Refurbish your apartment, grow deeper roots
We can think of 1,000 good reasons not to move. Here are 10:
• Because life's too short to commute long distances for the rest of your days.
• Because, in 2023, finding a 3-bedroom apartment inside the Berlin Ring for €890 (incl. Anmeldung) is like finding a needle in a haystack.
• Because of Ernie. Oh, and also because of Bert.
• Because you don't want to spend another 3 years on yet another daycare waitlist.
• Because not every apartment building houses a tight-knit community.
• Because your favorite Microbial Circus happens to be right next door to your local macrobiotic market.
• Because, frankly, the ratio of 3,295 applicants to 1 ImmoScout24 listing is just plain daunting.
• Because remodeling doesn’t have to be unaffordable.
• Because, unfortunately, not all neighbors in this city are LGBTQ+ and BIPOC friendly.
• Because home is where the heart is.
Tiny, but homey
And there are just many alternatives, if not more, to moving:
Less is usually more. When you declutter your life, you create space for new things — your closet can finally breathe again, and your storage room can finally become that walk-in wine cellar you always dreamed of.
Different place, different space Rearranging the furniture within a room is an easy way to make better use of your existing space and optimize the layout.
Smart solutions Foldable beds, stackable tables, and pull-out chairs are easy to come by.
Room dividers Shelving, curtains, or partition walls can work wonders.
Storage, storage, storage Drawers underneath your bed or shelves suspended from your ceiling help optimize the space you have.
We can wrap up any and all of the above in a custom interior concept!
A closer look at some advantages
The benefits of staying in your apartment can include (but are not limited to):
Saving money Moves are expensive. Especially if you factor in renovation costs, security deposit losses, and rent increases on top of general moving expenses.
Familiarity & stability Feeling at home in your neighborhood can contribute to your overall happiness and well-being. You’ll likely feel more at ease knowing you don't have to go through a significant upheaval anytime soon.
Home sweet home Emotional bonds, like fond memories or weekly routines, don’t develop from thin air overnight.
A (brief) comparison of the expenses and benefits:
Move
calculated over 5 years:
Repairs
€ 2'000
Moving expenses
€ 800
Furnishing
€ 3'500
Monthly rent increase (€ 600)
€ 36'000
TOTAL
€ 42’300
Refurbishing
calculated over 5 years:
Preliminary draft
€ 1'000
Planning
€ 3'000
Craftsperson
€ 9'000
Materials
€ 13'000
TOTAL
€ 26’000
Advantages:
- Discovering a new neighborhood
- Meeting new people
- Having fun furnishing a new apartment
- A good opportunity to declutter
Advantages:
- Saving money
- Staying in a place you've come to know (and love)
- More stability (no switching daycares etc…)
- Stronger emotional bond
- The of value your apartment will continue to go up
- Convenience
- Avoiding the stress of moving
- Staying put is generally more environmentally friendly
- Smaller living spaces are cheaper to heat
- The smaller the space, the less you need to clean
- Less space = less hoarding