We are always looking at the ads posted in the immobilier's office or picking up the brochures of places for sale. I'm sure we're not the only ones with a little dream of buying a place in the south of France that would be our own... spend holidays and vacations there and perhaps rent it out too. We have even been out a few times to look at village houses that "might" be in our price range.
This article in last Sunday's London Times offered a different point of view, including why it might make sense to keep on renting:
Yes Kathy, that article makes me feel great about renting!
Like you, the dream blossoms when we're in a charming rental house and start to think things like this little fantasy: "If this place was mine, I'd paint this room gold and reupholster that chair in a bright color. I'd love to plant more lavender......" Such fun. And you want to be one of those comfortable regulars down at the cafe!
Seems to me like the writer of the article was way too kind to friends, way too selfless as a host. And the friends rude. I like to think I'd draw the line....but maybe I wouldn't! Yikes.
Oh yes, I can see the $$$$$ adding up now. And the bureaucracy from afar would be really hard. Renting looks better than ever. Linda
Posts: 934 | Location: Outlying area of Chicago | Registered: 15 September 2004
Kathy, my BIL/SIL bought a Paris apartment with an American friend a few years ago, as an investment and for their own pleasure. Their experiences haven't been quite as bad as described in that article, but it has definitely been a money drain for them. They were hoping to rent it out when they weren't staying there themselves. Nobody banked on a tanking economy. I don't know what their future plans are for the apartment (maybe they will retire there?), but for now, it is another mortgage and many a headache.
Seems to me like the writer of the article was way too kind to friends, way too selfless as a host. And the friends rude.
That was my thought, too, when reading the article. I suppose if your first home is London, it's a lot easier for "friends" just to drop by than it would be from America.
On our last trip to France we stayed at a gite in the Dordogne, owned by an American couple. They live in part of the house, which includes 3 other apartments they rent out. They consider the French house their first home now, and only have a trailer on some land they own in California, for occasional trips back.
They also own houses in California which they are renting out as a source of income (they had planned to flip them and live off the profits, but the tanking market got in the way of that).
They did have to replace the sewage system in their Dordogne house soon after moving in, but said that was the only big problem they'd encountered so far. They were completely sold on living in France, which they said they could do much more cheaply than in America.
They said they get big tax breaks and subsidies from the French government for providing tourist accommodations. Once they lived there for a year, they could get on the French health system, so there goes another big US expense.
The funny thing is, they don't even speak French (although I think they do want to learn). They said there are so many Anglo expats in the community that they have lots of friends, and can find a French-speaking friend to help them when they need to deal with the authorities.
We can't deal with the stress of finding a short-term rental in Paris every other month so we're looking for an apartment to buy or to rent long-term.
Our "home" in Paris is now leased out to someone else for the next 12 months and I am really depressed over it. I loved everything about our little apartment; it truly felt like I was living out of an old movie set.
We've been looking for something else to rent for the month of September but nothing comes close even at 3 times the price (our old apt was only 1200 euros a month everything included).
I know I shouldn't have gotten too attached to a place that doesn't belong to me but I'm completely heart broken. Only the consolation is the hope that in time, we might find something similar in the same neighborhood at a price we can afford.
Well, you could write a book about the London Times article (many HAVE written a book about owning a house in France, of course). But keeping it short:
- The frequent, costly guests "problem" has little to do with ownership. Long-term (and even short-term) renters have guests, too. How many and how costly is pretty much up to them.
- Long-distance maintenance is complicated whether or not the distance includes a channel or an ocean.
- Prospective owners without some ability in French should think long and hard about purchasing a house. Apartment ownership is easier, as the building maintenance is handled by a management company and depending on the property there may be an on-site concierge and/or gardien.
Yes, you can find areas of France with a high proportion of English-speaking home owners, English plumbers, English electricians, English real estate agents and (I would not be surprised) English insurance agents. This may be a solution for non-French speakers in search of a rural environment and probably provides opportunities for easy socializing. It also strikes me as rather sad.
- As an owner of a mix of French property, some rental, some not and some in-between, I would say it's most likely that any purchase will result in impressive negative cash flow for many, many years.
- For anyone considering a purchase for their occasional use AND short-term rental, it's important to keep the dream and the business calculations separate. An attractive property in a sought-after place will have renters - part of the time - no matter how the economy and/or currencies are doing. If not, the pricing, the advertising and the communication need work.
