop swimming pool.
Large light-filled living room.
Pretty decent kitchen.
A partial view of the lake and the mountains.
Apartment 2
This is another strong contender. Lots of space (but a tiny kitchen), a rooftop pool, and it seems well-maintained and clean. It's not as close to the shops as Apartment 1 but I think it's not as isolated as some of the other places I've seen.
Big living room. Tiny kitchen can be glimpsed through the window behind the lamp.
Other end of the living room.
Bedroom.
Apartment 3
This is located slightly farther than my preferred areas but it seems like a nice, family-friendly home with a long balcony that kids can play in. The building is newish and there seems to be a lot of natural light, plus I like the size of the kitchen. The rooms are obviously staged for photos and the actual place will come unfurnished, but it's definitely worth a look.
Nice-looking living room.
Bedroom looks like it's from a magazine spread.
Large kitchen. There's another stretch of counter space on the left.
Apartment 4
This is not really a good option for us because it is a triplex apartment - that's three storeys to clean and two flights of stairs to Bao-proof. I still hope to go see it because it may be more workable than I imagine. This apartment is enormous. The master bedroom alone is 45 square metres - maybe the size of a 3-room HDB flat. In Singapore a place like this would be considered 'clustered housing' because the flat is not really located in an apartment building and it shares a pool and garden. The compound gate opens into the woods that lead toward the lake and a lovely playground 50m away, so it's like having a garden at our doorstep that we don't have to maintain, hah.
The apartments from the outside.
That is a seriously huge living room. I could hold rehearsals in there.
Massive master bedroom. This will be hard (and expensive) to heat in winter.
Apart from these, there are about two other apartments I've shortlisted. We're currently in the process of contacting the regies (realtors) to set up viewing appointments in June. I'm well aware that the actual apartments may look and feel very different to what they look like online, but the rental market is very limited and very competitive so we'll have to make the best choice given the circumstances. Hopefully there won't be too many obstacles (ethnicity and kids are sometimes an unspoken factor, for example) and the process will be smooth. We're going to have to stick with our choice for the next three years so it's important that we like it and are comfortable in it. It's all quite exciting actually, even though it will be crazy hectic. I guess it's a good thing Geneva is so darn quiet [read: boring] because we'll need lots of downtime after the move.