Escaping the US: How to Find and Secure Housing Abroad

Hi everyone. Thanks for tuning in to Passport to Wealth, the podcast that takes you on a journey through navigating your finances as a US Expat.I'm your host, Arielle Tucker, a certified financial planner and enrolled agent focusing on cross border planning for US expats. And I'm joined by my co host.

I'm Savannah Chaffin, a CFP candidate, enrolled agent and self declared expat tax nerd, here to guide you through the maze of life and finances across borders and share the inspiring stories of fellow US Expats who have navigated the process. Good morning, Ariel.

Good morning, Savannah.

And welcome back everyone to Passport to Wealth. Today we're doing the next episode in the Escaping the US series.So in the last episode in this series, we tackled the challenge of moving your belongings abroad. So today we're diving into one of the biggest hurdles for expats and that is finding housing.So whether you're moving abroad for a short stunt or planning to settle down, finding the right home abroad is a really key part of making that move feel real.

Yes. You know, finding housing can be like really exciting.I don't know, I go back and think about house hunters, like the, I don't know, the international version. Did you ever watch that? I think it was on ntlc. Oh, it's great.Like they would basically fall around a couple and they would look at three different properties in different international cities and, and you kind of got a sense of like, wow, what would these places actually look like to live in? You know, throughout Italy or France or Germany. And it was, it was a really cool show. I think they still, maybe they still make it.And I know for sure they're on YouTube.I think also today we're gonna share a bit of our own personal experiences of finding housing, you know, especially when we're thinking about moving to large cities, you know, throughout, globally. There is a bit of a housing shortage right now, so it could be really tricky and can feel a little overwhelming.And as you try to find something in a different country, in a different location, maybe you've never even been there. So I guess we'll start off with finding your landing pad.So you are maybe as a first step, I always recommend that clients look for temporary housing. You're planning an international move.Oftentimes, if you're planning for a longer international move, you're going to have a shipment, like a container shipment that can take anywhere between like 6 to 12 weeks.And during COVID that was time was actually even longer to have your belongings shipped and so obviously you're going to leave the US on day one, and basically by the next day you're going to be in your new country. So I think it's really important as a first step to have temporary housing.Sometimes that could be like a hotel, an Airbnb, and then there's a lot of like, local providers that offer like temporary furnished apartments. Yeah.

And I think one important point here as well is to be a little cautious when you're choosing temporary housing.We were talking a little bit about this before we hit record, but my first temporary place in Vienna, I stayed in an Airbnb and I have a dog and they had fleas, which they gave to Shadow, which is not really a fun experience. So just be a little cautious and be flexible when it comes to that.If you find a temporary housing place and it doesn't seem to be the best situation, you can always move into a new location if that's possible for you.

That is a, that's a great, a great point.And, you know, just thinking about our own experience that I shared a little bit when we first moved to Berlin, I mean, we worked with an international relocation person. Like, we found a place and we were used in Berlin. We used a service called Wonder Flat.So it was a furnished apartment and we basically just showed up from our flight, you know, with four suitcases and our cat and the place was trashed, like I kid you not. Like, the beds were unmade, the bed was broken, there was like stuff, dishes and food in the refrigerator.I mean, it was so gross and looking, you know, but at that time, like, we didn't know what to do and we couldn't get a hold of the owners. And looking back, I wish we had just been like, no, we refused to stay here and we would have just gone to a hotel and found something different.But we were all jet lagged. I wasn't thinking correctly and I was like, I don't know, we just accepted it.And then they brought in a cleaner like the following week and had it like deep cleaned. But, you know, it turns out, like the owners had let their friends stay there for a portion of our rental.So, like, they only allowed the rental to start the first of the month. But we weren't actually moving to Berlin, I think, until like, I don't know, the 16th of the month.So we had paid for basically two weeks that they knew we would not be using the flat. They let their friends stay there. They had assumed that the cleaner would come in and clean up after this person that somehow that never happened.And we were, like, literally just, like, left with, like, a trash department. It was so upsetting.And when you're like, especially when you're with kids and you're settling in, I mean, I was trying, you know, trying to work at a new job and figure out this new city. It was really, like, overwhelming.And going back, you know, if you walk into a situation like that, I highly recommend just, like, not accepting it and letting everyone know you refuse to accept it. Because when we ended up leaving, like, we ended up getting charged for all this stuff. It was a really horrible leaving process.We really got scammed. Another thing is just scams, right?Like, if you are in really hot housing markets and you're looking online, there are a couple things to look out for.So if the person is like, oh, I'm out of the country and you can have my place, and it seems really cheap or even, like, just a little cheaper than, like, market rates, that's like a red flag if you're not ever gonna be able to meet this person if no one can show you the apartment. I think also this goes to.You know, we had a relocation consultant, so we had someone on the ground who is, like, kind of able to tell us, like, what are the good neighborhoods? And, you know, if they needed to, we could have had them.I think we did actually have them look at some of the apartments directly to make sure that they're actually real apartments and it's not just a scam. I mean, I don't know if you've heard of people getting scammed that way as well.