Hello everyone, Yes, it is a dream for many people but one has to be realistic. If you already do own an apartment or home you do know there will be things to repair and/or renovate almost continuously, this is from smallest things to utilities to furniture, decor etc...
To relate with the article: Unfortunately even if you have some family to looks after your investment or even if you can do it yourself you have to be ready to double the amount of works, repairs, which will arrive all at the same time of course at your first residence and your second.
I do have some experience in foreign property as my parents purchased a vacation apartment in Spain. Even though close family could look after it generated a lot of expenses for renovations, condo fees, second swimming pool expenses and extras for shared garden furniture with other owners. It had to be painted regularly outside to keep nice white looking. As my step father is very impatient and also doesn't do much repair work at home, it all coasted a fortune as in Europe all is expensive. Moreover, my mother and sometimes me had to follow up on the works, the techs not coming when promised, and huge paper work for anything of minor order since we were not permanently leaving in Spain (bureaucracy there is even worst than in France and seldom a customer wins his cases). Not to talk about family members, who we never ever knew before in our lives and really we didn't want to know, and who only came when we were there to benefit not only from free lodging but also from free meals paid by my parents. We had still great vacations there, but were sort of locked into this unique destination. Being of European origin I know how the bureaucracy and inefficiency can be hard to deal even locally and speaking the language, and so this is why we moved to Canada.
It is also utopia to think that being closer can be more idyllic. It all depends on local laws, the usage you do of it too. Our good friends have a chalet here in Canada where they spend their weekends but that is costing them more than the first residence in renovations, maintenance such as electricity, heating, phone, cable, taxes. And I know a number of people here who just couldn't afford the chalet anymore.
Seriously, I know people manage to do it everywhere and we did, but you should be ready to invest time and money, and mostly your patience. By having a realistic approach, you will be less disappointed.
It's a great story (as long as you aren't living it).
My husband and I have so many French real estate companies bookmarked on our MacBooks. For entertainment (nothing good on TV), we have fun sending the links to "look at this one" properties with each other. It's great FUN and ENTERTAINMENT.
However, we would never own a second home anywhere. One home only.
We do tell our friends and family that if we ever move from this house, it will be to France! Sometimes I think we're serious!
My house in France is not a second home; it is my only home. I've had a lot of visitors over the past 6 years, but lucky for me they have all been well-behaved and generous, sharing my expenses. Choose your friends (and guests) carefully.
If you buy a house in France, buy a small one — a house just big enough for you and your domestic partner or family members. Don't put yourself in the situation where you can't say, with credibility, that you just don't have room to put people up for extended periods (or at all). Then exercise discretion in saying yes or no to requests from people who want to come and stay with you.
Friends of mine who have second homes in France, but who live elsewhere 11 months out of the year, have a lot of problems, routinely, with the French electricity and phone utilities. They come to spend a month relaxing in France and end up running around all over the countryside, calling customer service lines, and getting frustrated, trying to solve problems they didn't even know they had until they arrived: Huge electricity bills because no EDF agent has been able to get in to read the meter in several years. Phones and DSL lines that don't work, but nobody knew until the owners arrived because the house was unoccupied and nobody was checking. I won't even mention septic systems and satellite TV (to get English channels). There isn't much relaxation involved when the owners are here. It's all stress and work, just solving problems. Then, after an exhausting month, it's back to the work world in the U.S.
I agree with Dave: living in an Anglophone ghetto in France is kind of sad. Don't buy a house, especially not one out in the country, unless you speak French reasonably well. French people find it hard to understand that people who don't speak the language, and who don't seem to want make the effort to get themselves up to speed linguistically pretty fast, might want to live here. Travel here, okay. But live here? Remember, French people find it normal to speak French on a daily basis. Everybody does, as far as they are concerned. What's wrong with these people who don't, they wonder, and who don't seem to be trying to learn?
Oh, and here's something local people have told me: Just because you can buy a house here in France for less than you would pay in the U.S., don't think that repairs and improvements will also cost less. They probably won't.
I think some of this has to to do with attitudes to property. The people Roz writes about deal with property as a business and presumably accept the practical issues of maintenance as normal "wear and tear" on their time and effort. I suspect there are people who attach emotionally to the idea of a holiday home as a home, but somehow imagining it as a holiday rental that magically looks after itself.
