Karlsruhe- Need advice on finding apartment

Hello,

We (a married couple; my husband is a German citizen) will be moving to Aachen during the first week of November (staying there initially, because that's where we have family. Aachen is ~200 miles north of Karlsruhe.) From there, we need to find an apartment in Karlsruhe, since my husband starts a job there in December, so we were hoping to stay in Karlsruhe for a few days in November working with a realtor and looking at apartments (while staying in a hotel, I guess.) Then we were hoping to move into the apartment early December.

1) Can someone recommend a realtor in Karlsruhe we can work with to find an apartment? We realize the fees will be high.
2) Can you recommend a hotel or motel on a bus route to the University of Karlsruhe that's reasonably priced (to stay in while we're looking?)
3) How long do you think it will take to actually move into the apartment once we find one (how long is the process for getting approved, etc.?)
4) Does anyone know of any hotels or furnished apartments in Karlsruhe that have a month-to-month rate, in case we need to live in one for a month or two before we can move into our apartment?
5) Any other advice regarding how we can make finding an apartment go smoothly?

Thank you! Advice is VERY appreciated.

1) No personal recommendation. There are many estate agents in and around KA. Whether one is good or bad is a subjective opinion based upon an individual’s experience, and even if one is said to be good, it doesn’t mean that they will have something which suits you. Remember that anybody can call themself an estate agent, some are experts, many are not.
The maximum commission for a successful deal is two months “cold” rent, and no more - it is a rule of law. If you find a private landlord, you don’t have to pay anything!
2) Google helps. Most all hotels everywhere want to fill their rooms and therefore have a flexible pricing structure. November is a quiet time here. Decide what you are prepared to pay, find a hotel which is a bit more expensive and use your powers of persuasion.
KA has an excellent public transport system. Almost every hotel within the town is either on, or reasonably close to, a bus and/or tram stop. The University is located between two tram stops on the main arterial route through KA, so it is well served. The nearest bus stop is alongside one of the tram stops.
3) Depends entirely upon the individual property. The actual signing of forms and moving in can be done within a day if you’re lucky. A private landlord can make an instant decision, and therefore could be faster than an estate agent.
4) No personal experience. Google helps again.
5) Use the TT search function to find info about living in KA.
Don’t give the impression that you are desperate to find a place.
Don’t take the first place you see unless absolutely certain.
Landlords are humans (at least most of them …). One might refuse upon seeing you, another one might welcome you with open arms and do everything to help.
Dealing directly with a private landlord will save you money.
Don’t volunteer unnecessary personal information.
Don't hand over cash. But if you do, make sure you receive a formal receipt.
Dress reasonably when viewing the property, and have a good idea of what you are seeking. Read the rental contract very carefully. If in any doubt, consult the Mieterverein (see below)
Your husband is German? Let him do most of the talking.
Most important of all, join the Karlsruhe Mieterverein as soon as possible.

HTH

Try this address it is a free advertising internet site I have set it for you for within 5km of Karlsruhe
Stu
http://www.quoka.de/searchresult.cfm?SEARCH1=wohnung&CITY=Karlsruhe&RADIUS=5&CATID=0&CITYCODES=123473%7C00000%7CD%7CKarlsruhe%7C5456%7C613&ONLY=&COMM=ALL&SEARCHBUTTON.x=29&SEARCHBUTTON.y=11

Another couple of thoughts:

Contact the University and ask what hotels they recommend, as they will have special arrangements with one or more local hotels for putting up visitors.

Get a copy of the local newspaper, the "BNN", on Saturday when there are many flats shown for rent. If you arrive during the week, visit their office in the Lambstrasse and get the old copy for free.

Get a [free] copy of “Der Kurier” when it’s published on Thursday (morning), from the box outside their office in the Amalienstrasse. There’s usually a fair selection of private offers as well as from estate agents.

HTH

We moved to Karlsruhe from Köln few weeks ago and that's what we did.

First of all, I did not find realtors to be especially helpful - maybe it's just my bad luck. At the same time I think that their charges are rather high - 3 month worth of cold rent + tax. Add to this the security deposit (2 month cold rent) and the first month rent - and you are looking at a significant sum of money to pay up front, not even counting the movers (if you use them at all).

At the end I just placed an ad in “Der Kurier” stating that I am looking for an apartment and giving a brief description of who we are and what we are looking for. The ad was running two or three times (the paper is weekly, I think). Each week I had 4-5 phone calls from people renting out apartments and eventually I made appointments with about five of them to see the properties. Did all of this in one day, so no hotel was necessary for me. I had to come once more to close the deal.

Heathclyffe, may I ask a question, although a bit off-topic - how useful is the Mieterverein really? Especially in comparison to the legal insurance (Rechtschutz)? I am renting my second apartment in Germany and both rental contracts were standard forms downloaded from some official website (Haus & Grund, I think). It is important of course to check all the prices for all things that the landlord types in there, but how can the Mieterverein help?