Yeah, definitely.I think it's also really important which platform you use to find the place, because if you use a service like Airbnb, which offers refunds, if it's a scam or something like that, or they, like, vet also the different apartments. So I think using a reputable service.

Like that is better than finding a.

Popular place on Craigslist. So, again, just paying attention where you're finding housing is also really important.And then kind of a caveat into why we're saying temporary housing. And that is because it's a great shift into finding a permanent housing.So I have found every time I've traveled to a new place or moved to a new country, it's almost impossible to find housing unless you have feet on the ground. So once you land, you start searching for something new. And there are so many options to explore. You can use Facebook groups, like expat.Facebook groups is a really good source of truth for finding housing. As well as online platforms.If you're in Germany, for example, Immo Weld is a really good option which will help you kind of navigate the German market. But, yeah, depending on which country you're living in, there's a lot of different kind of online options that you can explore.

I love the Facebook groups for creating community, for finding apartments.I mean, especially in those hot housing markets, Oftentimes people will just, like, go to the expat group, be like, hey, we're moving out of our apartment before we publish it publicly. Would anyone be interested in it? And sometimes that becomes, like, a great way to actually, actually find an apartment.But again, you want to do your homework, you want to do your due diligence here and make sure you're not being scammed, because there are scams everywhere. In Switzerland, we use, you know, Flax, Flat, Fox, Homegate, imo, Scout. Some of these are also just, like, available across Europe. More.More generally, they'll have their each, like, European site. I think also the, you know, for us, temporary housing was always a great one, because we were waiting for a shipment.And two, you really can get the lay of the land, of the city. Like, where do you feel at home?And so if you have a bit of luxury to be able to kind of choose which area you want to be in, you can really do your homework and walk the neighborhoods, eat at the restaurants, go and play at the parks before you pick your final destination or final specific area or neighborhood you want to be in.

Yeah. So once you start, kind of starting the process looking for housing, next is applying for housing and going to viewings.So whether you're in person or doing a virtual tour, there are a few things to keep in mind when you go to viewings. The first is be prepared to ask a lot of questions.Those can include what utilities are included, how's the access to public transport, Is it a furnished or unfurnished place? Do they allow pets?There's a lot of different questions you really need to take into consideration when you're going to viewings for apartments like this.

Yeah.

Or houses.

Yeah. And I mean, a lot of this information is usually available on the listing, but, you know, but not always.And especially if you're coming from where you're really just used to the US System and you're coming into a new country. I mean, it is a different process. Right. And it is in a different language. I think.One of the things that I think is, well, it's not so different from the U.S. but. Right. We have the, like, Additional utility.So generally every month you're paying into a portion for the utilities, and then, like, at the end of the year, they'll, like, settle it. So maybe you pay €250 or €250 or so per month for utilities, but the reality is you actually, on average, you know, spent €300 on utilities.You'll actually receive a bill in the beginning of the. Of the new year, and you have to settle that. So that can be like a little bit. A little bit different.I also think now, I don't know, this seems a little controversial, but I think you have to. As an expat and you're someone in the country, you really have to show who you are.So one of the things that our family has always done when applying for apartments or houses is we include a letter. Like, it has a picture of our family, and it tells who we are, why we're in the country, you know, who we're employed.And we just try to, like, add some additional contacts, because otherwise there's just like, you're kind of in a sea of applications. And I found that's always been really helpful in securing, like, really good housing.