I'm with SL Jones. It's a lovely day-dream, but who wants to be tied to a dream?
People often tell us they are happy for us because we are "living our dream." Well, it's not a dream. It was always a plan — even though there are dreamlike elements and moments involved. It's better think of it as a plan and focus on the practical side.
There are so many practical considerations. Why the Loire Valley and not Provence or elsewhere in the Midi? Because I have allergies to cypress and olive tree pollen. Why not Paris? Way to expensive. Why not the coast somewhere? Too crowded in summertime, and windy and wet the rest of the year
Why the Loire Valley? Good wine and food. Nice markets and vegetable gardens everywhere. Beautiful, gentle countryside. Not too touristy (outside Amboise and a few other towns). Not crowded, and mostly year-round residents. Nice, polite people. Mild climate. Not far from Paris. So many reasons.
Am I the only one to find something unsavory about a long-suffering homeowner in France inviting 14 friends to stay and then complaining about it?
There are two parts to true generosity. Firstly, one must be able to afford the hospitality. Secondly, one invites because one enjoys it; one does not invite out of duress.
My patron saint of generosity is the late R.W. Apple, who "chartered" chez L'Ami Louis for his 70th birthday. Did he complain about the bill? Duh-uh.
I can't afford to charter chez l'Ami Louis, but whenever and however I entertain, I am happy and I do it only out of the happiness it gives me.
"Johnny Apple" died a couple of years after the legendary meal. But that meal, in a life already so full of legends, shone bright. What a Lebenskünstler
Some of us have a harder time saying no to aspiring guests than others do. Afterward, it's easy to complain of being taken advantage of. Know thyself. Get a list of the local chambres d'hôtes and sing their praises. Encourage visitors to arrive by car. Encourage them to go visit the local attractions on their own. You will have seen all those attractions very many times in very short order. Don't become the chauffeur and tour guide.
Because I have allergies to cypress and olive tree pollen.
So does my wife - course, she found that out only after we moved here ! Anyway, her allergic reactions to bad weather and the Paris metro far outweigh any bit of sneezing which our neighbors huge cypress trees cause...
I did not read the whole article but got the general idea, I think.
re. a second home, unless one is a Multi-millionaire and can afford to hire a pair to live in the home and maintain it, or at least a full time caretaker, why take on the burden? As someone pointed out, it's no fun to spend one's vacation fixing things.
IMHO the more one owns the less flexibility one has as to choices. Whether a home, boat, RV or whatever.
And since we live at the lake, we pay attention to who we invite, because they always come. Some were generous, and got invited back, and some were sponges and they did not. And anyone who does not like dogs is automatically off the list.
Posts: 116 | Location: North Lake Tahoe, CA | Registered: 26 September 2005
The more one owns the less flexibility one has as to choices.
Well, yes and no. So many discouraging words on the dream of owning property in France. Let me be upbeat.
It's true we spend quite a bit of time in Normandy and Burgundy, where we have second homes. And I wouldn't play down the time, energy and money devoted to maintenance.
On the plus side, France is a highly sought-after destination. Here's a story about flexibility:
Late last February came a day when we couldn't stand the thought of more cold (by Northern Europe measurements). Out came the map in hope of finding somewhere reliably warm. With Asia ruled out as too far, the choices were narrowed to Morocco or far-south Florida.
Air fare from Paris to Key West was surprisingly cheap (we are not multi-millionaires).
In less than an hour on the computer ("cold" e-mailing) Aralynn arranged a home exchange with a couple of dreamers who keep an inn on the New Jersey shore and own a home in Key West. The latter they rent when they can't be there, but they had no renters in March.
We stayed 10 days in a lovely two-bedroom home with a pool in the lush back yard, five minutes by foot from the Atlantic and an easy walk to all the attractions of the Old Town. They'll stay in our home in Honfleur, in Normandy. (When exchanging second homes, the vacations don't need to be simultaneous.)
Of course a home in France is more expensive than a vacation in Florida. But we love property. We rent some of it to slow travelers while we're not using it, reducing the costs. We offer it off and on to friends and colleagues.
And if you owned, say, an apartment in Paris or a house in Provence there really would be no reason to pay, ever again, for vacation lodging anywhere in the world.
Dave, you have the advantage of living in France, plus owning a second and a third home in France. It's pretty easy to keep up with the status of all your properties because you live here.
