Building the return of rural exodus back to the home city or countryside land plot

Sell the property and use it as a down payment for an apartment in [ffm] or keep renting - 1h commuting is the death. I commute one hour each way every day and without regular home office I wouldn’t do it.

Well, I would first check what housing options are possible as alternatives to the current apartment, which probably won't be suitable in 2 to 3 years, and how these alternatives affect the commute to work. Because in the big city, you quickly end up with a 40 to 60 minute one-way commute, partly because everything is so crowded.

And then list ... what is it that you wouldn't want to miss in Frankfurt, or how could it be realized if you lived in your hometown again. Also considering aspects like children, grandparents available for occasional supervision, etc.

1) The child grows up a hundred times happier in the small town. 11,000 inhabitants, which means everything is on site. Schools, shops, pubs, even the train station. I find a one-hour travel time acceptable with regular working hours and free weekends. The living value increases enormously. What is deterring? Will old acquaintances be jealous? Cut you off? You know what, then they are not friends, leave them aside. Or where does the fear lie? Karsten

I also don't find a one-hour one-way commute with children feasible. We currently have this situation with my wife and she is trying to get transferred. However, with A13 it is easier without any disadvantages. Nevertheless, we also have 3 children under 5, I have a 30-minute commute simply by car, and all grandparents also work or are not directly on site. That means we manage the vast majority on our own.

If you move out of there, make sure that the grandparents really help (permanently) and whether you can handle practically not seeing your children during the week.

Hello,

a blessing and a curse at the same time!

We had a similar situation. I came from a cow village with 3,000 inhabitants but with a swimming pool, secondary school, etc.

Afterwards, always commuting. Sometimes more, sometimes less. If you want to earn money with us, you either commute or leave FFM completely, etc.

Afterwards, I met my wife in FFM, moved out of FFM to Taunus, had a child, two more planned, and then it dawned on us that the rental apartment was getting too small or rather we wanted a nest. We have now landed in my hometown. With property and happy.

BUT: my wife has agreed to HO. Now she also has to go to FFM occasionally and HATES it. A3 by car is a daily horror. I always have to listen to traffic jams and so on. Taking the train is out of the question for her. 1, she doesn’t like it 2, too inflexible.

I am HAPPY. Why? I know commuting. Every day from door to door 3 hours back and forth. I could also quit the job, but it’s not possible because no one in the city pays me 90k a year. I read on the train, do my NAPs. Occasionally I also do my HO, the employer is slowly opening up.

I don’t see living in the countryside as a problem for you. You can get to know it for the sake of the children. My wife loves the city by now and is happy.

You have to endure commuting in the long run (meaning YEARS)... especially with public transport. Cars also mean money and stress....

Good luck, exciting thread!

The train runs hourly. The travel time from the station to my workplace would be 55 minutes, for my wife 62 minutes. We both travel free of charge on public transport. The station can be reached from our property by bike in five minutes.

I understand it as you can reach the station by bike in 5 minutes, have a direct train, and at the end of the train ride only have a minimal walk to the office. And all that with free train rides.

If you find another apartment within Frankfurt, you can often achieve similar travel times, possibly with more transfers or the decision to drive a car after all. And then maybe 45 minutes in stop-and-go traffic.

Taking the train, as long as it's not a totally overcrowded train, I would also find more pleasant. I also think about reading, e.g. a digital newspaper subscription etc. You also have the time used up that you would otherwise want to have at home in the evening or so.

And, maybe it can also be agreed with the employer that, for example, one person has core working hours from 7 to 16, the other from 9 to 18, ideally maybe alternating weekly, so that both can share drop-off and pick-up duties at the daycare etc. Then each one has 1 to 2 days of home office and the whole thing doesn’t seem so daunting anymore.

And, if you like to do something in the city in the evening, it would also be decisive .. how long does this hourly train run? Does it stop at 9 pm or does it run longer?