Return to the homeland - how much credit can I afford?

Quality of life, from a certain income level (which you exceed), in Europe certainly does not depend on the neighborhood or additional costs – it doesn’t really matter where you settle. The question is: Does everyone in the family feel comfortable – within themselves, with each other, in the social fabric, with their own health and that of close people? What quality does the time spent together have? How well does one succeed in setting the right priorities? This luxury causes quite a bit of stress for some. I recommend in such a situation not to place too much importance on money and to live well.

Sorry if this might be a bit personal, I am just curious.

Why don’t you first pay off one house with your own capital and then see how to proceed?
When the time comes, sell the house and invest the freed-up amount in a house in Germany?

I have nothing to do with banks, but I live near the Swiss border with many cross-border commuters. They apparently have no problems getting loans, although they already live here.

Maybe try “living here on a trial basis” first, also because of the partner.

I would just be interested in which industry she wants to become self-employed without language skills? At the moment, things do not look so rosy for many due to the lockdown.

Best regards ☁
Wolke

If your partner still has to find her way in Germany, I would first live in a rented place.
You do have a very high income, but maybe you should first think about what exactly “quality of life” means to you. A good job and lots of money? A nice house or car? Little or no debt? A lot of time with the family? Everyone sets their priorities differently. What good does it do you if you are happy in Frankfurt but your wife is not?

Why does the environment have to be international? If you want to stay here longer, your wife should try to integrate and learn German. An environment where only English is spoken is not very helpful for that.

I would only consider buying a house if it is certain that you also want to live there longer. Otherwise, it does not make sense.

If you are here then you should definitely get the desired loan ...
I understand that you think everything through beforehand, I would do the same ....

However, I would advise against immediate purchase for other reasons: what if you don’t like it here or the job is not to your liking? Then you have maneuvered yourself into an expensive dead end. And maybe after half a year you find out that district xyz would be your favorite place to walk – you can’t find that out so quickly from afar, I believe ...

But we Germans always buy: once and never again.

Other cultures are different, if you don’t like it you can also get rid of the house in FFM again ... if that’s okay for you: do it, otherwise rent for a year first.

The income will not be enough for a single-family house, try first to become a member of a cooperative in order to get a cheap apartment and see what you can save monthly. Alternatively, companies like Vonovia repeatedly offer apartments for under 10€/sqm cold rent.

You see, better safe than sorry!

Buying and selling is no problem for me, it's not my first time either. In England, it's the national sport. Unfortunately, that means paying off someone else's loan.

That's all true. Luckily, we ourselves already have some experience since we have lived and worked in several countries in our lives.

of which Frankfurt simply has one of the best qualities of life, and also good schools. Therefore very attractive!

which only makes sense if I can improve my lifestyle.

of which Frankfurt simply has one of the best qualities of life,

and also good schools

An international environment would also be important to me since I didn’t grow up in Germany but internationally. I simply feel more comfortable in an international environment.

But since every new living situation can present itself differently again, especially within the partnership, this might help you less than you think. Things can simply turn out differently than technically planned. Your partner has never lived in Germany, so you know exactly zero about how it will be. A super trendy big city doesn’t necessarily help. Maybe she would even have been happy in the countryside. Therefore..... now check who is...committing....I mean in terms of place/situation of living. Because if things don’t work out with the Mrs., you can throw all your plans in the bin.

oh yes, in what way?
Big cities in Germany have similar qualities, there are even partly great international offerings in medium-sized cities, so one shouldn’t just look at the name of the school or institution. Great school, everything super trendy – kids sad or something, and then...? I know a few international schools with the best reputation and drawer loads of awards.......but I wouldn’t send my child to them.
When we returned from abroad at the time, we first moved into a nice big apartment and looked, felt, tried from there.....in the end it turned out differently. Although both of us are German with different hometowns, we struggled for a longer time.
So far this endeavor sounds rather technically oriented to me......

What exactly would improve your lifestyle or what is in need of improvement compared to before?

Really – why? What do you base that on?

You often find very good schools already in district towns, often purely English-speaking. I would think more about how your partner will learn the German language, because that can be the decisive point if she can’t cope here; that can happen in no time.....experienced enough of that personally in my environment.

Sorry, somehow that sounds lofty but maybe it’s just normal and I’m being too picky. Frankfurt is international, has the best schools, international environment.....and still you could become unhappy right there or not. Do you think that only dumb villagers live in small towns or the countryside? It’s often even the case that educated people often avoid the trendy circles because they can’t stand stereotypical nonsense anymore. Sorry, I’m no longer international by now.....oh dear.
It is important to surround yourself with pleasant and inspiring people; “I need international contact” for my happiness is hardly more clichéd than that. Sorry to say it so directly but you want to hear opinions.
Rent a great apartment and wait and see how your wife finds her way.....THAT very well may be the key.

There are indices for the quality of life in cities. The Frankfurt a.M. region scores well. International flair exists in only a few cities in Germany and even fewer in medium or small cities. Among these, Frankfurt as a financial center and internet hub, Düsseldorf with the large Japanese “colony,” Berlin as a place of international politics hold a special position. This naturally also reflects in the international schools – not in the training quality but in the type of network and international diploma compatibility. The arguments are valid – especially since the OP wants to work in a field that apparently is not needed everywhere. The orientation towards the Taunus is therefore only consistent – and the landscape is nice there too. With the current salary, it will become tight to “keep up,” it will need a few jumps prospectively – so I understand the inquiry.