Having a second home in France when you live in the U.S. is a different situation entirely, don't you think? Most people can't zip over for a weekend to see what's happening with the property in France, the way you might zip up to Honfleur or down to La Charité.
Whenever international borders are involved, things get more complicated. Currency exchange. Language. Etc.
I think there are two main approaches if you want to have a second home in France. The first is to have lots of money so you can hire all the people you need to help you. The second approach is to keep it very simple, so you don't need many helpers.
You can definitely keep it simple by not renting a place out to strangers-- keep it just for your own use or perhaps for the use of close friends and family.
You can also keep it simple by buying a newer house (hopefully with fewer quirks and dissues) or buying a place that doesn't have a pool or garden. This could mean a village house or an attached home in some sort of hameau or compound.
We rented a house in Provence for 6-1/2 months a few years ago and became good friends with the owners. They lived there in April/May and September, rented it out for lots of money in June/July/August and tried to rent it some in other months. We saw first hand what was involved in owning a second home in France. The house was 17th century, on a couple of acres, with a pool. Our friends had: a woman who spoke a few languages who had the key and met and helped renters; a cleaning person; a pool person; a gardener; a security company; a property management company who handled major maintenance issues in their absence. (We had to call these people when the heat stopped working.) All these helpers add to the costs of absentee ownership. They also had relationships with a variety of maintenance people. During our stay, in addition to everyone above (except for the cleaners) we interacted with a chimney sweep, a man who brought wood, the man who fixed the heat, the man who re-filled the heating oil tank... maybe more. To maximize their income, they handled rentals mostly themselves, so the wife spent lots of time on the internet dealing with inquiries and prospective renters.
Two years ago our friends sold the beautiful place in Provence and bought an apartment on the coast. As they had gotten older, the country place had become much more demanding. Every time they were there for a month, they spent much of the time fixing things, dealing with the service people, even hosting house guests (though not near as many as article's writer). It wasn't fun any more. They love their new lives on the coast, where the apartment has few complexities.
We also have a friend in the USA who owns a small village house. No pool, garden or security system. She does rent the place, so needs a cleaner and someone to deal with any maintenance problems. Or we have other friends who have a simple country place in a hameau, stay there only in the summer and don't rent it out. These seem more workable solutions.
I love the idea of putting down some part-time roots and having a place of our own, but as others say, for the costs and complexity involved, I also realize we can do MANY rentals and also the flexibility to travel in other areas.
I also realize the Times article was very dramatic, but I think it made some good points. This is an interesting discussion.
Well again, yes and no. We also have a home in Indiana. We don't zip over there every weekend; we go once in a while. The number of kilometers makes no difference.
Language does, to a point. While I don't talk like the good old boys in touch-of-the-South Bloomington, the work that I don't do myself still gets done. After all, plumbing, electricity, etc. have their own vocabularies to be mastered (or not) even in your native tongue.
Currency values matter of course, but they aren't complicated. The key question is whether you can bear the fluctuations. Having renters as we do and any second-home, across-border owner can, helps to cushion exchange-rate shocks.
Dave, you can't really compare the "good-old boys'" English, when you are American, to the language problems you might have dealing with French contractors. You have a house in Indiana, in your native country. English is spoken there. That's not comparable to an American with a house in France. You can talk on the phone to people in Indiana, even if they have a Southern accent. Imagine an American with limited French trying to talk on the phone with a French contractor. Not to mention the cost of the call.
People with limited experience of currency rate fluctuations might find themselves at sea. They can't predict them, and they certainly will have a harder time budgeting when it comes to a second home in Europe.
I love living here but this is my only residence, and I'm here full time. That makes a big difference.
I see you too are retired. One major thing that hangs over us when considering a move is health care and the cost. As you know, if you are not in the U.S., then medicare coverage is dropped.
If it were not a 12 hour flight from SFO to CDG, plus ground travel time, we would seriously consider more time in France. We envy you.
David
Posts: 116 | Location: North Lake Tahoe, CA | Registered: 26 September 2005
David, all legal residents of France are entitled to be members of the national health service. You have to pay: the contribution is 8% of any income you have over 8,000€ per year. If your combined income as a couple comes to 20,000€, you'd pay 8% of 12,000€, or about 1000€ annually. The next 10,000€ would cost you 800€. And so on.