Nice. I've never sent a picture or a letter, but I've also. Yeah, I've been pretty successful along the way, too. So I don't know.I guess it just comes with applying. Applying, applying. I recently moved into this new place, and that's kind of what I did.I applied to around 100 different apartments and then kind of just see what lands. Of course, I didn't see all of those. Right.It's applying kind of asking upfront if they'll accept your documents, because not everyone will when you're an expat and stuff like that, especially depending on your employment situation. So, yeah, that's the next point. It's just the application process. So you've been to an apartment, you like it a lot. What is the next step?And that is the application process, which can vary a lot from country to country.But there are a few common themes kind of across the board, and that's that most landlords will ask for a proof of income or employment, and in many cases, a deposit. So that can be a range of a few months up front. Really depends on the situation you're in now.

For us, in Switzerland and in Germany, it was three months rent as our deposit. What is it in Vienna?

It kind of depends on the place. So at my current apartment, it was two months, and then if you have a dog, an additional one month. So Three months deposit.But I know as I was kind of going through the application process here, because I'm self employed, a lot of the companies didn't necessarily like that. So they said I could offer an increased deposit to kind of secure the place, which was interesting.Some of those were like between six and 15 months of a deposit upfront.

Oh, my gosh.

Which was ridiculous.

And I just want to talk a little bit about these rental deposit accounts because they work differently than in the US and so when you actually go and have a rental deposit account, this. This is the correct thing, right? This is something to look for, is it's actually a new account that you and your landlord are on that account.It is a joint account with this person. Side note, this does have to be reported on your fbar if there's any interest. It does have to report reported on your tax return.But this protects both of you, right? You can't just take the money out, and they can't just take the money out.And if there are fees or charges at the end of the contract, they have to provide you with like an itemized list and you have to sign off on that before they can actually take the money out of the account. Right? So, and this is another point too.It's really great to have legal insurance when you are renting in a foreign country and you don't understand your rights. I've seen a lot of our friends and colleagues be taken advantage of in apartment situations.And so having legal insurance allows you, like, you get a new contract, you send that over and you have the, you know, the lawyer review that contract.And when you're moving out, and I would say this is very important when you're moving out, when they tell you what the fees are, then you also have the lawyer review this information because, you know, there's certain items like you've lived in a place for, you know, I think seven years, and now they're saying, oh, we need all carpet. Well, that carpet has already been depreciated and they can't just charge you now for new carpeting.So it's really important to understand what your rights are. And that can be really hard to navigate if you just don't even understand the system that you're in.The other thing that I want to point out is in both Germany and Switzerland, we were asked to show a proof of no debt. So that might be something that you're asked for. We always had to show our visas as part of our application to show that we have a legal right.And Some visas are, are it's easier to get an apartment than others.So if you're on a very short term contract, a lot of landlords, unless they're offering furnished short term accommodation, they don't want to rent to you for a year or two. And again, to your point about are you here as a self employed person, are you here as a student or are you fully employed? Local long term contract.

Nice.

So now we're settling in. Yeah.So I mean, I think this whole, whole process of, you know, first you move and then you're in temporary accommodations a lot of the time and now we're finally settling in. I mean, I think the most important takeaway here is give yourself so much grace.I really feel like, I mean, our family's moved a lot and I feel like it really takes like one to two years to feel like at home and comfortable in your apartment or house. Yeah.

And in the new environment as well. Because unless you're very, very familiar with the city that you're moving to, you're not going to know the area you're living in really well.So it'll take some time to explore, find the places you like, find people that you like who make it feel like home. So yeah, giving it grace is a really, really good point there. But yeah. So I guess that's a wrap for today's episode.Finding housing abroad can feel like a big challenge, but with the right approach, it is totally doable. So remember to be patient, stay flexible, ask a lot of questions, and as Arielle said, give yourself some grace.

Yeah, finding and settling into a permanent home is just a huge milestone in your expat journey. So thanks again for tuning in to Password Wealth. If you've got any tips or stories to share about house hunting abroad, we'd love to hear you.Until next time. And happy house hunting. Thank you for tuning in. Stay tuned for our upcoming episodes.Packed with insights and stories to empower your global financial journey. This is Passport to Wealth, where your financial future knows no borders.

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