GAGFAH Group

I have just found the website for GAGFAH Group, a very large apartment management company with a searchable website you can read in English or German. They don't have quite as many search features as FAZ, and sadly do not include sample floor plans or pictures of the interiors of their apartments, but the apartments do appear to be priced quite reasonably and the ability to search in English takes some guesswork out of things.

Two more new links

The German Way is a site related to a book by the same name. It has good information on daily life, travel, and etc. in German-speaking countries.

How To Germany has lots of generalized information on life in Germany, including information on German health insurance, radio, television, and housing.

Overseas shipping

So, I went to movers.com to find out how much it would cost me to move my stuff from the U.S. to Germany (the answer: probably more than the stuff in question was worth). I am probably just going to get whatever furniture I need there and import my other stuff piecemeal when one or both of my parents come to visit.

Back to the movers, the biggest problem that I'm having right now with the moving quotes is that they keep calling back, they are very persistant even after I told them that I won't be needing their services any time in the near future. I think my problem was that in an attempt to be nice I told them I would keep them in mind if I ever did an international move in the future.

Apartment Shopping

The first thing I really learned about German apartments is that they don't necessarily come with a kitchen. I am getting accustomed to that idea, and have gone from being horrified to having mixed feelings regarding it (remembering some of the cabinetry in college apartments helps with this).

The other interesting thing is that it is apparently common to use real estate brokers (who charge huge fees) to help find apartments. I have found that Frankfurter Alle Zeitung website includes a classified section for apartments that do not necessarily include fees for finding the individual appartments.