The coverage level is just less than 70%, including doctor visits, prescriptions, dental care, and even vision care. You can buy complementary insurance at reasonable prices to bring that coverage up higher, even to 100%.
It's also a fact that prescriptions and medical and dental care are much less expensive in France than in the U.S. The standard fee charged for a visit to a French doctor's office is 22€. Specialists charge more (28€ is what I paid a gastroenterologist, and the same amount to an anesthesiologist, for a colonoscopy last year — the rest of the procedure was free). Getting your teeth cleaned costs just shy of 30€. You are reimbursed about 70% of those charges under the minimum national health insurance plan.
This is another area where it is important to be able to communicate in French because, out here in the French countryside, not many doctors and dentists speak English.
Spelling of word corrected at poster's request.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Doru,
This is another area where it is important to be able to communicate in French because, out here in the French countryside, not many doctors and dentists speak English.
It's important in Paris, too, unless you are quite well-funded, because English-speaking health professionals tend to charge much more than the social security system reimburses - up to three times more.
Everywhere David and I vacation (if it's a place that we love) we always have the "could we live here?" conversation. I think that's something that comes with sharing your life with someone you love to be with...and the location only enhances the experiences. We love France, Italy, and lots of places in the US, but have we bought a home there? No. We do own a second home, however, near my family about three hours from where we live. I can assure you, the problems with workers and repairs are the same if it's only next-door! We have not used our second home nearly as much as we hope to, but we know that we have a comfortable place to hang out and be with my family which keeps multiplying annually! I think we much prefer to "rent" a place wherever we travel and keep the freedom to explore new places for now. Maybe someday, when both our Moms are gone, we'll feel more free to live elsewhere, but, for now, our roots are here.
We have owned several second homes over the years, so I will speak to issues we have had.
We fell in love with Maui and a specific area when we were first married and watched for years until the market dropped during the Japanese recession. We bought and loved our place overlooking the ocean. We did put it in a rental pool and did very well. As someone above mentioned, when we did visit our place a couple of times a year, we spent most of the time replacing or fixing things. After a while, it took all of the fun out of it and we sold it. After several years, we will be returning to Maui this February, but it took us a long time to become interested again.
We now own a second home in a ski town in Colorado. We have owned it for 20 years and have never placed it in a rental pool. When we bought it, we thought our family and friends would flock to visit, but no one ever seemed that interested and it was simply too far. We too, found it too far and haven't been there in over a year. We are selling it and will miss it, but it's just too far from Houston or any place in Texas. At the time, it just didn't seem like an issue.
A couple of years ago, we thought we would be retiring to North Carolina and bought a beach house in preparation for retirement, thinking we could go there every weekend from our primary home. Now our kids are grown and consider themselves Texans and will never leave. We are expecting our first grandchild and realize our dream of retiring there will not happen. Again, it's too far for us to drive to NC whenever we like, so we will end up selling that home as well.
What I'm trying to say is.....don't purchase a second home if you can't drive there in a few hours. It's exhausting and expensive trying to visit otherwise and the upkeep, taxes, HOA dues and everything else is just too much. Also, as we have gotten older, we want to visit other places and also have furry children now and we hate being away from them. A two day car ride is too hard on them and us. Yes, second homes seem like a great idea, but take it from someone with lots of experience, it's just not that great.
Unfortunately, there is no place in Texas because of many reasons, including the constant heat, that doesn't appeal to our buying something on the coast here.
As soon as we sell our properties, we will NEVER purchase another second home and will enjoy renting with no cares or worries and can travel wherever we like. Also, when you own second homes, you feel like you should always go there for vacations and that begins to grow old.
Sharon J
Posts: 1141 | Location: Houston, TX USA | Registered: 01 November 2003
IMHO distance is the key factor. The further it is, and the more effort it takes, maintenance aside, the less it is likely to be used.
When we purchased our second home at Tahoe, the market was soft and I thought of it as an investment as much as anything. It was an easy 4 hour or so drive from where we lived so we used it a lot, in all seasons, often taking long weekends as work allowed. We did not rent.
As it turned out, we grew to love the area and all that it offered so when we retired we made the decision to sell our primary residence and move to Tahoe. Because of frequent visits, we knew what to expect, 8 feet of winter snow and all.
A second home in the south of France has a great deal of appeal, but it is too far and would not get the use we would like. Perhaps if we lived on the east coast we would think otherwise.
