Why you don’t need a relocation agent

You are saving money 

Collaborating with a relocation agent obviously requires you to pay for their services. So there are two ways to go around it: either you do it all on your own, assuming you have the energy, the time and the knowledge (or are at least willing to spend hours and hours on research) to do it or you work with someone who can match you with the right solution on the market in less than a month. The choice depends of course on your budget and preference.

You have a high tolerance for uncertainty and rejections 

Real estate markets of big cities are known for a couple of things: they move fast and they’re unpredictable. You saw an advert for an apartment you’d like? Well, guess what, it’s been less than an hour and it is not there anymore. When it comes to Munich you can add to the mix the complex application process and a consistent list of requirements from owners. Be ready to update your cover letter, have some good references at hand and still get rejected. Or have a relocation agent prepare your application documents, do the background work and feed you only with the positive news. 

You like bureaucracy  

Oh, paperwork! For some of us, a passion, for most of us, a nightmare. When relocating be prepared to spend some weeks gathering all your required documents as well as applying for new ones. All of that in a system you don’t know and in a language you may not be fully comfortable with. You could spend an additional couple of days just to understand what is up with the Steuerklassen or you could work with a relocation agent that will take care of this for you. 

You speak German with confidence

Do you know how we usually say a little goes a long way? Not when it comes to speaking German. Especially not with owners or public servants who are dealing with dozens of people every day. And while we love talking about equality and respect for diversity, there is also the other side of things: the entire German system is well, in German, so the effort is required on your side. On top of that, germans are quite proud of how difficult their bureaucratic system is, to which of course, they added a lot of rules. Now, how would you feel as a public servant? So if you know that your level of German will not make it easy for you to communicate your intentions, a relocation agent can save you. 

You have friends who speak German and can assist at house visits (with you/on your behalf)

This one just goes hand in hand with the previous reason. Especially if you do not live in Germany just yet, you would need someone to go in and do the visit on your behalf. If you have friends/family that live there, your life is easy, but if you don’t, well, be prepared to add some weeks to your house search, or to contact a relocation agent. 

You have time 

… and enjoy getting interrupted every 10’ with a new listing, checking the description, checking commute and location in google maps, browsing through pictures for hidden clues about the property.

I have mentioned it a couple of times, but I will say it again. Relocating takes time. A lot of it. Just browsing through the countless listings for apartments on different platforms will eat hours of your time, unless it is your job. The more refined your search is, the more time it will take. If we start thinking of the time it takes to also apply for each suitable property, we’re already looking at weeks of work. A relocation agent already knows where to look based on your preferences and may be able to find you a more suitable place than that 900 euros room you saw on that one platform. 

You have knowledge of the local rental market & rental law

If rental markets are your passion, the German one should not be too much of a challenge for you. If that is not the case, then finding a suitable property might take longer than you initially envisioned. You might also find out at the visit that having a kitchen is actually just optional in the rental apartment, even if you thought it is just a basic appliance.  To that we must also add the legendary German rent contract. It does take a special skill to read the rent contract, understand not only your rights but also your obligations and figure out if you can still manage your rent after Warmmiete.

You like seeing different properties

While for some of us spending days travelling from one side of the city to the other and marvelling at “made-in-Germany” appliances may sound appealing, there are also a lot of us who feel that the whole process is just tiring and just how much it makes you want to say: “YES, this one, just let me get it over with already”. If you fall into the second category, you may want to get in touch with a relocation agent that will do all of the above for you.   

While I truly believe that relocating on your own is more than possible, I also believe that it is heavily influenced by your personal context. Are you moving alone? Do you have an employer that pays you well and supports your relocation and you also speak the language? Great, things should not be too complicated. But if you are moving your whole family, you need to register your kids in kindergarten, you still need to work on your Blue Card immigration process after your job started and your workplace mainly uses English, a relocation agent may really do the trick for you and save you months of despair.