karin_brenig

interesting thread...   what I learned from it so far: 1.some people, who actually have money, understand the advantages of owning real estate 2.some people, who really don't have money, want to express their envy of those who own real estate 3.some people, who may or may not have money, enjoy discussion/argument about investments    My conflict is now - what can I do, if I sympathize with group 1 and 3 ?   I guess I'll just make myself some popcorn, and watch

Bubble, or no bubble, doesn't matter to me - for real estate, in my experience, the only thing that matters is: location.   My advice would be: get to know the area, where you plan to invest, really well. Get a feel for the "vibes" in that location. What does your own common sense tell you about it? Would you want to live there, and why? Does it feel like there's a future there, and why?    Your mileage may vary, of course. So don't say "Karin told me to buy real estate" when you realize you won't become a millionaire quickly.

whether you have money "laying around", or you have to borrow (currently mortgages run under 1% interest rate in Germany), especially given these uncertain times, I still consider real estate the only investment I dare to do.   I am extremely risk adverse.   And, just because I travel with two passports, most (if not all) banks in Germany would make it a big hassle for me to even try investing in anything other than real estate that I personally manage.   Even if you don't rent your property out to anybody, just the (almost guaranteed) increase on the value (given the population density in Germany) will give you great peace of mind.

I believe it is even illegal to put People on "Kurzarbeitergeld" while they still have unpaid Overtime on their account

well - it is supposed to end those "public spontaneous partylike" gatherings of random strangers in close proximity to each other, because some people seem to need more specific rules (as opposed to just using common sense) when dealing with this situation

My new best friend is Amazon Fresh there's also getNow.com (in some areas)

no COBOL here  my thing since 1978 is PL/I, IMS-DB/DC, a little DB2, lots of JES2-JCL, I can read Assembler, I know SAS - and I have 13 years of Windows client/server hands-on experience on top of that (VIsual Studio up to 2016, TFS, SQL-Server, SSIS, SSRS, VB.net, of course I can do Excel/Access too).   I am what Germans would call an "eierlegende Wollmilchsau" - feels great to be needed

age is relevant, whether you like it or not. As for backgraound checks, (potential) employers would need to know your date of birth to be able to find the correct "Heinz Müller aus Berlin" in their search.   I am 63, could retire immediately, if I wanted to  - and just started a new full-time job 1.10.2019, as a mainframe programmer for a large insurance company  in Munich. At that point, my age was the biggest benefit - the "young folks" don't have the skillset.

  OK - I'm sorry to hear about all the bad things that are happening to you.   But I'm also curious to know, how can somebody working for an "IT Giant" be "made to work" for longer than they want to? Was there a person with a baseball bat standing behind you? Or were you chained to your desk? I've been working in IT since 1978 - and times get hectic for sure - but I have never "been made" to stay longer than I wanted to. I just get up and leave after about 8 or 9  hours - and then I come back after I'm well rested.  

Unless your current rental contract states in writing, that you are entitled to a free "Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung" upon end of contract, you will have to pay for this extra service.   Your landlord is under no obligation to provide this "Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung" - you're lucky they only charge 25,-€ for it. Up to twice as much is common practice, especially if you live in an area where landlords frequently ask to see that paper before renting out to you.  

"five figure" could be anything from 10000 to 99999 - definitely more than 5K (which is only 5000)   on the interesting topic, though, of where to invest, if you travel with a US passport and live anywhere but the USA, here's my personal solution: (Take it with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary) I invest in real estate - and actively manage it myself. My goal is long term rental income (when I retire from my day job), and a solid capital base that I could tap into if I have a real (health) problem some day.

Since your wife is a US citizen, the process will be relatively quick and painless. US is still considered a "priviledged country". Just a few details off of the top of my head - since my husband (US citizen) and I just went through the process recently:   You need what's called "Apostille" for your marriage certificate.   As soon as possible, when you are in Germany, go to Bürgeramt and register your residence (Wohnsitz anmelden).   Your next stop is for health insurance. There you will got to your last gesetzliche Krankenkasse (hope you were a member of one before you moved to the US), register yourself, and then include your wife and child as dependents (in der Familienversicherung).   With proof of insurance, Meldebescheinigung, and marriage certificate plus Apostille, you then go to Ausländeramt (some places you can just show up, some other places you need an appointment) and get Aufenthaltserlaubnis for your wife.   They will tell you that she needs to learn German, of course - and then give you a list of places where she can take a full length "Integrationskurs". All you need is level A1 after 6 months. She can teach herself, or go to VHS or Goethe Institut, to prepare for the test. If she later wants to get a "Niederlassungserlaubnis", that would require a level of B2 or higher - about five years from now.   Good luck!