Obviously the decision regarding a second home depends on one’s circumstances and energy level. For us, being in a place we enjoy and exploring it in depth meant more than seeing much but only superficially.
When we travel we tend to stay days or weeks in one spot, renting an apartment or living in our RV. The RV is now our second home. We are slow travelers.
And we live where, no matter where we have been, it is good to come home.
I guess the point is, enjoyment needs to significantly outweigh any hassle.
David
Posts: 116 | Location: North Lake Tahoe, CA | Registered: 26 September 2005
We live in Chicago and have had 2 vacation homes in the Outer Banks of NC. We sold one and have kept the other. We have them in a rental program--our kids are in middle & high school so our time is not our own. We manage, in a good year these days, maybe 4 weeks a year down there. Last year, only 2. When we bought it, the kids were young and we could spend more time there. I'd encourage ANYONE to be realistic or maybe even pessimistic when considering a long-distance vacation home. I'm 17 hours by car from our place. Even though I only have 1 time zone change and speak the language, it's tough. If you can't drive over to see a problem you have to trust someone else to handle it the way you want. I have great people working for me but rentals are a big pain in a lot of ways. Last week while we were in Provence, someone renting it knocked 2 sliding doors off the frame and put bubble bath in the hot tub. In general, we've been really lucky but it's really annoying to have a great house and see people not care for it. The other thing is that houses need to be lived in to see problems sometimes. If the renter doesn't report something, it may not be noticed til you next visit. The cleaners and caretakers are really not there that long. They don't see all the things the person living there does. We almost always have some unforeseen repair awaiting us, sometimes really minor and other times not. Always need to do some work, too. We try to manage one week in the summer without planning to work--sometimes it's doable, other times not. I agree renting someone else's property is more cost-effective and relaxing, not to mention far less restrictive. I think we are going to consider selling this one in a few years, probably, market willing. If we lived closer to use it more ourselves, we'd probably only rent it to friends. Unless we find a place we want to retire to OR something we can get to on the weekends here, we'll probably never consider the second home concept again.
Just to say that the Brits have a different viewpoint.
They used to buy in places one days drive away from the channel ferry ports. Wine, tobacco, etc were cheap and helped to offset the travel costs.
Low cost airlines (and the TGV) have helped to extend the range to the Med coast. Both TGV (Paris - Nimes in 3hr) and low cost flights can be a fraction of the cost of driving.
In my area, many people have bought a house for renovation, visiting frequently. A good proportion of them retire and move permanently to France.
The UK recession has been deeper than in France resulting in special offers in UK shops. Add in the collapse of the GBP, and it is worth popping back to UK to go shopping !
Off peak rail, flights and ferries are incredibly cheap resulting in people visiting for weekends or even taking a day trip to go to a dentist, etc.
I used to regularly commute by air for business.
One nearby resident flies to UK to babysit for her grand children when required.
It is not good for the environment, but has added a different dimension to French home ownership.
I built a home near Hilton Head 3 years ago. When I started looking (almost 4 years ago) I had starry eyed visions of a place that I'd rent easily, make money, and visit on occasion.
Maybe it was that I "built" my house rather than buying one a few years old - I'm rather protective of it, and I figured out pretty quickly that I'd really have to rent it a lot to get a better deal than the second-home tax break. I've thus never rented my house, not once. I decided to keep it spiffy for my own visits and since no one is there (and it's new) I haven't had any maintenance to worry about yet other than cleaning/pest control, that sort of thing.
This isn't to say that the tax break is a reason to buy, not at all - just that the season isn't THAT long and unless you are right on the water (I am on a golf course), you aren't going to get a lot for a week nor will you rent it every single week (living 8 hours away doesn't help with renting it, either). I guess I am trying to say - this is a LIFESTYLE choice, do not expect an investment with a great return - unless you live nearby and are willing to put time and effort into it, or unless you bought at just the perfect time and got a sweetheart deal.
I'm not planning to sell it, but, if I could rewind three years with the knowledge I have now I am not sure I'd have bothered. You do tend to feel tethered to your home for vacations (or just guilty if you vacation elsewhere and it sits empty every time...). Now, ten years from now, fifteen years from now, will I have turned a 180 and be glad I bought it and held on? It's entirely possible.
I loved everything about our little apartment; it truly felt like I was living out of an old movie set. 
